Summer Nights (14 page)

“I’ll pay you time and a half, but not
a penny more. I’m a repeat customer, and I know you’d hate to lose
my business.” I drove a hard bargain, knowing he would have to
relent. Business wasn’t steady for the man, and I knew
that.

“I’ll have it in your office by
Friday.” He immediately hung up.

My phone rang as soon I disconnected.
It was Ramon.

“Yeah?”

“You gonna tell me who fucked up your
girl? You and Stella are protecting that info like it’s a black ops
file.”

“El padre de la
nena
.”

“Como
?”

“Not sure. My guess is a glass or
bottle of some sort.” My blood pressure kicked up just thinking
about it.

“Alright. I’ll get what I can from
Stella later.” I heard a door open and shut. He was home. We didn’t
live far from each other. I was in Old San Juan and he lived in
Condado; the hotel was relatively close to the middle distance
between us. “Where you want to take them tonight?”

“They haven’t been out of
the city since they got here so I figured we could take them up
to
La Cocina Montano
.”

“Sounds good. Separate cars
though. It’s the perfect opportunity to get more information from
the women.” He sighed. “Damn,
amigo
. She’s not even my girl and I’m
pissed.”

I clenched my jaw; my teeth
ached beneath the pressure. I didn’t want to talk about it. I
didn’t want to think about what the
pendejo
did to her. I just wanted to
enjoy the time we had left.

“I’ll see you in forty,” I
said.

He must have heard the grit
in my tone. “
Ta bien
.”

We hung up.

I found a spot in the parking garage
and headed up to my condo to get ready.

Chapter 13

CRUZ

I had been blown away by her curves the
moment she opened the door. I normally didn’t notice women’s
clothing, but the lone, dark color of her outfit drew my attention
to her feminine frame. She had an hourglass shape that would have
most Latin men slobbering on the floor. It was set off by the
necklace that dangled at its largest point just beyond her breasts;
her chest protruded to the point that the pearl didn’t touch her
upper stomach. She filled out the soft shorts in the rear, pulling
just enough around the fullest part of her ass to have me
salivating as she walked in front of me, following Stella towards
the table. Her heels made me think of bending her over the table,
wearing nothing but the sexy heels, and taking her right
there.

Ramon and I had agreed on a restaurant
a bit out of the way, toward the center of the island, but it was
well worth the drive to enjoy the scenic view. The women had been
awestruck the second we parked and they got their first glance at
the cascading jungle which was visible for miles into the distance
as it covered the hills and mountains. We let them roam the patio,
absorbing all nature had to offer from this vantage point, before
we all settled at the table half-an-hour later. I couldn’t take my
eyes off her though. She had a glow that I hadn’t seen the first
night I met her. I was happy to see here letting go and enjoying
our time.

The server handed us our menus. Summer
pressed her glasses up on her face as she skimmed it. It was a
simple action, yet warmed me. I could see her doing it as she
cuddled on the sofa beside me reading a book while I watched
TV.

“What’s good here?” Stella asked,
breaking my trance.

“Anything with steak,” Ramon
answered.

Summer reached out and grabbed my hand,
squeezing lightly. “You okay?”

I lifted my hand, brushing
her fingers with my lips. “
Si
.”

SUMMER

It felt like I had butterflies in my
stomach. My fingers tingled in the wake of his touch; a soft warm
feeling spread through me. I lifted my lips, smiling at his
gesture. He winked, turning his attention back to the
menu.

We ended up ordering a platter for all
of us to share. The guys ordered a beer while Stella and I sipped a
glass of white wine. Slowly, we relaxed into a steady
conversation.

“So, tell me boys, what exactly do you
do?” Stella leaned forward, eyeing each male, waiting for a proper
response. My curiosity kicked up a notch.

Cruz didn’t bat an eyelash, but he
didn’t offer up an answer either. Ramon turned to him. They
silently communicated. In the end, Cruz nodded his head once.
“We’re bondsmen and bounty hunters,” Ramon stated.

I swallowed hard, my eyes watching
Cruz. He observed to me, equally studying me for a reaction.
Suddenly, it all made sense. That explained the long hours he’d
indicated; the guys at the beach were probably past turnovers or
related to someone who was. It was probably the reason why he
hadn’t gotten close to a woman before. My lungs constricted as the
information settled in, reality slicing through me. There really
was no chance for us after this weekend.

“Aren’t you guys supposed to carry guns
and cuffs and other things around all the time?” Stella narrowed
her eyes.

“What do you think is in our cargo
pockets? We have custom built inserts that hold all our equipment
in them,” Ramon replied. He opened up his bottom pocket, allowing
Stella to peer inside.

Well, that explained why Cruz’s shorts
were always so heavy. I sighed. I ran my thumb along the
condensation of my wine glass. I was foolish for letting myself get
involved. How could I put myself out there like this? I should have
followed my instinct to run and stay the hell away. I took a sip of
my drink, allowing the alcohol to slide down my throat. I hoped it
would help wash away my feelings for Cruz but had no such
luck.

“Why is your job such a big secret?”
Stella crossed her arms over her chest, brows raised in their
direction.

“It’s not. We just have a few too many
enemies and don’t want to get anyone mixed in,” Ramon
advised.

“That’s a load of crap; otherwise you
would have told me when I asked the first gazillion times. You had
me thinking you were a drug lord or something criminal; although I
would expect A/C at the very least if you were any good at it.” She
lifted her chin, assessing the men from her seat. “So are you any
good at it?”

“One of the best in the country,” Ramon
bragged.

My heart plummeted; the rug was pulled
out from under me. I glanced his way. Cruz took a large swig of his
beer, avoiding eye contact. I felt the distance growing between us
by the minute.

