Page 6

CHAPTER 6

Camila

“ M ama. What are you doing?”

She glared at me over her shoulder, but didn’t step away from the window. She held the curtain back the barest inch so she could peek out. “What’s he doing out there?”

I sighed and stepped in close, my eyes widening when I saw Kilo, sans shirt, in our backyard. It was still early in the morning, but he was whistling as he worked, sweat tracking a trail down his chest. My eyes followed a drop as it slid down over those abs, wishing for a moment I could trace that drop. “It looks like he’s fixing our window,” I told her, keeping my voice down so he didn’t overhear us. We were in the kitchen, while he was fixing the window in our dining room, but it wasn’t that big of a house and it was an open concept, and sound carried when there was no glass to keep the outside sectioned off.

He was fixing our window. If I didn’t already find the man attractive, that would have cinched it right there. He was gorgeous, competent, and kind. Not to mention that smile that he flashed every chance he got. A man couldn’t be an abusive jerk if he was smiling every time you saw him. I was pretty sure it was a statistical improbability.

“Maybe you should go thank him,” I told her when she scowled at my answer. That made her glare harder at me. “I’ve been trying for three days to get anyone to call us back to fix that window,” I reminded her. “He doesn’t have to help us. I didn’t even ask him, Mama.”

Her shoulders loosened, the tension draining out of her. She was a kind and caring woman, but the last four years had turned her suspicious and wary. And the same had happened to Carmen and me. It wasn’t her fault, any of our faults, but I didn’t want to be that way and I knew it was starting to get worse. “You’re right,” she replied.

I’d learned my manners from her. I knew this would prompt her to be nicer to our neighbor. Sitting at the table, I watched as she made fresh lemonade. My smile was wide as she placed the pitcher in the fridge, then put a full glass with ice on a serving tray and swept past me in a huff.

She didn’t want to be nice. She wanted to hide. We’d been hiding for too long. But it seemed never ending. Every time we started to relax, they found us…

Shaking off the impending sense of doom, I shoved off my chair and busied myself. I didn’t like thinking back over the last four years. I began the prep for tonight’s dinner. I was off work today, those overtime hours hadn’t been scheduled yet, and I needed something to keep my mind busy.

It helped that I was able to peek out the window above the sink and watch as my mother handed the lemonade over to Kilo. His muscles bunched as he set his hammer down and took the glass from her. My eyes trailed down over tanned muscles and tattoos. I really just wanted Mama to feel more comfortable around him. I knew she was right the other night when she told me I couldn’t get involved with him. It wasn’t fair to drag anyone into the mess we were in. But I wanted to. I liked the way he smiled at me. The way his pretty brown eyes sparkled as he teased me.

Turning away from the window, I began to chop vegetables on our kitchen island. When I heard shuffling from behind me, I asked, “Was that so hard?” in a teasing tone.

When Mama didn’t answer, I glanced over my shoulder and froze. Kilo was leaning against the wall, watching me as he held his glass. “Oh-”

“Your mom said to bring this in when I was done,” he said with a grin.

I looked down at the half full glass and my brows rose. “You’re finished?” Stepping forward, I went to take his glass.

He jerked it away, narrowing his eyes in a mock glare. “Not even close. This lemonade is too good to waste.”

My lips lifted involuntarily. He was a goofball. He always seemed to be teasing me whenever we spoke. “Then why did you bring it in here?”

He shrugged those muscular shoulders. “Haven’t seen you in a few days. Figured I’d better check in.”

It wasn’t his duty to check in on me. Or to fix our window. Yet, here he was. Going to the fridge, I pulled the pitcher out and met his eyes as I filled his glass. “Thank you.”

“Pretty sure I’m supposed to be saying that to you,” he replied, motioning to his glass.

“For the window,” I clarified, my cheeks heating. Why was I always blushing and tongue tied around him?

“Oh, it’s no trouble.”

He was taking time away from his business to fix up our house. And I hadn’t even had to ask. Or pay. “If you let me know how much everything costs, I can-”

“Dinner,” he replied, before I could finish.

I looked over my shoulder at the pot on the stove. “I’m making pozole,” I told him.

He groaned. “You’re kidding me?”

That made me blink and I licked my lips because the sound rumbling out of him made everything within me soften. I wondered if he even realized what the sound of him groaning in appreciation did to me? I shifted, pressing my thighs together to try to stop the sudden ache that sprang to life between them.

The last four years had been hell. Torture. There wasn’t time for attraction. Or men. Or anything a young woman should be thinking about. School. Careers. Marriage. Kids. All of it had taken a backseat. And it wasn’t over. But Kilo was forcing me to confront the fact that I was still alive. And young. And that I wanted some of those things.

“Homemade pozole?” he added. I nodded. “I haven’t had pozole in a long damn time. Dang time,” he corrected with a cough. Mama always scowled at bad language.

“Would you like to have dinner with us?” I offered.

“Yes,” he replied so fast I couldn’t help but laugh. “But, that’s not what I want in payment for the window,” he added with a wicked smile. He stepped forward, placing his glass on the counter.

I sucked in a breath because he was standing so close now. I glanced up at him. “What do you want?” He paused for so long it made me wonder what he was thinking.

“For you to come to dinner with me. On a date,” he finally said.

