The way he moves reminds me of an overly excited puppy. He’s cute with a boyish charm. That’s odd to say since he’s probably in his early thirties, so there’s nothing really ‘boyish’ about the man who comes to stand before me and offers me his hand. Still, there’s something about him that has me instantly smiling back.
“I’m Santi,” he greets as I take the hand he offers. “The most charming, sexiest, and smartest of the crew.”
I giggle, and Wes lets out a long sigh.
“Santi is my biggest headache around here most days,” Wes complains, though I notice there’s no real annoyance behind his words. “But he’s a hard worker so Ledger and I keep him around. He’s in charge of managing The Shop. Santiago, meet Blair. Blair, this is Santiago Navarro—otherwise known as Santi.”
I smile. “Navarro? That’s a Spanish surname. ¿Hablas español?”
Santi’s brows pop up in surprise and he immediately responds back in Spanish. “I do, but it's been a while since I've conversed with anyone who could speak it fluently. Not a lot of Spanish speakers in these parts. I hope you're sticking around for a while, it'll be nice to be able to gossip in front of people for a change instead of behind their backs.”
My giggle is overpowered by Santi’s laughter as he flings an arm over my shoulders and shoots a smug look at Wes.
“Looks like I have a new friend,” Santi says, returning to English.
Wes’s pained expression is just as unserious as his complaint about Santi. “Great, now I’ll have you being a pain in the ass in two languages.”
“Damn right,” Santi confirms with a chipper smile. He lets his arm drop from my shoulders as his smile shifts to something more genuine. “Anyway, thanks for the tacos this morning. They were great. Now, what’s for dinner?”
“I was thinking about grilling,” Wes says, crossing his arms easily over his wide chest. “Care to run to the store and get me a few things?” He turns to me and explains, “The Shop closes earlier than the rest of the property, so if you have any errands to be run, Santi can do them for you while you hang out here.”
Santi can do them because I can’t leave Gnarly Pines. Right.
Sure, there’s a lot of space here, but ultimately, it feels like I’m being shoved into a prison cell; trapped and unable to leave. I try not to let that irk me. Iunderstandstaying put for a bit. But how long is a bit?
Santi shoots me a wink and slips into Spanish to say, “Oryou can just come with me sometimes. It would be nice to have company.”
My frown is replaced with a smile. IlikeSanti. His energy is infectious.
“I’d like that,” I reply in Spanish. “Thank you.”
“No, no, don’t do that,” Wes warns with a scowl. “Don’t converse like I’m not here.”
Santi shrugs and gives him an innocent look. In English, he says, “Try and stop me, old man.”
I laugh, and in the back of my head I note it’s the first genuine laugh I’ve let out in a long time.
Maybe sticking around Gnarly Pines won’t be so bad after all.
Chapter 10
Santiago
The new girl is eerily familiar.
Not familiar in the sense that we’ve spoken before. It’s more like… like I’ve seen her face in passing on more than one occasion. It’s not possible, obviously. Blair just got here. Still… my gaze flickers to Blair as she and Wes speak over by the grill.
The moment my eyes lock onto her, I’m hit with the dizzying sense of déjà vu. It’s strange because I think I would remember someone who makes me feel likethis.
I trace Blair’s profile with my eyes. They linger on her full lips for a half a second longer than necessary before they slide down her frame. Every curve is analyzed, and enjoyed, as I stare. She’s dwarfed by Wes, but there’s an air of confidence clinging to her that makes her appear larger than her petite figure. My gaze lingers on those full hips and then locks onto her butt when she turns to grab something beside the grill for Wes.
Fuck, I want to bite it.
My cock twitches with interest. It’sthatreaction that proves that I’ve never actually seen Blair before. Because, while I canappreciate a beautiful woman in the abstract, they don’t usually stir up attraction in me. Blair, however? She’s doing just that.
The moment I walked into the office this morning and saw her, I was sent reeling. Her eyes—which are hooded in a way that makes her look perpetually drowsy or freshly fucked—had landed onto my face and it was like the world around me became dimmed and muted. I hadn’t been able to breathe. It’s the same reaction I get around Rhett and yet… different somehow.
Then, she slipped into Spanish. As each word rolled off her tongue, I was flooded with a sense of homecoming. Holy shit, that had thrown me. I hadn’t spoken in my native tongue since my parents died a few years back. Fuck, it had felt good to hear it and speak it again.
