Page 22 of Love at First Ink

“You are welcome to come with me to any show. I’ll always give you the VIP treatment.” Cisco flagged down the valet and handed the guy his ticket. He jogged off, promising to deliver it quickly.

Cisco then turned back to her, taking a step closer. Marisol’s breath caught in her throat, catching a whiff of his cologne. Cedarwood and mint. Her body heated up, which was pathetic. It should take more than proximity and a good cologne to turn her on, but clearly her body had different thoughts.

“I had fun tonight,” Cisco said.

“So did I.” And she did. More fun than she’d had in so long.

“Can I see you again?” he asked.

Marisol opened her mouth to say she would think about it but promptly closed it. That was what she always did, wasn’t it? Say she would think about it and then convince herself she wasn’t allowed or didn’t deserve to do something she really wanted to do. And she really wanted to see Cisco again. She found herself drawn to him and was desperate to learn more about the man who kept surprising her around every corner. To hell with the consequences, she wanted to see him again.

“Yes.” She watched a beautiful smile spread across his lips. “I would like to see you again, Cisco.”

She was acutely aware of their proximity. Her chest nearly brushed his. She had to angle her head up in order to see him properly. He hovered over her, licking his lips. It would be so easy to stand on her tiptoes and eliminate the distance between them until their lips were pressed together. If she were a brave woman, she would do just that.

But her bravery sobered up half an hour ago.

The moment passed just as quickly as it came. Cisco’s car pulled up beside them, and it took a moment for him to move. He lingered there and seemingly made his decision because soon he leaned down and pressed a faint kiss to her cheek.

It was perfect.

It was not enough.

“Let me take you home, Princesa,” he said and opened the car door for her. She had been called princess before and normally hated it. Usually, it was to mock her or remind her how spoiled she was. But not the way Cisco said it. It was…different. Kind.

Not wanting the night to end, but knowing it had to, Marisol got into the car and let him drive her home. For the entire car ride, she couldn’t think of anything else but his lips on her cheek.

CHAPTER 11

Marisol

Even for a Sunday, Sunset Diner was unusually crowded. Navigating between tables and weaving through the throng of diners felt like an Olympic event as Marisol hurried after the hostess. She was convinced the hostess was practically sprinting to their table. Of all days, she had chosen to break in her new boots today, and they punished her for it with every step, squeezing her feet uncomfortably as she jogged to keep up.

“Here you go. Your waitress will be with you soon,” she said and then disappeared back into the crowd before Marisol could thank her. Not that she could blame the poor woman. The line behind Marisol was out the door. Sunset Diner’s food was good, but she wasn’t sure if they were line-out-the-door good.

Taking a seat at the table, Marisol pulled out her phone to see a text from her sister, Lola. Today was their monthly “break shit” day, as Lola deemed it, where they would go to a rage room and break shit. But Javi and Fabian were having a father-son day. Marisol didn’t know what a father did with an infantfor a father-son day, but things like that were important to her sister’s husband. However, that left Camilia with Lola to have a mommy-daughter day. Their first stop was having lunch with Marisol.

Parking. A billion people here. Will be in shortly.

Marisol read the text from her sister and was about to respond when another text came in. Not from her sister this time, but Cisco. Her heart skipped a beat before she opened the text. He sent her a picture of him in front of a mirror wearing The Sinner’s Web shirt he randomly found in the back of his closet. But that wasn’t what caught her attention. It was his arms—his very muscular and tattooed arms—that awoke something primal deep within her.

He looked damn good. It was silly to miss a guy she barely knew and had seen yesterday, but she did. She missed Cisco, which was largely due to last night being one of the best of her life. She had looked at the picture Cisco sent of the two of them with the band at least a hundred times. She almost set it as her phone wallpaper but was afraid someone in her family would notice and start to ask questions. Questions she didn’t know how to answer yet.

Guess who is going to be playing the entire The Sinner’s Web album on repeat today and possibly piss Tiny off?

And Tiny is…?

My cousin. Lyana. You met her at the shop.

Ah, yes, her. Images of her nametagresurfaced from her time at the tattoo shop. She smiled at the thought of the teenager complaining to Cisco and the two having an all-out music war in the shop.

Before she could respond, another text from Cisco came through.

Last night was fun. I want to see you again soon, Princesa.

“What are you smiling at?” a familiar voice broke through her Cisco fog, and Marisol jumped, quickly blackening her screen. She looked up to see her sister approaching, tilting her head down to stare at Marisol as if she could will an answer out of her.

“Nothing,” Marisol said a little too quickly, which only made Lola raise her brow more. “Just a funny video I saw.”

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