How was I supposed to refuse that? How was I supposed to turn him down when everything inside me was screaming yes? When he’d taken his own time, his own money, and his own supplies to help my family? When he didn’t need to make our problem his own? “Okay.” The word came out soft and unsteady.

He searched my gaze. There was confusion there in his eyes. He didn’t seem to know what to do about this attraction any more than I did. I was glad it wasn’t only me struggling.

He reached out to me and brushed his thumb over my cheek. I had to fight against closing my eyes. When he stepped in even closer the breath lodged in my chest. I swallowed hard. I wanted him to kiss me. Mama and the drama following us be damned. My lips parted as I waited for him to make that move.

Our eyes were locked together and he seemed to take my stillness as the acceptance it was. He lowered his head.

My eyes drifted closed as our lips met. His were softer than I thought they’d be. I gasped as his arms went around me and he gathered me close so he could deepen our kiss. It was…heaven.

He was being slow and gentle. Thorough. His lips moved against mine and when his tongue brushed against my skin, I opened for him.

This was nothing like the kiss I’d shared with Mike when I was nineteen and beginning to entertain the idea of a boyfriend. That had been nothing but fumbling chaos. When our teeth had crashed together, we’d ended up laughing. We knew nothing about kissing at the time. We’d started dating and had learned, but it was still nothing like this. There was something different about Kilo and the way he made me feel.

I sighed into his mouth. He was stoking something inside of me I hadn’t known existed. His tongue brushed mine and I melted in his arms. Everything around us disappeared.

When someone cleared their throat, I jerked away from him. We both gave my mama guilty smiles. I knew she’d softened toward him because all she did was watch him like a hawk as he gave her a polite nod, grabbed his lemonade, and headed back outside.

She turned back to me and sighed. “Mija.”

“It’s nothing Mama,” I told her. “We were just-”

“I can see what you were doing,” she interrupted, resting her hands on her hips.

My cheeks flamed with heat, and I turned back to the vegetables. I was so confused and embarrassed. I didn’t know what to do about the feelings swirling around inside me.

“Mija,” she said again, coming around the island and waiting until I looked up at her. There was sadness in her eyes. “I don’t want you to be alone.”

My brows shot up. “What?”

A pained expression crossed her face. “You aren’t me. I know you won’t make the same mistakes I did.”

I sighed and gave her a sympathetic look. “Mama, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I chose the wrong man,” she insisted. “That was my mistake. I don’t want that for you.”

Sighing, I shook my head. “I know. I’ll just-”

“Stop,” she told me. She held up her hand to quiet me. “I don’t want you to make the same mistakes as me, but you’re not me .”

That made me blink in shock. She’d spent the last few years warning me away from any man who’d come close.

“And I don’t want you to be alone,” she repeated. “ No one wants to live their life alone.”

“Oh, Mama,” I sighed. “You don’t have to be alone either.”

She gave me a soft smile. “I’m starting to realize that. We both need to learn to open up again.”

As usual, we were thinking the same thing. She claimed we weren’t the same, but we were as close as two people could be. I was the spitting image of her. We were more alike than she thought.

“I like him,” she admitted. My mouth dropped open, making her laugh. “And not just because he’s fixing our window. Maybe he works, maybe he doesn’t. But maybe you should give it a chance.”

He’d been wearing her down. Every time he saw us outside, he was smiling and saying hello to her. I wasn’t sure why he was putting in so much effort to win her over, but I appreciated it. There was a lot about him I was coming to appreciate. And there was so much more to learn, I was sure.

“I won’t stand in your way.”

Shaking my head, I smiled at her. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“He likes you, Sweetie,” she told me with a grin.

I looked over at the wall he was standing outside of. He’d kissed me, so I knew she was right. “I don’t know…” I didn’t mean I wasn’t sure if he liked me and Mama seemed to get what I was saying.

“We have to start learning how to trust again,” she told me.

“I know.”

“I think this is your opportunity.”

Nodding, I stared down at the vegetables, then met her gaze. “When it’s your turn I’m going to have fun reminding you of this conversation.”

She laughed and came around the counter to give me a hug. “Good. Because I’m going to need your help.”

I squeezed her tight. “I’ll always be here to help you.”

She stared up at me. “I wish I could leave you and your sister completely out of it.”

She’d do it. She’d take on this trouble all by herself. I’d never want that for her. I only wanted to protect my family. I just wasn’t sure how to do it.

My mind strayed to the gun that was locked in its case upstairs. Maybe I did know how.

“Go,” she said, nodding toward where Kilo was out back working. “I’ll finish this.”

Smiling, I went outside and stopped when I saw him measuring a piece of wood.

He must have heard me because he turned. His eyes strayed toward the kitchen window. “Hope I didn’t get you into trouble.”

“You didn’t,” I assured him. “Could…Could I ask you a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Would you teach me to shoot my new gun?”

His brows rose. “You’ve never shot one?”

I shook my head, waiting to see what he’d say.

He studied me for a minute then nodded. “How about on Friday?” he asked.

“That’s perfect. Thank you,” I said, my voice breathless with excitement and nerves. “I’ll let you-”

“Camila?”

“Yeah?”

“What about dinner?” He flashed me that smile.

“After you teach me to shoot.” It was a step in the right direction. The nerves fluttered in my stomach because I’d accepted a date with a man. One who I was insanely attracted to. This was the first step in taking back my life. No one was going to force me into that dark place again. I wouldn’t allow it.