Though a part of me already knows that if I ever were to get my hands on Isabella, it would be game over for me.
“And another thing. You had Luisa freaking Álvarez hand deliver it to me? As if being back at a real baseball game wasn’t sensory overload enough, you go and throw in the queen bee of sports to be a spectator to our little debacle? You’re lucky she’s actually cool, and we’re planning to hang out soon.” Her bare feet come to stand before me, her ire giving the impression that her petite frame is much larger.
Her sweet-pea body wash scent infiltrates my senses. I know exactly what it is because I bought it for her. I had no idea what she would like to use, so I picked the closest thing to me that was expensive and pink.
Big mistake, because I now want to be the person who rinses it off her body.
There must be a shift in my demeanor, because she takes a slight step back.
Oh no, that just won’t do.
I start to circle her. As she turns, she leans her back against the kitchen island.
Perfect.
I move in and grab the edge of the counter on each side of her in an attempt to make sure I don’t touch what doesn’t belong to me… yet.
Her breath hitches slightly as I lower my face closer to hers.
“Are you done?”
“Excuse you?” she asks, her chest rising with each labored breath.
“I said are you done? Because if you are, then this is the point where I tell you I’m sorry and beg for your forgiveness.”
Her lips purse slightly as she gives me a skeptical once-over. “You don’t look very sorry to me.”
I smile. “Because I’m not. Not even in the slightest. And if I could, I’d do it again, Isabella.” I lift a finger and caress the side of her face under the guise that I’m tucking a loose hair behind her ear. I take deep pleasure in noting how goose bumps form along her neck. “So why don’t you go ahead and tell me what I have to do to earn your forgiveness?”
Her head tilts slightly. “Are you fucking with me again? Because I swear to God, Mateo. Half the time, I don’t know where your head is at.”
I groan slightly. “Welcome to the club.”
She gives me another hard look. This one I’m afraid might see too much, but I let her, regardless. She crosses her arms under her chest, bringing her breasts closer to me. I’m just about ready to beg for mercy when she says, “All right, I’ll play.” Shestraightens up, leveling her cool glare on me. “Two things. First, hire me. Officially. No more—”
“Done. What’s number two?”
“Done? Just like that? No more strikes?” she asks, stunned.
I lower my voice slightly, restraint tight as I say, “Isa, the strikes were never meant for you. They were for me. Let’s leave it at that for now.”
Her lips move momentarily without any sound coming out. Then she continues as if I don’t see the confused yet celebratory look in her eyes. “Okay, yeah. Good. And two, I want the night off next Friday. It’s hard to plan a girls’ night out when I don’t exactly have a schedule. Or even—at least as of five seconds ago—a secure job.”
I tsk as I say, “Haven’t even signed on the dotted line yet, and you’re already asking for time off? Doesn’t seem very professional to me.”
“Neither is my boss’s penchant for caging me in on this very kitchen island, but you don’t see me complaining to HR.”
“You want me to move?”
“You hear me ask you to?”
The little minx. The stirring in my loose track pants has me biting back a curse.
If I don’t move now, I will most definitely be causing an HR violation. And probably break a few laws that only exist in the deep south.
I take a slight step back, bringing my arms across my chest to match Isabella’s stance. I don’t miss the slight pout on her lips when I do. And I vow to kiss it off her face the second I have a less than half-cocked plan to convince Isabella to consider dating me seriously.
I know it’s not just about our attraction to one another. My life comes with baggage and a whole lot of spotlights pointed myway, so I’ve got to make sure I can make her feel safe before she dares take that leap with me.