CRUZ

Mierda!
I knew this was going to be a deal breaker. That’s why I
didn’t tell women. They knew the danger of this job and
automatically ranked it among police officers and military
soldiers.

I felt her pulling away
from me, shutting down as she processed everything. I thought she
was different.
Damn it.
I should have told her in the beginning so my heart never had
a chance to get attached. It was going to be hell to let her go,
but if that was what she wanted, I wouldn’t stop her.

“Um, I’ll be right back.” Summer
abruptly stood and headed for the front door.

I sighed, scrubbing my face. When I
lifted my head, Ramon and Stella were watching me.

“Are you seriously going to let her
walk away?” Stella barked. I clenched my teeth. I didn’t want to
let her go. I wanted to drag her back to me; I wanted to force her
to never leave me, but I had no right to do that. “Damn. I really
read you wrong.” She stood up. “You know for a bounty hunter,
you’re a damn pansy.”

“What do you want me to do?” I snapped.
“I can’t force her to accept my lifestyle. Believe me, I would if I
could.”

“Bullshit. She doesn’t have a problem
with your job. She has a problem with you using it as a shield.
You’re trying to avoid committing.”

Something in her words clicked. Summer
wasn’t wary of my career; she thought I was using my career as an
escape clause because I didn’t want her. After all, that’s all I’d
done in the past. I’d let my job keep me from a relationship, or so
I thought. Now I realized that I wouldn’t settle because I hadn’t
found the right woman. Danger was always going to be there, but it
would be worth it for the perfect girl.

How could I have missed it? I shoved
out of my chair. I leaned over the table and kissed Stella’s cheek.
“I owe you one.”

“You know I’m gonna collect on that
one, right?” she called after me. I was focused on one thing only
though: getting to Summer. It was time to lay it all out
there.

I found her standing outside on the
viewing deck, gazing out at the beautiful sunset. Her hands swiped
at her face, indicating she was crying. My gut tightened. I was
supposed to protect her, not hurt her.

Cautiously, I approached her. I wrapped
my arms around her shoulders, holding her to me. I kissed the right
side of her head. She trembled in my embrace. “I’m sorry I didn’t
tell you sooner.” I swept her hair away from her neck and placed a
soft kiss on her pulse point. “I understand if you don’t want to
get involved, but that’s not what I want.”

Gently I twisted her around
to face me. My chest constricted at the sight of her red-rimmed
eyes. She was biting her lower lip again, her chin quivering; she
was trying to hold back more tears. “
Ay, mi
amor
.” I kissed her forehead. “I want you.
I want to make this work after tomorrow. I can’t picture my life
without you.” My eyes stung as the emotions built within me. So
much for being a tough guy. I caressed her cheeks. “I love you. In
all my thirty-five years, I’ve never been so sure of myself.
Whether you can handle my business or not, I will always love you
and always be there for you, no matter how far apart we
are.”

SUMMER

His words hit me hard, knocking the
breath out of me. I never imagined I’d come for a weekend, but walk
away with someone to spend a lifetime with. I had more questions
than answers at this point, but the most important one was answered
for me. He wanted me. He loved me and wanted to make this work. I
knew it’d been a short time, but I could honestly say I felt the
same way. I didn’t know how I was going to walk away from him. The
thought of it sparked an ache inside me.

My vision blurred around the edges as
fresh tears began to spill. He stood there, open, having poured his
heart out to me, waiting. He was more than I ever imagined I’d
get.

I nodded my head, meeting his eyes. “I
want it to work too.”

“Then we’ll make it work together.” He
curled his lips in satisfaction as his glossy eyes lovingly gazed
down at me. He leaned into me. “I’m going to kiss you now.” His
breath tickled my lips.

I smiled wide. “You can kiss me
whenever you want.”

His lips brushed mine. “I’m going to
remember that.”

We were both all-in as his mouth
connected with mine. I followed his lead, his lips caressing mine
into a sweet surrender. His tongue dipped beyond my lips, the taste
of him driving my taste buds crazy. My heart raced; it was bursting
at the seams with joy. I was a plus-size woman, and I was still
getting the man of my dreams.

I ran my hands up the front of his
shirt, fisting his polo as I leaned up into him. His arms snaked
around me, holding me tightly, protecting me, and I knew he always
would. I nipped his bottom lip, laving it with my tongue. With one
final gentle connection of my lips to his, I pulled
back.

“About damn time you two came up for
air.” Stella’s voice carried over to us from the entrance of the
restaurant. I felt my cheeks start to warm. Cruz chuckled, brushing
his lips to mine before turning around to meet her gaze. “The foods
getting cold. And with the damn garbage disposal at the table, it’s
also disappearing quickly.”

Cruz grasped my hand, kissing the back
of it. “Let’s go eat. You’re gonna need the energy to survive what
I have planned for you tonight.”

“Oh really?” Excitement rolled through
me; heat gathering in my womb at his promise.

He smirked. “Yes, really.”

When we arrived back at the table, I
saw what Stella meant about Ramon’s talent for eating. Over half of
the platter was empty, his plate having been refilled to the max
from what I could tell.

“Save some for the lovebirds.” Stella
smacked his arm.

“Mira
! Don’t they teach American women never to come between a man
and his food?” Ramon shoveled food into his mouth just to set her
off on purpose.

“My name’s Stella, not Mira, and didn’t
your momma teach you not to talk back to a woman?”

“Just eat,” he snapped.

I chuckled. “It’s okay, Stel. We can
always order more.” Cruz held out my chair for me, scooting it
beneath me as I sat. “Thanks.”

“I just do it for the view.” He
smirked, repeating the same line from this morning. His wit always
made me smile.