Say You Love Me Read online

  I shrugged, wishing I’d kept my big mouth shut. I didn’t want this getting back to Andrés and then back to Cesar. “He wanted me to fire her, but I’d already promised I’d give her two more weeks.”

  “Oh, jeez.” She threw up her hands. “He couldn’t wait two weeks?”

  “In his defense.” I grimaced, recalling Irma sprinkling holy water all over my house. “She’s awful.”

  She laughed. “He shouldn’t have took off.”

  “I know.” He and Andrés were back to work on the motor. They were both soaked through, so either Andrés had pushed him in the water or else he dumped the entire ice bucket over his head. “He’s apologized.” I paused, wondering if I was telling her too much, but I felt like I had to talk to someone or I’d go crazy. “Truthfully, I’m afraid he’ll do it again.”

  She grabbed my hand. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. My dad was an asshole.” I had no idea why I was telling her this, but Christina seemed like someone I could open up to. I hoped my instincts weren’t wrong. “I guess I have trust issues.”

  She squeezed my hand before letting go. “I consider my stepdad my dad now, but my birth dad was an asshole, too.”

  “My dad was the king of all poop chutes.” I could have expanded, but I left it at that. I didn’t feel like getting into a whose dad is the biggest asshole contest, because I was fairly certain I’d win, and having the world’s worst father wasn’t an honor I was proud of.

  Christina crossed one leg over the other, straightening her shoulders. “My birth dad raped me when I was fifteen and told me I was asking for it.”

  My hands flew to my mouth as remnants from that day’s hamburger projected into the back of my throat. “Omigod, Christina. I’m so sorry.”

  She shrugged, tossing her auburn ponytail over one shoulder. “Don’t be. He’s dead, and I’m over him. I refuse to let him hurt me anymore.”

  Um, wow. Christina was freaking Superwoman. How could she get over something like that? I thought of all the times my dad beat me, and I was relieved he’d never raped me. I didn’t know how I could’ve recovered from something so horrific.

  Tears pricked the backs of my eyes when I thought of all the other shit my dad had put me through. “My dad beat me because I cried when I found out my mom died.” So much for me not wanting to get into the dad vs. dad contest.

  Her head snapped back. “What the hell?”

  “I was four years old.” I wiped the moisture from my eyes and sucked in a sharp breath, willing myself to keep it together. “He beat me a lot when I was growing up. At least he tried to. My dad’s foreman usually blocked him.” I instinctively placed a hand against my cheek, remembering how sore my face had been that first time. It had hurt to talk and eat for a week.

  “Holy shit,” she breathed. “I can see why you have trust issues.”

  “Yeah, but my dad died last month.” I tried to brush it off as if it was no big deal. “I need to get over him, too, I guess.”

  Her eyes softened. “Everyone is different, and every situation is different. You’ve had a painful childhood. Give yourself time.”

  “Thanks.” I ran a hand through my scraggly, tangled hair. I realized I probably looked like a drowned rat after our swim. “I just don’t want my past ruining my future.” “Not all guys are bad, Savannah.” Christina crossed her legs and leaned against the back of the bench. “Andrés walked out on me once because I wasn’t ready to have children. He was gone for a week.”

  My breath hitched. “Then what happened?”

  She tossed back her head, laughing. “He realized he was being an asshole.”

  “Has he left you since then?” I leaned closer, desperate to know the answer, yet fearing I wouldn’t like the truth.

  “No, and we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs. He’s always there for me.” She picked a stray Cheerio off her shirt, twirling it in her fingers. “Andrés and Cesar are a lot alike. Cesar’s a good guy.” She flashed a sideways smile before popping the circle in her mouth. “Trust me, Savannah, they aren’t like our dads.”

  As I looked into her unwavering stare, a knot which I hadn’t realized had coiled around my neck started to unravel, and an enormous weight lifted from my weary shoulders. Cesar was a good guy. I‘d known he had to be. All that crap Ariana had been feeding me about me not knowing Cesar was nothing but bullshit.

