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Achilles snorted. “With your track record of fuck-ups, I’m sure she’ll need a kennel soon.”
Cortez clutched a hand to his heart, looking wounded. “Don’t hate me, man. It’s our thing. I fuck up, then give her stuff, and she forgives me. It’s love.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“Walker. What about you?”
Beau looked him up and down. “I don’t think so. My mom likes my face the way it is too; in one piece.”
Achilles dropped his bag on the floor and jumped up into the ring, shaking his head.
“What?” Hector asked.
“You really need to ask? You’ve been out for blood all week. No one in their right mind is going to step in the ring with you.”
Hector jumped up and down, loosening his muscles. “Yet here you are.”
“Never said I was right in the head.”
“Damn hippie.”
Achilles smiled. “And a proud one. Communal living is the best gift my dads and mom gave me. It was a great practice for the military.”
Hector didn’t know anyone like Achilles. From the stories he’d told, he was raised into a polygamous family, in a small town where that was pretty much the standard. Nothing ever fazed the guy.
“Anyway, I just got a call from Mary,” Achilles said. “Apparently, her car broke down and she couldn’t reach Jazzy. She needs a ride. I’d love to help her out, but I have to take care of the Hollywood project.”
Walker, who was just passing by, groaned at hearing the new job. Nobody liked being the bodyguard to some spoiled celebrity, but it paid well. His men were the best and highly sought out.
“I’ll pick her up,” Hector said. “You take care of Planet Hollywood.”
After he quickly cleaned up, he got into a company car and drove over to the address Achilles gave him. Apparently, Mary was modeling for some art class at the center where she worked. He got the room number from the front desk and that was when he saw her.
Draped over a red couch, without a stitch of clothing covering her body. Her gorgeous, mouthwatering body was on display for every fucker to see and lust after in the classroom.
For a brief second, he stood rooted to the spot.
He wasn’t sure what shocked him the most. The fact that she had the courage to pose nude or be confronted with the green-eyed monster tearing up his chest. Without a ‘how do you do,’ he walked up to her, ignoring the teacher and students behind their easels staring at him.
When Mary saw him, she straightened from the couch. “Hector, what are you—”
“Don’t talk. Not now.” He took off his shirt, removed the excuse for a drape from between her legs, and pulled his shirt over her head. The garment swallowed her up.
“What are you—?”
“I said, not now.” He scooped her up in his arms and walked out, leaving a string of baffled looks behind him. Not that he gave a fuck. That was the last time they got to see his woman naked.
Yeah,hiswoman. He’d come to a few conclusions concerning Mary. First, Achilles had set him up. The asshole had known exactly what Hector would walk into. And second, he was fucking tired of denying his feelings. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so out of balance. It was driving himloco.
He didn’t let her go until she was safely tucked into the passenger seat. He cranked up the engine and they drove in silence for a while.
“Can I speak now?”
“If you’re going to say that I had no right taking you out of that classroom, save it.” Of course, hedidn’thave any right. But that was going to change; she just didn’t know it yet.
Naked. She had been naked.
The image of those long legs and gorgeous breasts was etched into his brain. It was one thing to fantasize about it, jacking off to what she might look like under her clothes, or pretend that a woman he fucked was Mary, but it was a whole different ballgame to see the real thing.