Page 9 of Deceptive Desires

“Well, every day can be a great day. Dr. Sanders tried to make it a not great day, but you saved the day. Literally, my hero. But also, you saved my day!” I remind him. He raises a brow in question. “Mamá used to preach Save Your Day. If something upsets you or threatens a great day, find something to save the day. That’s you! You saved my day!”

His smile loses its cockiness and transforms into something soft. “I’m glad I could help.” He coughs. “Now, where are we?”

“In my apartment in Boston,” I answer proudly.

“Good. And who is your emergency contact?” He has a gleam in his eyes when he asks it. It’s a standard question to ask if someone is concussed and needs help, but the way he phrases it… It doesn’t feel so innocent.

“Gracie. She’s my bestie roomie. She should be home soon. Or Mamá if it’s serious.” I respond timidly, hoping he approves of the answer. I’m not sure why I crave his approval, but I do.

“Hmmm. Not your boyfriend?” he questions not so innocently.

“No boyfriend. I haven’t had much luck dating, but that’s okay. The universe will send me someone when the time is right.” I fully believe it.

“Good girl,” he praises darkly, his voice taking on a husky tone. “Do you remember your words? The ones I gave you?”

“¡Español y sonrisas!” I’m proud of myself for remembering.

“In English, por favor, sunshine. It’s been a decade and a half since high school Spanish.”

I try to do the mental math. I am twenty-four years old. I graduated high school at eighteen. High school was six years ago for me. High school was fifteen years ago for him. He’s how much older than me? I can’t figure it out. It’s been… however many years since high school since my last math class.

“Sunshine, in English please,” he lightly reminds me. It’s such a sweet tone coming from the gentle giant.

“Spanish and smiles! Those were my words!”

“…And?” he encourages me.

I tilt my head in confusion. “Spanish and smiles. Those were the words you gave me, right?”

“There was also ‘sunshine.’” When my smile starts to fade, he quickly consoles me. “It’s okay, Celia. You’re doing great. I think you have a minor concussion. I’d recommend staying off your electronics for the next couple days and resting your eyes. Your brain has a little bruise.”

“Héroe, are you a doctor?” He’s taking such good care of me, a complete stranger, that I could see this caring man being a doctor. Saving lives. Helping people heal. Doing good for the world.

“No, sunshine. I work in… security. My brothers and I run Syndicate Enterprise.”

“Ah, so you still save people. Keep people safe. You really are a hero.” I’m mesmerized.

“Only for you,” he murmurs. “Okay, when is Gracie getting here? I don’t want to leave you alone, but I have somewhere I need to be.”

I grab my phone, intending to check her location, but the brightness blinds me. I quickly switch it off and thrust it in his direction.

“Here, you check my tracking app. I have her location. I like to watch over her, make sure she’s safe. And I like to know what she’s up to,” I explain.

He grabs my phone, ready to check, but turns to me. “What’s your password?”

“012345,” I murmur, covering my eyes with my arm, unable to stand the brightness.

He huffs dramatically. “That’s not a good password.”

“No one will try to go into my phone. I only have a password because Gracie scolded me into it,” I yield.

“It looks like she’s turning the corner onto the street. She’ll be here in the next five minutes.” His grin falters then his gaze turns to steel. “Who’s Leo? And why does he have your location?” he grits out.

“Oh, that’s just Leo. He’s my friend. He’s like a brother to me.” His shoulders drop slightly, but he stays tense.

He does something else on my phone, then powers it off and places it next to me, face down.

“I added my contact to your phone. Call me if you need anything.” I feel his sincerity in his intense gaze.