Page 39 of Twisted Beauty

“Mateo, he a good boy. He kick you out of El Brujo Loco and you need to know why. His father, he come here to work with me when Mateo only twelve.” Tito leaned toward Liv. “His mother, she—”

The door chimed and Matt walked in, shaking off his hair almost the same way the dog had earlier. Liv’s breath hitched, wondering if he’d be pissed to see her here, if he’d throw her and her camera out in the storm. At the same time, butterflies flitted around in her belly at the sight of him all dripping wet like that.

“Tito, maybe you should teach your grandson how to use an umbrella,” she said, trying to diffuse the tension with a joke. Though of course she was the only one who was tense.

Tito smiled and shifted in his chair, trying to stand. “He stubborn boy.”

Matt caught Liv’s gaze and held it. She felt her insides tumble and her heart speed up. His shoulders looked even wider than usual beneath his rain shell, and she watched a bead of water slide from his hair down his stubbled jaw and onto his throat. Without thinking, she licked her lips.

“Don’t get up, Tito, I’m coming to you,” Matt said without taking his eyes off Liv. “Looks like you have company.”

“Mateo, be the good boy I tell her you are.”

Matt raised an eyebrow. “I’m afraid to ask.”

Liv jumped in, not wanting him to think he was the topic of discussion. Which he was. “I was out wandering around when it started to rain. Tito offered me refuge. I—I’m sorry to intrude on your lunch.”

Matt looked at her for a moment with narrowed eyes, long enough that her palms started to sweat. “I hope you like tamales.”

Liv released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. At least he wasn’t throwing her out this time. And come to think of it, she was pretty hungry.

“We’ve got chicken, beef and pork,” Matt said. “If memory serves, you eat meat. And in very large quantities.”

Apparently he’d used up his kindness quota with the offer of lunch.

“Huge quantities.” She glanced at the bag in his hands. “I hope you brought more than that.”

The corners of Matt’s lips flickered though he kept a straight face, and that made her smile.

“Mateo, put closed sign,” Tito said. “We eat upstairs.”

Matt turned the deadbolt on the front door and flipped the sign over.

“There’s an upstairs?” Liv looked behind her, but didn’t see any sign of a second floor.

“Sí, mi casa,” Tito said as he pushed up on the armrests of his chair. “Come.”

Liv had no idea how to handle an entire lunch with Matt. She felt like an idiot after the way she’d thrown herself at him on that balcony, even though she’d run off to dance with Nate right after.

She stood to help Tito out of his chair, wrapping her hands around his bony arm. He had such a big personality, his frailty was heartbreaking. She followed him through the storage room and toward a stairway against the back wall. Tito took the stairs one at a time, pausing between each step, and Liv wondered how much longer he’d be able to keep that up.

Without looking back, she could feel Matt behind her on the stairs. Every nerve ending in her body was on alert. She had to concentrate to keep from tripping, just like Tito, but for a very different reason.

At the top, a large apartment opened up before her. Saltillo tiles covered the floor, and multicolored furniture filled the living room. A turquoise couch with embroidered pillows, a small orange recliner, and a heavy wooden coffee table. Even with the rain pouring down, daylight streamed in through the sliding door.

Liv walked up to the slider and looked out over the narrow balcony, noticing it was actually part of the rooftop of the shop below. When she turned around, Tito was already seated at the dining table.

Matt put his hand on Tito’s shoulder. “Have you thought any more about moving to a place with an elevator?”

“Is my home. I stay.”

Matt sighed and lightly squeezed Tito’s skinny shoulder. “Okay.”

Seeing a big, tough guy like Matt being so tender and gentle turned her to mush. She forced herself to remember the look of terror on his face after that kiss, and that cooled her off instantly.

Matt placed the bag of food on the counter and grabbed a few plates from the cupboard. “Have a seat, Liv. What kind of tamale would you like?”

All he did was look at her and her heart started to pound again. Damn it. She should never have dragged him out onto that balcony. Now she knew what she was missing. “Chicken, please. Are you sure there’s enough?”