She put it on, then spooned up the flan with a sensualmmmmthat made his groin tighten. “This is so good. Did you make it?”
“Yeah. It’s an easy dessert, but everyone loves it.” He slipped back into bed beside her. “Just to warn you, we’ve been busted.”
She froze with the spoon halfway to her mouth. “Oh, shit. This is bad, isn’t it?” Her cheeks reddened. “How did they find out? We were loud and all, but we fell asleep before they came home. Right? Please tell me they didn’t hear us.”
The way she’d moaned in abandon, he wouldn’t have been surprised if the neighbors had pounded on the walls. But he quickly put her at ease. “It wasn’t that. They saw your boots.”
“Oh.” She set down the spoon. “I’m sorry. I was in such a hurry to…um…get into bed with you that I forgot about them. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
He didn’t want to make her feel worse, not when his quick save had satisfied his cousins’ curiosity. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t tell them who you were.”
She let out her breath. “Thank God. They had no idea?”
“Nope. I said you were an old friend. A one-night hookup. Not that you are, I mean—you’re more than that. But I…” He cringed at his pathetic attempt to define their relationship.
She wiped her forehead. “That’s fine. I’m glad they bought it. Not that I’m ashamed or anything, but we really need to keep this quiet until after the wedding.”
Then what?
He didn’t ask, even though he wanted more than a fling and secretly hoped she felt the same way. Without a doubt, he felt as strongly about her as he had in Baja. Except now, he could envision a future together.
He gestured to the flan. “Go ahead. The door’s locked, so they won’t burst in here.”
After she finished it, she set the container and spoon on the floor. The uneasy look in her eyes put him on full alert.Here it comes.
Her voice wobbled. “So…I was going to talk about this last night, but…”
Damn.Maybe he’d been too hasty, taking her to bed before they had a chance to talk. Or maybe not. If she was calling it quits, he was glad he’d enjoyed one more night with her. “Everything okay?”
“I’ve been thinking. Remember my brother, Connor? You met him when you and Araceli came over.” When he nodded, she continued. “His girlfriend, Jess, had a string of bad luck last spring. Lost her job and her boyfriend. She had to move back home from Chicago. But she just found an apartment in Temecula. A cute place. Kind of small, but…” She twisted her hands together.
His pulse quickened, but he kept his cool, waiting for her to keep going.
She played with the ends of her hair. “I thought if Jess can do it, why can’t I? Maybe it’s time I moved out on my own. I’ve never lived by myself.”
“Not ever?”
“No. At UCLA, I was in the dorms the first year and the sorority house the second. After the incident with Henri, my father made me transfer to UC Riverside and insisted I live at home. I moved in with Ben while we were engaged, but you know how that ended.”
“Would your dad be upset if you moved out?” Not that Rafael cared what Brian Blackwood thought. But she clearly did.
“I don’t know. But I’m twenty-five. I should learn how to take care of myself. Grown-up stuff like making a budget and paying rent. I could even learn to cook.” She gave him a shy smile. “If you’d be willing to teach me?”
“I’d love to.”
He shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Just because she was moving out didn’t mean she intended to continue their relationship. But that didn’t stop the hope from stirring in his heart.
Teaching her to cook wouldn’t be a onetime project.
It could take weeks.Months.
Which meant they might have a future together.
Chapter 24
Three Days Until the Wedding
With Ben and Missy’s wedding looming over her like an angry specter, Victoria should have been whittling down her list of last-minute tasks. Instead, she’d spent the last two hours with a real estate broker, visiting apartment complexes in the Temecula area. Each time her phone vibrated, she ignored it, keeping her focus on the broker’s spiel. Missy’s needs could wait.
