Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set (19 page)

He returned to the bedroom, his magnificent body bare except for a pair of tidy whities that hugged his sex and those buttocks she had lusted over from day one. In one hand he held a tray of Cuban pastries and in the other, two glasses of soda.

She sat up in bed, propped herself against the pillows, and accepted the plate as he handed it to her and settled himself, cross-legged, on the bed beside her. He placed the glasses on the nightstand.

"This looks tasty." She grabbed a meat-filled pastry and held it up for him to bite.

He grasped her wrist, his touch tender, and bit off nearly half of the puffy pastry in one chomp.

She wiggled an eyebrow as she watched him scarfing down the pastry. "Hungry?"

Rey swallowed and grinned, "Very. How about you?"

She told herself not to respond to the hidden meaning in his words, certain she would never be able to get up in the morning if they made love again.

"Famished for food," she clarified and finished off the pastry in two delicate bites.

Rey nodded, smiled, and reached for another one. "I'm sorry I don't have much in the way of food."

"Your Mom usually leaves you a dish. Admit it. Despite what you told me when we made our little deal," she teased him as she took another pastry as well, this time one of the longer cigar-shaped ones filled with guava paste and cream cheese.

Rey blushed and quickly devoured his food. "Okay, so I stretched the truth a little. I wanted the job."

"Liar. I've heard from the crew about how much work you have and how you're turning people away. You didn't need our job, especially since I suspect that while it may not be a loss for you, it certainly isn't giving you the kind of profit margin you would normally want," she said, suddenly feeling guilty about the deal they had struck.

He cradled her cheek and met her gaze. "It wasn't the profits I was thinking about when I took the job, Bianca."

She didn't need to ask what he had been thinking about. It was obvious in his gaze and in the loving way he caressed her face.

"I. . .I," she stuttered and bit her lip. "I don't want you to feel cheated, Rey. I want, more than anything, for us to be honest with each other."

He stilled the motion of his hand and almost physically flinched from her words, withdrawing into himself. "I haven't lied to you, Bianca, but, there are things. . ." He shook his head and looked away.

She set aside the plate of food, crawled out from under the covers, and into his lap. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him close and his body was tight, unyielding. Kissing the side of his face, she murmured, "I know one thing, Rey."

She cupped his head in her hands, moved her lips over the side of his jaw, dropping kisses all along the way. She kissed the edge of his mouth, trying to will away the resistance in him.

"What?" he asked, even as he accepted the comfort of her mouth on his.

"You're a good man," she said and urged him down onto the bed.

* * *

The chirp of his cell phone woke him from the soundest sleep he'd had in a long time. Groggy, he fumbled on the nightstand for the phone, finally found it and swiped the face to answer the call.

"Rey Ramos," he answered.

"Boss man, where are you?" John-John shouted over the din of power saws and hammering.

Rey bolted upright in bed and glanced at his clock, realizing they had slept through the alarm.

"I'm running a little late," he said and glanced over at where Bianca lay, sleeping soundly on her stomach, her body bare beneath the sheets.

"I'll be there later. A lot later," he added as she turned in her sleep and one creamy breast peeked at him from beneath the covers.

He groaned and closed his eyes, willing away his arousal.

"Hey, Rey. Eduardo wants to talk to you," John-John let him know and Rey gruffly told him to hurry it up.

Eduardo came on the line a second later. "Rey, listen, I'm a little worried about Bianca," he said, and a mix of embarrassment and guilt blasted through Rey. "We haven't been able to reach her all morning."

"She's all right, Eduardo. Don't worry about her. I'm sure she'll show up later," he said, but Eduardo was apparently reluctant to take that for an answer.

"How do you know? Bianca is never late. She’s totally anal about being on time."

"Trust me, Eduardo," he stressed.

A sudden strangled cough on the other end of the line was followed by a chagrined, "Oh, okay. We'll see you two later?"

"Yes, later." Rey signed off, placed the phone back on his nightstand, and lay down on his side of the bed. Reaching out, it took all of his will power to pull the sheet up to cover her nakedness. To avoid further temptation, he leaned close, cupped her cheek, and softly whispered, "Bianca. It's time to get up."

She sighed and mewled in protest, scrunching her face in complaint.

"Five more minutes," she whispered huskily. She threw her arm out to wrap it around him and snuggled into his side.

Rey grunted his agreement, tucked her head onto his shoulder, and gently stroked her back, hoping to slowly rouse her to wakefulness. More than five minutes passed and Bianca failed to stir. He bent his head again, nuzzled the side of her face, and softly urged, "We need to get going. People are waiting for us."

The faint kiss of his breath stirred against her skin and Bianca raised her face until her cheek was pressed to his. Without opening her eyes, she moved her lips against his jaw, and trailed her hand across his shoulder.

"I don't want to leave this bed, Rey."

He chuckled, rolled onto his side partway so that she was on her back and his thigh rested across her belly. Running his thumb across her cheek, he stroked it over and over until she had no choice but to open her eyes and meet his gaze.

When she did so, he smiled at her indulgently, bent, and kissed her, his mouth slow and tender as it plucked at her lips. He broke away from her for a second and whispered, "You can spend the night again tonight. Come with me tomorrow to our monthly family get together."

That was enough to get Bianca moving, but only a little.

"I don't know how I feel about that," she replied, unsure about the whole meeting the family part.

