Chapter Seven Alejandro
Chapter Seven
Alejandro
I’d done my best to avoid Audrey the rest of the afternoon and stay mission focused, but I had no choice but to face her at the dinner table that night. I also couldn’t turn down Eden’s home cooking, even if the meal was served with a few too many questions from her boyfriend, Beau.
“How long have you two been dating?” I needed to turn the tables on the sheriff before he wound up knowing everything from my Social Security number to my dick measurements.
“When did we meet? Four months ago, when my car broke down. All that swagger rolling up to help me.” Eden’s laugh was contagious enough for Chase to pick it up too.
Only he ran in a different direction from what she’d probably intended, poking fun at her. Something about lovebirds and trees. Kissing, maybe?
I lost track of his teasing because Audrey was staring at me from across the table, and I couldn’t not stare right back at her.
And now I was struggling not to think about her naked. Perfect time for that memory to hit me, with her ex-husband at my right and her son off to my left.
“So, um, my slightly rude boyfriend has asked you just about everything,” Eden began while playfully elbowing the sheriff, clearly looking for a distraction from Chase’s teasing, “except for where you grew up.”
“I’m more of a show-than-tell kind of guy.” I set down my fork so I’d stop stuffing myself with her good food, and went for the deck of cards I kept on hand like a security blanket, thanks to my father.
At the sight, Chase abandoned his silverware and the lonely green beans still on his plate.
“Nope, if you want to see a card trick, you have to finish your vegetables.” Cards removed from the box, I began shuffling them, unable to miss the smile parked on Audrey’s lips.
She pointed at Chase’s plate. “You heard the man. Do what he says.”
“Let me guess,” Beau began while patting his mouth with his napkin before leaning back and hooking his arm over the back of Eden’s chair, “your cards are a clue to where you grew up?”
“I have to say, I’m disappointed you didn’t run a background check on me. You should already know that.” I looked down at Chase. “Don’t you think?”
Around a mouthful of green beans, he mumbled, “Mm-hmm.”
I lifted my eyes to his beautiful mother, momentarily forgetting his father was on my other side.
“Vegas?” Eden guessed as I bridged the cards, shuffling them some more. “Magician?”
“Magician’s son. I grew up backstage.” I continued doing a few easy tricks that only involved shuffling while waiting for Chase to finish up. “My parents left Cuba in the early ’80s so my dad could follow his dreams. He landed his own headline act while my mom was pregnant.”
Audrey set her napkin on her plate. “How’d that never come up when we hung out before?”
“You didn’t ask.” I grinned, then side-eyed Trevor, feeling the full weight of his scrutiny now. Fucking fantastic.
“Didn’t want to follow in your dad’s footsteps?” Beau continued with his inquiry. Something told me he’d come from a long line of men in uniform himself. In his case, probably in the law enforcement field.
“I think I went the route I was supposed to,” was all I could give him.
“Delta, right?” Beau gestured to Trevor. “He mentioned Ryder is, so I’m guessing you were, too?”
I nodded as Chase clapped and announced “Done!” while still chewing. “Show me your tricks now. Can you make yourself disappear, too?”
Unfortunately. In more ways than one. I kicked that shit thought to the side and did what I did best: cut through tension with both humor and magic, distracting everyone from their problems.
I wasn’t sure how long I entertained Chase, along with everyone else at the table, but time flew by.
“How about we all watch a movie? I’m sure Alex is tired now,” Eden proposed, and I was grateful for that suggestion because I was running out of magic tricks that involved cards. “Sound like a good idea?”
“All rightttt.” Chase stood and picked up his plate. “Only if Uncle Alex comes.”
The last thing I wanted to do was intrude on more of their family time. “We’ll see.”
I waited for him to leave with Eden for their living room, and after Beau pulled Trevor aside to talk about the case, I busied myself with helping Audrey clear the dishes.
Of course, that meant we were now alone, together, in the private kitchen.
