“Why…why were you at Brandon’s?”
“We were drowning our misery with alcohol, and I am feeling it today.”
“Did you two…are you…have you two ever…?” I laugh in his face, the thought ridiculous.
“NO! Never!”
“Good. That’s really good.”
“Oh?” I look up at him through my lashes. “And why is that?”
“Because I’d hate to break his pretty face for touching what’s mine.”
“I’m yours? I don’t remember agreeing to anything, let alone being asked?”
He leans down, brushing his lips along my jaw and cheek to whisper in my ear, “The minute you bumped into me in the hallway, you were mine. And my cock in your tight little pussy was the notarized seal.”
I blink several times, trying to process what he just said. “Notarized seal?”
“It sounded sexier in my head.”
“Uh huh.”
“I missed you, Jenna. And when I got that call…I wanted to be here for Phia and Crue, but so we could be there for each other. I’m so…I’m so fucking furious that something like this happened and to someone like Phia. No one deserves that, but she’s such a wonderful young lady.”
“You know she’s like 5 years younger than me,” I mutter, teasing him a little.
“Hush, Grandpa’s talking.” I laugh into his chest, my arms around his solid torso. He’s here. He came here for them, but also for me. He drove hours so we could be together and help each other through this. “I needed you, baby. I needed to hold you, breathe you in, to hear your heartbeat. When I couldn’t reach you—”
“I’m so sorry. I turned my phone off after I got to Brandon’s. I wasn’t…neither of us was in a good head space. I want to say that I would have come home had I known you were here…but Brandon was…he’s taking this very hard. He couldn’t be alone last night.”
“I understand. It sucks, but I’m glad he has someone like you. Can we comfort each other now?” he asks and I nod. I step back out of his arms and look up at his face. The pain is etched in every line, especially around his eyes. Tears sting my eyes, and I leap into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. We cling to one another, his chest heaving, painful cries tearing up my throat. It all hits me so hard, the pointlessness of it all. What did they hope to accomplish by hurting Phia? Killing her? None of it would have changed Crue’s decision not to play professionally. It was unnecessary and that’s what’s so upsetting about it all. She’s suffering for nothing.
I hiccup as my tears slow. Some of the constriction in my chest loosening. Something about Andres soothes me, heals a part of myself and I’m grateful that he’s here. I lift my head from his shoulder and realize the front door is still open. “Is that…did you get the same rental car?”
“Uh, no. That’s my car.” His voice sounds odd, tentative, nervous.
I laugh, staring at the vehicle. My cheeks heat when I remember what we did in a car just like that one. “So, when you travel, you rent the same car as the one you own? Not a fan of change, huh?”
“No. I bought it after my trip here.”
I pull back to meet his eyes. There’s humor amidst the redness of his emotions. “Why?”
“Because you came in it and I didn’t want anyone else to smell you. I’m not sharing that intoxicating scent.”
“Oh my God! You neanderthal!” My forehead falls to his shoulder again, my entire body shaking with laughter.
“It’ll be our sex car.”
I snort, unable to comprehend the turn of conversation. “Our sex car?”
“Yeah, we can save our other vehicles for non-sex times, like funerals, or doctor’s appointments or if one of us is audited by the IRS.”
My heart feels lighter than it has in more than 12 hours. “I don’t know, if I’m being audited, I’m probably getting fucked.”
Andres growls, kicking the door closed and stomping into my living room. “Not by anyone but me.”
“Andres—” I try to protest, I’m not even sure why at this point. He’s not going anywhere right now, so why fight it? I’ll just need copious amounts of alcohol, Voodoo dolls, and my bestie Lilly when it falls apart.