  What I wouldn’t give for Cesar and me to have the love that Christina and Andrés had for each other. And maybe one day we could even add to our little dysfunctional family, and not just puppies but another human being Cesar and I created out of love. What a concept, to bring a child into the world who was wanted.

  “Thank you, Christina.” I held out my arms, so happy when she let me hug her. “You don’t know how relieved you’ve made me feel,” I whispered before we broke the embrace.

  “Anytime.” She playfully swatted my shoulder. “I’m so glad you and Cesar are together. We need to hang out more.”

  “Yeah, we do.” Without a doubt, Christina and I were going to be good friends. I needed more friends like her, girlfriends I could confide in who didn’t leave swings hanging from my ceiling.

  James started fussing again, so Christina picked him up. When he immediately went for her breast, she untied her top and draped a towel over her shoulder, letting him nurse.

  “Cruz men are so demanding,” she said with a wink while James loudly slurped.

  As I watched Christina cradle James in her arms, I was immediately struck with the urge to have a baby of my own. Totally crazy. I was only twenty-three. What would I do with a baby? Besides, Cesar and I hadn’t been dating long enough to start a family. We weren’t ready to be parents. Then I thought of Jake and realized we were already parents, but babies were far more demanding. I had to get away from Christina and James. I had my nephew and three dogs. I didn’t need a baby. I just needed to get laid.

  “You said that house was for sale?” I gazed at the beautiful home next door.

  Her eyes lit up. “You and Cesar should take a look. The owners will be gone all weekend, and I have a spare set of keys.”

  I admired my boyfriend as he walked up the path to the house, his shirt slung over a shoulder and his bare muscles glistening in the sun.

  “Hmm.” I bit my thumb, eyeing him like he was a prime cut of meat, and I hadn’t eaten in a week. “I think we will.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I held Cesar’s hand while we walked through the house. It was even prettier than Christina’s parent’s house, with vaulted ceilings and rustic chandeliers. The kitchen was massive and contemporary, much like my kitchen in Houston. Cesar fell in love with the sauna next to the mudroom. But what really had our jaws dropping were the windows against the back wall that stretched two stories high. Those would be a nightmare to clean, but I supposed I could hire people to do it. Having had to fend for myself most of my life, I was still getting used to having money.

  We walked out onto the covered porch, inhaling the fresh scent of mesquite and pine trees. The porch led to a deck with several tiers and a hot tub nestled to the side.

  “What do you think, bella?” Cesar wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head as we stared down at the boys jumping on the trampoline.

  I turned into him, placing a hand on his warm, bare chest. His skin practically glowed beneath the sun’s rays, making him look like a bronze god. Damn, he made me horny.

  “I think I’m in love,” I said on a sigh.

  He arched a thick brow, his crooked smile looking sexier than ever. “With the house?”

  “Mmm,” I mumbled as I leaned up and brushed my lips across his. “That, too.”

  He groaned into my mouth, pressing me up against his growing erection. “What do you say we go check out the bedrooms?”

  I ground my pelvis against him, feeling I’d combust if we didn’t make love soon. “Yes, please.”

  Cesar and I raced up the stairs, laughing as we threw open doo
rs. Figured the last room would be the master, but that four-poster bed was screaming our names. I felt kind of naughty having sex on someone else’s bed, though at the moment I didn’t care. I needed orgasms!

  Cesar slammed the door behind us, pressing me against the wall while grinding into me. Our mouths found each other’s in a frenzy of fevered kisses. He jerked off my bikini top, squeezing my tits so hard, I cried out. When he hoisted me up, I instinctively wrapped my thighs around his waist. He alternated between kissing and biting my neck while carrying me to the bed. He fell on top of me with a grunt, yanking off my shorts and bathing suit bottom before untying his shorts and throwing them to the floor.

  He climbed between my spread thighs, lavishing kisses across my collarbone and breasts. I cupped his chiseled cheeks, pulling his mouth to mine. We met in another passionate kiss, our tongues spearing while we groped and explored each other. All the while the head of his cock circled and teased my weeping flesh, making me swell with need.

