Chapter 4
He said, fixing his gaze on me, "I was waiting for a friend. Then some drunk woman kissed me and tossed a wad of cash at me."
I wished the ground would swallow me whole right then and there.
"I'm really sorry. I was totally wasted..." I mumbled, mortified.
"So?" He leaned in, so close I could catch the pine scent on him. "You think just saying sorry cuts it?"
"So what do you want, then?" I asked.
He curled his lips into a smirk, looking so cute it should be illegal.
"How about you divorce your husband and marry me?" he said.
I was shocked.
The boss lady walked by carrying a bowl of spaghetti, overhearing what he said.
Her eyes crinkled with amusement as she laughed, "Hey, girl, this guy's pretty good. Say yes to him!"
My face turned bright red in an instant.
"Madam, don't make things messier!" I protested.
He said, his smile fading as he locked eyes with me, "I'm serious. My name's John Santos. And you, gorgeous?"
I was about to answer, but he cut me off,
"Actually, forget it. We've got all the time in the world to get to know each other."
I was speechless.
I felt that this guy was too much.
*****
Once I'd finished the spaghetti and most of the booze, I was getting ready to head back to the hotel.
John followed me.
"Why are you following me?" I asked.
"I don't have a place to stay," he replied.
"Why should I care?" I shot back.
"Come on, don't you think you should take responsibility for me?" He blinked at me, all innocent. "You stole my first kiss, you know."
I took a deep breath, telling myself not to get worked up over a kid.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Twenty-three," he said.
I was thirty.
That was a seven-year gap.
I said, turning to face him, trying to sound like the responsible adult, "Listen, kid. I messed up that night, and I'm sorry.
"But you should be chasing girls your own age, not hanging around a woman who's about to get divorced."
His expression suddenly got serious.
"How do you know I'm not looking for someone exactly like you?" he replied.
I was frozen, completely caught off guard.
While I was still stunned, he walked right past me and headed toward the hotel.
"Hey!" I called out.
"Aren't you staying here?" He shot me a look over his shoulder, his face ridiculously handsome in the moonlight. "Come on, it's freezing out here."
I sighed and followed after him, resigned to my fate.
When we got to my room, I swiped my card to unlock the door, and he just slipped right past me inside, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Sleeping," he replied.
"Don't you have your own room?" I pressed.
"I'm broke," he said.
"Who are you trying to fool?" I shot back.
He said, turning to face me, "Seriously. My wallet got stolen, and my phone's about to die. I was gonna crash at the bar, but then I ran into you."
I stared at him for three seconds.
He looked back at me, giving me those puppy eyes, all innocent and helpless.
I relented. "Fine, you can crash on the couch."
The room was pretty small, just a double bed and a couch.
I dug out a blanket from the closet and tossed it to him. "Just sleep."
Then I slipped under the covers, turned my back to him, and closed my eyes.
The room was so quiet, you could only hear us breathing.
After a while, I heard him turn over on the couch.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"Can't sleep?" he asked.
"No," I said.
"Me neither," he replied.
I ignored him.
After a while, he called again, "Hey."
"Now what?" I asked.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"No," I said.
"I'm cold," he whined.
I turned over and saw him curled up on the couch, the blanket way too thin to cover his whole body.
Seeing a tall guy like him, over six feet, crammed onto that tiny couch, it was honestly kind of pitiful.
I sighed, got up, grabbed another blanket from the closet, and covered him up.
"Still cold?" I asked.
He shook his head, looking at me with those bright, puppy-dog eyes.
Just as I was about to turn away, he suddenly reached out, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me toward him.
I fell right into his arms, and before I could even process what was happening, his lips crashed down on mine.
This wasn't some sloppy, drunken kiss like that night.
This was real, intense, hungry, and full of intent.
His arms tightened around me, holding me close, while his other hand cradled the back of my head, pulling me in and deepening the kiss.
My mind went totally blank.
His lips were soft, sweet with the taste of booze, and full of that wild, youthful heat.
I didn't push him away.
In fact, I felt a spark shoot through me, like I'd been hit by electricity.
That delicious, tingling numbness started at my lips and zapped through my whole body like a jolt of electricity.
I closed my eyes, my heart pounding like crazy, loud as a drumbeat in my ears.