“Thank you for helping get his mind off everything,” she said as I joined her at the sink. “He’ll sleep better tonight for that.” She playfully hip-checked me. “You’ve got skills, though. Impressive.”
“Yeah, well, I had no choice but to learn.” I rested my side against the counter and grabbed a dish towel to dry the pots and pans after she rinsed them. “You should’ve seen me get sawed in half when I was a kid. Or break free from chains inside a tank of water.”
“You can do all that, too?” She turned off the faucet and faced me.
“That I can.” I smiled, setting the last of the dishes on the rack. “A man of many skills.”
“Including how to dodge a sheriff’s questions with a certain je ne sais quoi,” she teased, pulling out a French accent.
“Wrong language,” I teased back, instead of acknowledging the fact she’d read me right in not wanting to talk about why I’d chosen the military over stepping into my father’s shoes like he’d hoped. I barely talked about that with people I knew well, let alone a stranger.
“You want to hear me talk en espanol, do you?” Her entire face lit up as she stared at me. “Unfortunately, if you don’t use it . . . you lose it. Forgot everything I learned in school.” She wet her lips. “But I’d love to hear you talk to me en espanol.”
“If you’re lucky, maybe I will.” That deep rasp in my voice should not have been present. I quickly cleared my throat and backed away, remembering I was supposed to be putting up walls to protect us both, and there I was building her a drawbridge she could use to drop on over anytime. “Anyway.”
She smiled. “I like that word almost as much as using L-O-L at the end of texts. Great awkward-killer.”
This woman and her blunt honesty were going to send me.
You know, over the edge.
Falling hard.
I may have had a soft spot for women who told the truth. Wonder why?
“Anyway, I should probably skip the movie.”
“Why?”
I arched a brow, and I couldn’t help but say the only thing that came to mind: “Esto es peligroso. Tú y yo.”
“Translate, please.” She parted her lips, their color a perfect match to her nipples, which I definitely remembered.
“Not on your life.” I smirked, but then she pulled out her phone from her back pocket like her own personal deck of cards and gave it a voice command.
“Translate: Esto es peligroso. Tú y yo.”
Ah, fuck.
Whoever talked back to her didn’t have a female British accent like my phone did. A computerized male voice came back, betraying me with “This is dangerous. You and me.”
My cue to exfil. I patted the counter at my side twice, then turned, but she caught my arm with her free hand.
“Translate to Spanish, please: It doesn’t have to be.”
“No tiene por qué ser así,” the AI voice responded.
She went and killed me by repeating the words to me in Spanish despite the fact I’d just heard them.
If I had to listen to her speak Spanish one more time, my control would snap. “I should say good night.” There was no way I’d survive standing here another minute and keep up my walls.
“Hey, you two good?”
Trevor. Of course. I couldn’t escape without another awkward confrontation, could I?
“I’m going to get some rack time. It’s late.” I checked my watch. 2100 hours. Yeah, well, I supposed white lies were okay.
“Negative. My son wants you in there and right next to him. So, too damn bad.” Trevor shook his head, eyes on Audrey now. “He wants ice cream. Mind getting some for everyone?”
She pocketed her phone, then started for the fridge. “On it. Vegan for him. What do you want?” she called over her shoulder.
“The real stuff,” Trevor grunted as if surprised she’d need to ask. “See you both in there,” he said before bailing, leaving me alone again with his ex-wife and now no choice but to join their family tonight.
“Chase is lactose intolerant,” she explained while setting two tubs of ice cream on the counter. “What about you? Which kind should I scoop for you since you’re staying?”
“Vegan,” I grumbled, knowing it was going to take more effort than I thought to keep my distance from her.
“Really? Are you intolerant, too? Because I know you’re not vegan.” She began scooping the chocolate into a bowl. “You pretty much inhaled Eden’s pot roast.”
“The last home-cooked meal I had was at Ryder’s mom’s place at Christmas. So do you blame me?” I grinned. “But no, no allergy.” I tossed a look toward the hallway, thinking about Chase. “Just don’t want him to feel alone.”