Page 63 of Ocotillo Kisses
“I’ll talk to her about it. I don’t think so.” Sofia looked over at him. “Or you could talk to her about it.”
“I could. Just don’t know if she’d listen to me.” He did not want this conversation with one more person, especially not in front of Britt. And he wasn’t the only person in their group that owned a truck. He thought about pushing her toward Javi, but really. They didn’t all need to hook up with people they went to high school with.
They took a break to eat. Sofia made a list of the things they took from the shelf and left it at the register so they could settle up with Mrs. Lopez in the morning. Well. Later in the morning. Con couldn’t remember the last time he’d been up this late. And considering he’d been awake before dawn to deal with the animals, well, even an energy drink wasn’t doing the work.
“If y’all want to go on home, I completely understand,” Sofia said. “It’s a long drive, and I’m used to late hours. If I don’t get finished, I’m sure Mrs. Lopez would not object to me coming in early tomorrow and finishing up.”
“I’m okay. Con?” Britt asked.
“My bedtime was like six hours ago. And I have to be up in three, so may as well push on through.”
“Con!” Britt exclaimed. “You cannot work all night.”
“Go to the motel, I’ll get you a key, you can crash,” Sofia said. “I won’t even make you do your own laundry.”
He was so tempted. His eyes were grainy, and he knew he was slowing down. But he was no quitter. If the girls were going to keep working, so was he.
Just when he’d convinced himself he could go on, Sofia hopped to her feet with more energy than anyone should have this late at night.
“Come on. We’re calling it a night. I’ll get y’all a couple of rooms, okay? Let your families know not to expect you tonight.”
Sofia locked up the place quickly, so quickly Con suspected she planned to come back and work after she got them settled, but he was tired enough to go along with the charade. He and Britt left their cars in front of the grocery store and followed Sofia around the square to her motel.
Britt must be more tired than she was letting on, because neither of them were keeping up with Sofia, who was in and out of the office with two keys before they even stepped up on the curb.
“Y’all are lucky I have two rooms available,” Sofia joked, because really, she didn’t have a lot of business, which was why she was converting some of the units into apartments.
“Lucky,” Britt said, taking her key.
“Do y’all need anything before I head home?” Sofia asked.
Con shook his head, and he expected Britt did the same as they headed into the courtyard behind the office to their rooms.
“Nice of Sofia to do this for us,” Britt murmured, working her key in the lock. “I must be tired. I can’t get this to work.”
Con crossed over to her and tried the key, with no success. She hadn’t moved away much and he could smell her, the scent of her shampoo, her sweat from her hard work tonight. He held up the key to inspect it to see Sofia had switched them. He was room five and she was room six. So he tried his key, and it worked immediately. He swung the door open, almost losing his balance, and Britt put her hand against his chest.
He looked down at her and...damn. Without thinking, he cupped his hand around the back of her head, feeling the cool silk of it fall over the back of his hand, contrasting with the heat of her mouth, her lips parted and eager as she slid her palms up his chest to link around the back of his neck, holding him to her.
He didn’t know how he managed it, backing into the room and drawing her with him, closing the door behind them. But all he knew was he had never wanted anything more.