Rey gave her a half-smile, which broadened slowly into a wide teasing grin. "Don't tell me you're one of those types that can ravage my poor little body all night and not have the courage to face my family in the morning."

A flush worked over her cheeks because she knew if the roles were reversed, her parents would certainly want to meet the man who had been busy bedding their daughter. She shot him a nervous half-glance.

"Are you really serious about tomorrow?"

He traced the line of her collarbone with his hand, bent his head, and nuzzled her neck. "Do you have any doubt about how serious I am?"

Bianca reflected on his question as he moved upward, kissing a spot every few seconds until he paused near her mouth.

"Well?" he pressed.

She cradled his cheek and urged him to face her. "If you want the truth, I'm kinda nervous."

"About meeting my family or admitting we've started a relationship?" he asked.

Bianca was afraid of both and it was clear that he was well aware of her concerns. She was also certain that she needed to muster the courage to face both those fears in the same way he had by inviting her to meet the people who were important to him.

"Actually, I was worried about what I'd bring your Mom to thank her for having me over."

Rey nodded and grinned. "You mean you're finally going to cook?"

Bianca propped her head on her elbow and kissed him while murmuring, "You know what they say, Rey. A woman can't live on love alone."

He opened his mouth on hers and urged her down onto the mattress, his big body covering her, his arousal evident.

"Maybe not, but we could sure try to find out," he said a second before he claimed her lips.

* * *

John-John accepted some money from one of the workers and then from another.

Rey realized that something was up. Something he wasn't sure he'd be thrilled about.

When Eduardo ambled out of the kitchen area a few seconds later, a decidedly too assured smile on his face and approached John-John as well with cash in hand, it occurred to Rey just what was up.

He most definitely didn't like it.

He knew men would be men and that women were often the subject of the talks that happened on the job site. It wasn't unusual that the talk would get crude.

The transfer of money generally meant either the repayment of a loan or a wager. Usually on an upcoming game, but he sensed that this time, it was somehow tied to him and Bianca.

He was unhappy about the possibility that Bianca's virtue was the subject of his men's wagers. He was somewhat surprised that Eduardo, who he had thought was her friend, would be so insensitive and participate in the betting.

He jerked away the blueprints he had been reviewing and shouted out some terse instructions to the two men who were finishing a header over one of the support walls they had taken down. He pointed out where they would have to sister in another beam and column to give the necessary support and left them to complete the work. He intended to put an end to John-John's activities as yet another worker approached him and handed him some cash.

Rey stepped up to his crew chief just as the other man walked away.

John-John whirled to face Rey and asked, "So what's you're guess?"

Then he realized it was Rey. He shifted nervously and quickly stuffed the wad of bills into his jeans pocket. "Hi, boss man."

"Making book?" he prompted angrily, clearly not pleased.

John-John stammered out, "It's not what you think, Rey. Believe me."

Rey crossed his arms over his chest, peered around, and noted the nervous glances that a number of the men gave them. He respected John-John and the other workers respected and listened to him. It was why he had chosen John-John to be his second-in-command. He didn't want to do anything to diminish him in the eyes of their workers.

He forced a smile and laid his arm around the shoulder of the other man, hoping to make it seem as if nothing was going on. Softly he said, "Between you and me, John-John, because I know I can trust you."

John-John shifted uneasily and glanced away as Rey continued talking softly and guided him in the direction of the bar.

"Bianca is really special to me. Really special. I don't want her to be the subject of any comments or bets that might embarrass her."

John-John stopped short and beamed a smile at Rey. “Boss, it's not what you think. Well, it is kind of, but trust me. It’s not a bad thing."

He was confused by the other man's comments, but by now too many heads were turned their way. Removing his arm from John-John's shoulder, he forced a smile and slapped him on the back. Hard.

"I'd better not hear a bad word about Bianca or about what's going on," he said past the tightness of his smile.

His foreman nodded vigorously and Rey didn't press the issue. Pointing to the newly exposed and re-supported spaces they had created, he discussed the plans for the next few days and what he would need him to concentrate on so that by the end of the week they could head to the second floor.

By late afternoon the men had finished their work on all the walls and Rey decided that rather than tearing out the old windows and leaving boards up over the holes where they used to be, it made sense to call it quits and keep the place secure.

After the crew left and he helped John-John get everything in order for Monday, he headed to the kitchen to see Bianca for the first time since they had arrived that morning.

Inside the kitchen, Diana and Eduardo were cleaning up at one of the sinks, having apparently decided to call it a day as well.

Bianca had her head poked into one of the ovens and as the breeze from the open doorway drifted by, he caught the aroma of something sweet and delicious.

He walked toward the back of the kitchen, nodded in both greeting and goodbye to Diana and Eduardo as they headed out the door, hand in hand. Diana giggled as her husband whispered something in her ear and he smiled at the apparent love between the two.

Bianca straightened and turned, seemingly embarrassed to find him there. "Hi, Rey. Done for the day?"

He nodded and came to stand before her. "Yeah. How about you? Ready to go?"

She shook her head and glanced at her fancy silver and gold watch. "Not for another fifteen minutes or so until the cheesecake is ready."

He arched an eyebrow. "A cheesecake? An experimental one like your flan?"

"You didn't like the flan?" A line of worry furrowed her forehead and he smoothed it with his index finger. "I loved the flan, although. . ."

He stepped closer, laid his hand on her waist, and bent toward her. "I can think of some things that are much much tastier."