Page 84 of Sweet Chaos
I tucked a lock of sun-bleached hair behind her ear. When her hair dried, it was a mess of crazy waves and I loved it that she never tried to tame them. Not only was she completely unlike Sienna personality-wise, they didn’t even look alike. “I don’t think about her when I’m with you. Or ever, really.”
She nodded and chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“I love you,” she blurted out.
Her eyes widened and for a few seconds there was nothing but silence and the dull thud of my heart dropping to my stomach as her words hung in the air between us and I said absolutely nothing. Three little words but they packed a powerful punch.
I opened my mouth to speak, maybe to say the words, but we’d never know because the doorbell rang.
She hopped off the counter and turned her back to me, stowing the ice cream in the freezer, and I suspected she was trying to hide her face from me. It was easy to read. She wore her emotions and rarely hid behind a mask. “It’s probably Cruz and Nic.”
I groaned on my way to the door. “What are they doing here?”
“We invited them, remember?”
“No.” I hadn’t invited anyone. Must have been Little Miss Congeniality who excelled at socializing.
I answered the door to a smiling Nicola and a smug-looking Cruz. It was his usual expression these days, like he’d figured out the secrets of the universe and they all pointed to one person. Nicola. These two were so loved up it was nauseating. A few days ago, I’d caught him signing a text with the smiley face heart-eyes emoji. What self-respecting man uses a heart-eyes emoji?
I was convinced he’d grown a vagina.
“Did you fire up the grill?” Nic asked me.
“No.”
She put her hands on her hips. Her hands were free to do that whereas Cruz was loaded down with about a hundred bags. “I texted you and told you to get the grill ready.”
I snorted. Who did she think I was? Cruz? Which was exactly what I told her. She rolled her eyes and breezed past me, cursing me out for not following instructions while Cruz trotted behind her like a dutiful puppy dog, his eyes glued to her ass.
“She’s got a whole menu planned. Do as she says, stay out of her way, and nobody will get hurt,” he said.
“She’s got you pussy whipped,” I said, shaking my head.
“I need a cold beer,” he said, unloading his bags onto the kitchen island and helping himself to a beer from my refrigerator.
“And a set of balls.”
He gave me the finger and took a long pull of beer. “Fuck, it’s hot today.”
Scarlett greeted Cruz with a hug and chatted for a few seconds, completely ignoring me, then sauntered out to the pool in her tiny bikini to join Nicola who was no doubt acquainting herself with my grill. I rubbed the blank space over my heart, thinking about her words and our unfinished business. But now that Cruz and Nic had crashed our party for two, there would be no further discussion of love or sex without condoms. Which was a relief.
I wasn’t ready to say the words. Without actions to back them up, words were meaningless. I’d rather show her than tell her.
“Does she know you’re planning to take down her father?” Cruz asked, cutting into my thoughts, his voice low so as not to be overheard. Not that anyone would hear us over the music blasting.
“You’re not even supposed to know that.”
“But I know you. Your back’s against the wall. You’ll come out fighting.”
He wasn’t wrong about that. Simon Woods was going down and yours truly was going to do the honors.
* * *
“He’s so much like Jimmy, isn’t he?” Remy said as I watched from my poolside lounge chair.
I’d normally scoff at that. Kai was only three months old. But I got what she was saying. Kai was one chilled-out little dude, and nothing made him happier than being in the water, kicking his chubby little legs, a gummy smile on his face.
