Page 21 of Hearts to Mend

He frowns at me. And…

Wait. I squint at him. Oh God, I know him, like, in the biblical sense. John, that was his name. I think. My memory is fuzzy from that night, but I’m pretty sure he’s the medic I took home after a night of Darts & Drafts with the guys at The Rusty Bucket. I’d hit on him that night because he was exceptionally good at darts and had a wicked smile. I remember the sex was good, but that was over a year ago, and I can’t recall if he stuck around for breakfast. John is still frowning at me, and I’m not sure if it’s because of my incoherent ramblings or the awkward memories of our one-night stand.

I turn away from the judgment I’m sure is in John’s eyes and farther from Drew and Chloe’s public display of affection, looking for someone else to focus on. Anyone else.

That’s when I see him, that familiar face, a face I once knew better than my own, a face I once loved with all my heart. I watch with confusion as Rico comes running at me, looking every bit as worried as Chloe looked when she tackled Drew. And for a moment, just one moment, I let myself imagine that someone does care enough about me to worry. That he cares enough to come running.

And then he’s in front of me, breathing hard and staring at me with those deep, dark eyes. Rico comes as close as he can without interfering with the medic, reaching for me, his fingers taming my tangled hair, stroking my neck, his thumb tracing a soft line across my cheek.

I blink up at him, completely entranced by his eyes and the soft way he’s touching me. Like he’s pushing a strand of hair out of my face, over and over again, his fingers stroke behind my ear. It used to be his spot, where he’d caress sweetly after we made out under our tree. It’s hypnotic and erotic, and it’s messing with my head.

Rico is the only man—or boy, for that matter—who has ever been sweet to me. Everyone else sees my armor. They know they can be rough with me, so they are. Rico, though, is gentle. He touches me like I’m breakable, and he never wants to break me.

Leaning down to my level, his gaze so intense it’s like he’s staring into my soul, Rico asks, “Are you okay?”

No. I’m not okay. I haven’t been okay for a long time. But right now, staring into the depths of his eyes, I feel…better.

The logical part of my brain tries to reason with me: It’s the adrenaline. It’s making you confused. Don’t fall for his strange Rico magic. But the look he’s giving me right now—such affection and caring, such total relief to be at my side—it’s too powerful. It’s the look I’d longed to see all those years ago when he would have come home from the war, ready to start our life together.

There’s a part of me that fills with rage: Why did I have to wait so long for this? But another part, a bigger part, is overwhelmed with the desperate need for more. His fingertips caress me, but I need his hands, his lips, his whole body.

So I let myself forget everything else. The apartment fire and the chaos of the crowded scene fade into the background. I turn away from our complicated past and unknown future so all I can see is him and me, right here and right now. I let everything go when I grab the front of his shirt and yank, pulling him to me and mashing my lips against his.

Rico seems confused, frozen in place, but that passes quickly, and then he’s tightening his fingers on the back of my neck, pulling me against him as his mouth melts to mine, his lips softening as he kisses me for the first time in too long. It’s so different, yet so much the same.

Rico still tastes like I remember, but he’s a man now, and he kisses like a man, not a boy. When he takes the kiss deeper, his tongue doesn’t beg—it demands entrance. And I gladly give it. He brings a second hand up, cupping my cheek, his fingers tangling in my hair, and I clutch at his shirt, feeling the rigid muscles of his chest as I hold on. God, he’s hot, and his kiss is volcanic, hotter than the fire I just came out of. I’m melting into him, completely pliant to his hands, his mouth, his warmth.

“Dude! What the fuck? Get off her!”

Confusion washes over me at the sound of sharp voices. I blink my eyes open to see Rooster yank Rico backward.

The sudden shift in our situation surprises Rico too. He keeps his eyes fixed on me, ignoring Rooster as he catches his breath, his luscious lips swollen from my kiss.

“Wait.” Rooster is staring at me, too, looking more confused than Rico. “Dee, did you want him to…?”

He doesn’t have to finish his question, and I don’t have to give him an answer. He knows. We both know. Everyone here knows. Yes, I wanted his kiss. I’ve always wanted his kiss. But as soon as I recognize that reality, I remember the other reality too. Rico hasn’t always been gentle and kind and good to me. I might be tough, but I’m still breakable, and I just kissed the asshole who broke my heart.

“Fuck,” I say as I wipe my mouth and frown at Rico. I glance past him and all around at where the whole town is watching. And, insult to injury, there’s my actual injury. John, still busy doing his job, checks something with my ankle, and I yelp in pain.

“Let’s get you to the hospital,” John says.

I nod and studiously avoid eye contact with Rico and everyone else as they wheel me into the back of the ambulance and shut the doors.

“Fuck!” I yell up at the ceiling, feeling helpless and weak and stupid.

I can’t believe I just kissed the only man who ever hurt me. Worse than that, I just kissed him in front of everyone. And, worst of all, there’s this lingering urge inside me to do it again.

CHAPTER 10

RICO

* * *

The ambulance leaves, and I stare at the empty space it occupied moments before. My eyes fix on the spot where Dee blew my mind with a kiss.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The brawny redheaded guy looks as red as his hair, fuming with rage, and from the sharp expression in his eyes, it’s obvious his rage is meant for me. It’s cool that he’s so protective of Dee. I’m glad she has someone looking out for her. But I wish he didn’t feel the need to protect her from me.

“She started it?” I defend myself, meekly.

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