Porcupine quills are being jabbed into my skin. If my sister were here with me, she’d tell me to hold my head high and walk away, making sure I’m not giving Dylan the satisfaction of knowing that he’s bothering me. But I’m also filled with morbid curiosity. Who is she? How long have they been together? I can’t get myself to stop watching him.
“Oh,” I manage. “How... how long have you guys been together?”
“Officially? Three months, give or take.”
“How did you guys meet?” I ask.
“Oh, she interviewed me for the research position.”
I frown. Talk about a conflict of interest. I know Dylan is qualified, but it makes me wonder if the reason he was hired was because Rainy was interested in him. Or if he flirted with her to get the job.
I don’t have to wait long to meet the mystery woman. A few moments later, the Queen of Vultures joins him at the table. There’s no mistaking her electric-blue hair. She’s about our age, in her early thirties, but a little shorter than me.
“Friends of yours?” she says, setting down two plates of cookies and stroking his arm in a tender motion.
“Yeah. This is Ava, my business partner from California,” he offers.
Business partner. Another ouch. Not even a friend? My heart pounds as hard as golf-ball-sized hail shattering a car windshield.
I wave a hand. “Hi.”
Rainy smiles tightly and nods back to me. “Hi.”
Tension fills the air as she studies me. Dylan, however, remains oblivious to it as he closes his laptop and pushes it to the side, giving his girlfriend his full attention.
“I was, uh, surprised you didn’t text me,” I say.
“Oh sorry.” He turns his head, glancing at me. “I’ve been busy. You know how it is. New job. New apartment. There’s so much to do and never enough time.”
Idoknow how it is, but the photos he’s been posting say otherwise. He’s had enough time to go out. “Yeah, I get it.” I take a deep, steadying breath, my legs shaky as a jellyfish.
Fernando slips his hand into mine and squeezes gently, reminding me he’s standing right there.
“Who’s this?” Dylan juts his chin out.
I turn my head and stare. “Oh this is, um...” My mind has momentarily gone blank.
“Fernando,” he says with a stronger accent than normal. “I’m Ava’s boyfriend. And we need to get going. It was nice to meet you.”
I let him lead me toward the dessert offerings, fingers laced through mine. “An ex?” he says in a tone so low that it’s barely audible.
“Sort of.” I swallow hard. “It’s complicated.”
He leans his head right next to my ear. “Do you trust me?”
I hesitate for a moment, then answer, “Yes.”
His arm travels up to the small of my back, supporting all my weight. Bringing me into his body, he places a warm, gentle kiss on my mouth. Whoa! This is the last thing I thought he’d ever do!
I melt into his arms, deepening our kiss as my eyes flutter closed, eager for more. His lips are silky soft. I smell the scent of zesty orange and gingerbread. My arms wrap themselves around his neck. It’s like I’ve been wrapped up with the world’s softest weighted blanket and I’m so comfortable that I don’t want to ever leave.
Eventually, we break apart. Fernando’s brown orbs are large and filled with so much warmth, they could heat a freezing room. His voice is raw and throaty. “Let’s see if they have some pie. I know how much you love it.”
“Mm’kay,” I manage, breathless, floating wherever he leads me. My mind has gone fuzzy. All thoughts of Dylan have fallen by the wayside. Fernando may not know it, but he’s just spoiled me for all other men. I don’t know if anyone could match a kiss like that.
He grabs a tray at the dessert case. “I couldn’t stand how they were treating you. For the record, they’re watching us. Your ex is probably wondering why he was stupid enough to let you go,” he whispers into my ear. “I’m sorry if I crossed the line, but he clearly needed to be put in his place.”
I don’t bother looking back at Dylan. I don’t care. “Don’t be.” I enjoyed every moment of it. In fact, my body would love it if he gave me another one right now.
