Holly’s smile is venomous, and when she starts to walk away, I follow her. But Jorge grabs her arm just before she's out of reach.
“Let. Me. Go.” Holly growls.
Jorge must realize he’s messing with the wrong woman because he releases her. Good thing, because forget Fezzik, I was about to rip his arm off Chewbacca style.
I take a deep breath and remind myself that I am not a violent person and need to chill so I can stay out of jail.
Jorge scoffs. “Come on, Holly. You can’t seriously think I believe that you fell for this farm idiot. You can do so much better than that. You can marry someone with more money and prestige than you’ll ever want. Marry me and I’ll fulfill all of your dreams.”
“Any dream with you in it is a nightmare. I am in love with Mateo, who is smarter, kinder, and more handsome than you’ll ever be. Nothing you could ever possibly say to me will ever make me want you. Mateo is my husband. Not you. I never want to talk to you again.” Holly flips around, her hair whipping behind her dramatically.
Jorge's face reddens with rage. Somebody better get that man some burn cream. He’s going to need it.
I trail behind Holly, making sure Jorge doesn’t follow us. I’m beaming with pride, and can’t stop smiling even as we reach the valet counter. Holly glares daggers at everyone around us. We probably look like a ridiculous pair, her with her death glare, me with my giddy expression.
Holy frijoles, that was hot.
Holly said she loves me, but I don’t know if that was a slip-up or acting and I need to know.
Either way, I will never forget Holly putting that man in his place.
She’s never been more attractive.
The valet brings our car to us, and I open Holly’s door before making my way to the driver’s seat. Silence is our companion on the drive home. Holly is stewing in the passenger seat, her foot tapping the floor as she stares out the window.
I pull into the garage, ready to be home and in Holly’s comfort zone. We need to talk, and hopefully kiss, but I’m not going to push my luck tonight.There’s a whole cauldron of emotions brewing in Holly, and talking needs to happen before kissing.
But I hope there is more kissing, because now that I’ve kissed her twice, the craving to kiss her again is undeniably strong.
Holly jumps out of the car after I put it in park. She races inside, slamming the door behind her. I scramble to follow her. I walk into the kitchen and see Holly’s heels kicked off by the door, her wristlet thrown on the counter, and the ponytail holding up her half-updo pulled out of her hair, allowing the mess of blonde waves to hang down her back. Holly stands next to the kitchen sink, chugging down a glass of water like she’d just spent the evening in a hot desert.
This feels familiar, but hopefully it’ll end differently than the last time we talked like this in the kitchen.
“You okay, Holly?”
She gives me the side eye as she drinks the last sip of water.
I cautiously approach, stopping a few feet from her. “Okay, so not okay. What can I do to help?”
She puts her cup down before walking straight toward me. I’m not sure if she’s going to tackle me or hug me. I back up until the only thing behind me is the wall separating the kitchen from the garage. Holly doesn’t stop until we’re toe to toe, our faces inches apart.
Her blue eyes are stormy, her eyebrows pulled down as she stares up at me. “Why do you play dumb? Why do you let people make fun of your profession? You work hard. I’ve heard you on the phone talking about finances and planning things for the farm with your manager and parents. Why do you pretend like you’re not intelligent?”
I shrug and resist the urge to scratch the back of my neck. “It’s easier to give people what they want to see than to challenge their beliefs. I’ve always been the funny one, so I try to laugh things off. Makes my life easier.”
Holly shakes her head, her frown even more pronounced. “You don’t need to laugh about your life. You don’t need to pretend to be dumb withme, Mateo. You’re my husband. Just like you were my champion tonight, I want to be your champion. You’ve rescued me. I’m not going to stand by as you let people talk about you that way, like Jorge did. Never again.”
Holly’s words are gasoline on the fledgling fire of my love for her.
“I didn’t realize you cared this much, Hols,” I whisper as I wrap my arms around her waist.
Her hands come up to rest against my chest.
“Of course I care.”
I nod and lean down, placing a kiss on her forehead. “For you, I’ll stop playing the game. I’ll be myself.”
“Thank you,” she whispers. “You’re amazing.”
