He grinned, the sweat dripping from his forehead. “Did you have fun?”
“I had the best time. I can’t believe that as much as I love dancing, I’ve never danced just to let loose. I was always practicing or performing.”
“You have to do something daily that brings you joy. I do yoga and I surf. Even when I’m having a bad day, taking that time for myself recenters me.”
She paused and caressed his face. “How did you get so wise?”
He chuckled. “I was just unhappy for a long time. Especially lastyear, after our family received so much hate online because of my father’s terrible decisions. I went to therapy and tried to deal with my emotions.” He paused. “It’s not my place to say, but maybe you should try it.”
Her nose wrinkled. “What? Yoga and surfing?”
“Well, those too. But I was talking about therapy. It could help you deal with the tools to communicate with your family.”
Carolina nodded but couldn’t even fathom going to therapy and talking to someone about her family. They would probably judge Papá too harshly and not understand where he was coming from. He was raised in another country and had never adapted to this one’s customs. Yes, there was a fine line between being traditional and abusive, but Carolina prayed that she could make Papá see the errors in his ways.
But if things got really bad, maybe she would consider it.
When they’d reached the parking lot, Enrique pinned her against the side of his SUV and kissed her passionately. His hands ran down her curves, and this time, Carolina was more emboldened and touched him as well. His hard chest, his toned bicep. Her hand grazed his belt. Did she dare? She stroked the waistband of his pants and he let out a groan. She could feel every inch of his body pressed against hers, hard and strong.
Thiswas the feeling that her friends in college had talked about. The lust, the longing, the desire. She finally understood why her father didn’t want her to go out alone with a guy. It wasn’t just her father’s reputation or honor—once she’d had a taste of what he considered sin, she wouldn’t be able to stop.
And he’d be right.
But this wasn’t about her father, her mother, or her family anymore. This was about Carolina. She wanted to be free and live life on her terms.
They stumbled into the SUV. Carolina looked at her phone. It was one in the morning—and there were twenty missed calls from her father.
Dammit.
“Do you want me to take you home?”
Fear coiled in her belly. “That’s probably a supremely bad idea.” But spending the night with him was a worse one. His chiseled jawline made such a handsome silhouette in the moonlight. Carolina had the fleeting desire to lose her virginity in the back of his SUV but resisted the temptation. Since she had waited so long, she wanted it to be special, more intentional. She didn’t have to be married, or in love; he didn’t even have to be her real boyfriend.
She just wanted to be one hundred percent sure and have no regrets. Acting out of passion and rebellion was never a good idea. “But I’ll have to face him sometime. So yes, please take me home.”
But she didn’t want to be responsible and go home, especially since she would certainly face the firing squad. What if she were a different woman, raised by a different family? Would she spend the night having hot sex with Enrique?
Yes, please!
But no. She wasn’t ready for that type of intimacy... yet.
What would it be like to live on her own and do whatever she wanted?
She decided right then that she was going to find out.
But not tonight. She’d had enough rebellion for one day.
After a long ride, Enrique finally drove down the gravel road that led to her house.
“Stop here.” She didn’t want him to drive any farther, because she could almost guarantee her family would be watching from the window.
“Why? They already know I’m with you.”
She placed her hand on his shoulder. “Because I need to do this alone.”
He exhaled. “Fine. I texted Tiburón—he left hours ago in an Uber, so it’s just your family.” He stopped the car and cut the lights. “Hey, if you need me, call. I’m not going to try to pretend to understand your relationship with your family, but you did nothing wrong tonight. You don’t deserve to be berated for going on a date.”
A lump grew in her throat. “I know. You’re right. But being right doesn’t change the fact that this is my family, and I knew their rules.” Carolina leaned over and gave him a sweet kiss. “Thank you for tonight.”