  I broke the kiss, panting against his mouth. “Fuck me, baby,” I begged. “Don’t be gentle.”

  Liquid heat swirled in his smoky gaze as he tenderly kissed the side of my mouth. “I don’t want to hurt you, bella.”

  “Please,” I begged. “Please fuck me.” I reached between us, stroking his cock and spreading my legs wider. “I need this.”

  His eyes rolled to the back of his head as I coaxed dripping pearls out of the tip of his erection.

  With a groan he jerked my fngers away, pinning both of my hands above my head. Shadows fell across his face as he slid into my liquid silk. A dark, menacing growl escaped his throat. “You asked for it.”

  My eyes fell shut, a sunburst exploding in my mind when he thrust his full length deep inside me.

  I sucked in a sharp breath as pleasure mixed with pain, my core slowly expanding and contracting, preparing for a tsunami of orgasms.

  I lifted my legs higher, welcoming his girth. “Oh, please fuck me, baby.” I clenched his hair by the roots, trailing kisses down his neck. “Please make me come.”

  He slowly slid out. “No. I want it to last.”

  I thrust my hips higher, digging my nails into the globes of his round ass. “You’re killing me.”

  He slowly slid back in, nibbling on the side of my neck. “Patience, bella. I will make it worth your while. I promise.”

  He barely grazed my swollen core with the tip of his cock before sliding out again. Fucking tease!

  I dug my nails in deeper, not caring if I left claw marks on his skin. When his lips sought mine, I practically devoured him.

  “Oh, Cesar.” I tried to speed up our tempo with frantic thrusts. “Please don’t stop loving me.”

  “Never,” he cried into my mouth, picking up speed. “I love you so damn much. I don’t think I can stop.”

  “Then don’t,” I cried.

  “Come with me,” he commanded.

  I threw back my head with a gasp, gladly surrendering my body to Cesar in that timeless dance of pleasure. The first orgasm shot through me like a rocket blasting into space. I seized, then convulsed, the rocket exploding while Cesar stilled with a grunt, his cockhead throbbing against my engorged bundle of nerves. Liquid heat pooled inside me while he dug into my thighs.

  I lifted my legs higher, his cock banging against my reverberating drum until another climax crested, then broke, little rivulets of pleasure raining down on me, zinging from the tips of my fingers to my toes.

  He rolled me over with a groan, and I fell onto his chest like a limp ragdoll. Cesar tenderly kissed and stroked me, murmuring words of love in my ear. When his cock surged inside me again, he rolled me over, making sweet, slow love to me until I turned to liquefied jelly in his arms.

  After our breathing slowed, and our heartrates returned to a near normal, I decided I was definitely putting in an offer for this house. I couldn’t think of a better way for us to spend our weekends than with swimming, sun, and passionate lovemaking.

  * * *

  Cesar

  Andrés and I did a thorough check of the house, looking for cracks in the foundation and any issues with the electrical and plumbing. We found a leak in the downstairs bathroom but nothing I couldn’t handle. The boat came with the house. It was the perfect fishing vessel, complete with a fish finder and a large live-well.

  And all this could be ours. Well, at least it would be Savannah’s. I didn’t have seven figures lying around to put down on a lake house. It felt odd having a girlfriend with so much money. All the other girls I’d dated had relied on me to pay for everything.

  “So she’s really interested in the house?” Andrés asked as I shined a flashlight into the darkness in the attic, checking for any signs of rodents or decay.

  I climbed down the narrow, creaky stairs, brushing dust off my shirt. “Yeah.”

  He leaned against a dresser, eyeing me skeptically. “And you’re okay with it?”

  I handed him the flashlight before pushing the compact stairs back up into the attic and locking the hatch. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  He pushed off from the dresser, shoving the flashlight in his pocket. “If it doesn’t work out, you’ll have to see her when you come up here.”

  “It’s working out,” I answered tersely, brushing past him. I headed downstairs, remembering to check the thermostat on the sauna.

  “You sure?” he called at my back.

  I stopped on the landing, turning to him with a glare. “Yeah, I’m sure.” I continued down the stairs, annoyed with my cousin. What the hell was his problem? He followed silently as I walked through the kitchen, then slipped in behind me as I closed the sauna door.

  “You two in love?” Andrés asked as I adjusted the dials on the thermostat.

  I looked at him through sideways slits. “Yeah.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  He laughed, patting me on the back. “She’s young, homes.”

  We were almost seven years apart, but her age didn’t matter. She was far more mature than any other woman I’d dated.

  “How old was Christina when you married?”

  He flashed a lopsided grin. “She was young, but she wasn’t rich.”

  I wiped a bead of sweat off my brow. The sauna worked. Either that, or Andrés’s questions were getting on my fucking nerves. “What does Savannah’s money have to do with this?” I turned off the thermostat and walked out. It was about time we got on the road. We had a long drive, and I was sick of Andrés’s shit.

  He followed me out, close on my heels. “A young, rich, pretty woman can have any guy she wants.”

  I spun, clenching my hands as we stood nearly nose to nose. “You saying I’m not good enough for her?”

  He stepped back, holding out his palms in a defensive gesture. “No, but let’s face it, our family isn’t always easy to get along with.”

  I followed his retreat into the utility room. “I told Papí to keep Mamí and Marie away.”

  Andrés grabbed his tool bag off the counter and swung the strap over his shoulder. “How long will that last?”

  I didn’t like that he expected our crazy family to descend on Savannah’s house and start butting into our lives.

  “I don’t know.” I brushed him off, annoyed. “Savannah has her own family problems, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  He chuckled. “They can’t be worse than our family.”

  I threw up my hands, anger filling my brain like a steaming kettle. “So what do you want me to do about it, other than change my last name and get an unlisted number?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I’ve never dated a girl that rich.”

  Again with the money. What was his problem?

  “How many times do I need to tell you, it’s not about the fucking money?”

  He opened the garage door, bracing it against his shoulder. “If you say so, homes.”

  I charged, but he quickly shut the door behind him.

&nbs
p; Pendejo!

  He’d put me in a bad mood. I did an about-face and went out the back way toward the dock, deciding to look over the boat one more time. Anything to get my mind off Andrés’s accusation.

  * * *

  Savannah

  “Was the house to your satisfaction?” Christina flashed a sly grin, bouncing James on her knee. She knew it didn’t take two hours to tour a house.

  I couldn’t help but smile back as I stretched my legs out on the cushioned patio lounge chair. “Very much so.”

  “Are you going to make an offer?” she asked.

  “Definitely.” I leaned back, stifling a yawn. “As long as Cesar doesn’t find anything majorly wrong with the place.”

  “It pays to have a handyman,” she said with a wink.

  I bit my lip, thinking how handy he’d been in bed earlier. “It definitely does.”

  We both snapped our heads back at the sound of a blood-curdling shriek.

  Christina abruptly stood, holding out James to me. “Could you hold him for a minute?”

  “Sure.” As soon as I took the baby, she raced down the stairs to the dock. I balanced James on my hip and looked over the railing. Manny and Gio were fighting over a water gun, and it was getting ugly.

  Christina snatched the toy from their hands, holding it over her head while they cried for her to give it back. In a way, I was glad Jake was an only child, and I never had to break up fights.

  “Ouch!” I snatched my hair out of James’s hand, shifting him onto the other hip. “Not my hair, baby.”

  I didn’t have much experience with babies. Jake had been a toddler when I’d first met him. Weird, though, how natural it felt to hold James. I sat down on the chair, balancing him on my knee like Christina had done.

  He squealed and reached for my hair again.

  “No, no, baby.”

  He really was cute, with big hazel eyes and pudgy cheeks. His legs were full of chub, like stacked marshmallows. He kicked and giggled while I bounced him on my knee.

  He reached for the tie on my bikini top, pulling it before I could stop him. I balanced him with one hand while removing the string from his grasp. My breast was precariously close to popping out, but I couldn’t retie my bathing suit with him in my arms.