12. Cruz
12
CRUZ
I disconnect the call with my agent and sit on the edge of the couch. I arrived at the hotel three hours ago. I texted Tara to let her know I was here and my room number, but I haven’t heard back from her. After unpacking, I’ve been on one call after another. Endorsement deals are still coming in, and that’s a relief. I also signed a seven-figure deal for my book. As soon as I signed it, I wanted to call Tara and tell her about it, but instead I continued working, knowing that I’ll see her soon.
Just as I am about to call Tara, there’s a knock on my door.
Thinking it’s something my agent was having couriered over, I swing the door open, and Tara is standing in front of me with one hand holding a garment bag and the other hand on a wheeled suitcase. “Hey!”
She huffs, and it’s obvious the clothes are heavy in her arms, so I take them from her. “You okay?”
She looks down the noisy hall. “Yeah, can I come in?”
With her garment bag in my hand, I stand back to let her in, closing the door behind her.
I hang her clothes in the closet, and when I look at her, I know something’s wrong, but I don’t have to wait long to know what it is, because she starts to ramble. “Okay, so I guess my room was given away. Grant’s brother Ben was able to make it to the wedding. It's not his fault, he’s a good guy, but they didn’t reserve him a room. So my sister gave him my room, and I’m supposed to room with my parents, but I can’t do it, Cruz. There’s no way I’ll last a night in their room with them.” She takes a deep breath. “And I know this seems all weird seeing as how I basically threw myself at you on the phone last night and you turned me down. Look, I know where we stand. I know we’re friends, so as friends, can you let me crash—” She looks around the room. “Geez, this room is big. Can I crash on your couch?”
When she stops talking, I blurt out, “You threw yourself at me?”
She releases her grasp of the suitcase and puts her hand on her hip. “Really? Everything I just said and that’s what you got?”
I grab her clothes from the closet by the door and then walk over and grab her suitcase. “Yes, you can stay. But you don’t have to stay on the couch. There’s two bedrooms.”
“You have two bedrooms?”
I walk to the second bedroom, and she follows. “Yeah, it was the only room they had left when I called yesterday.”
I hang her clothes in the closet and set her suitcase up on the luggage rack and point to the door off from the bedroom. “There’s a bathroom in there.”
She holds her hand up. “Cruz, how much did you pay for this room? You know what? Forget it. I’m never going to be able to pay you back, but I’ll pay you what I was going to pay for my room. What’s your Venmo, CashApp, or PayPal?”
I walk over to her and put my hands on her shoulders. “Sweetie, you gotta calm down. You’re so worked up.”
She takes a deep breath and nods her head. “You’re right, and I know you’re right. This whole thing has turned me inside out.”
“Do you still love him?” I blurt out.
She scrunches her nose up. “Who? Grant? No, and I don’t think I ever did.”
I cross my arms over my chest because if I keep touching her, I’m going to kiss her. “He isn’t happy, you know that, right? I saw the way he was looking at you at dinner. He wants you back.”
Her eyes widen. “He tried calling me last night, but I didn’t answer the phone and didn’t respond to his text. I would never go back to him.”
I survey her face, hoping what she’s saying is the truth. “Okay, so the plan is still on?”
She looks disappointed but nods her head. “Yeah, the plan is still on.” She looks at her phone. “And the rehearsal starts in thirty minutes. I need to get ready.”
With that, I walk to the bedroom door. “I’ll be ready. Meet you in the living room?”
She nods. “Yeah, I’ll meet you in the living room.”
I shut the door behind me and finally let out a big breath. The whole time I’m around her I’m holding back, and it’s getting old. A part of me is ready for the whole wedding show to begin so I can hold her and kiss her the way I want. People will be watching, and we have to act like a couple.
When it’s time to meet, I stand in the living room of the hotel, looking out the window while I wait for Tara. I do all the things I should be doing. I remind myself that she’s my sister’s best friend, she’s too young for me, and she’s off limits.
When I hear the door open, I think I’m prepared, but one glance at her lets me know that there’s nothing I can do to resist her. Tara is my kryptonite.
Speechless, I walk toward her, my mouth hanging open as I look her up and down. She’s wearing an off the shoulder dress that hugs every curve of her body. With a husky whisper, I tell her, “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”
She waves me off with a laugh. “Whatever, you don’t have to?—”
I cut her off. “How can I not tell you? Evey man there tonight is going to be thinking the same thing.”
She practically preens, and I want to stay in this room with her and praise her all night, but that’s not what she needs right now. She needs to face her family with me by her side. No one is going to make her feel less than with me around.
She clears her throat and gestures to me. “You look handsome, Cruz.” She reaches for me, wrapping her hand around mine. “Thank you for doing this. I know it’s not something you wanted to do in your spare time?—”
I cut her off again. “Honey, right now, I couldn’t think of another place I’d rather be than right here with you.”
She bites her lip and smiles at me as I thread my fingers through hers. “Come on, let’s do this.”
She doesn’t move, though. “I have a favor first. I mean, another one.” She laughs and rolls her eyes. “I feel like after this wedding you’re going to avoid me like I have the plague.”
Fuck, as if that’s possible. Already, I’m trying to figure out how to make this last longer. “Trust me, honey. The last thing I’m going to do is avoid you.”
She points at me. “You keep that up…”
Her voice trails off, and I want her to finish. “If I keep that up, what?”
Her cheeks turn red, but she juts her chin at me. “I’m just saying that you’re a little irresistible when you say things like that.”
I lean down closer to her. “Just a little irresistible?”
She laughs and shoves me away from her, but I don’t go far because I’m still holding her hand. “What’s the favor?”
She turns her back to me. “Can you zip me up?”
Her pale skin is on display from right above her ass all the way to her neck. My breath stutters, and I release my hold on her hand. “Sure, I can zip you up,”
I grab the zipper between my thumb and forefinger and slowly drag it up. I can’t resist touching her, and when I completely have her zipped up, I put my hand on her shoulder, pressing my thumb along her pulse. Her hair is up, and I press my lips to her neck.
She jolts and then her body trembles, and I smile as I kiss her again. When I lift my head, my eyes meet hers in the mirror. I should put some distance between us, but instead I move closer, pressing my front to her back. The evidence of my arousal presses against her back, and I do nothing to hide it.
I let my hand trail down her arm and then clasp our hands together again. “I’m sorry.”
Her voice is barely a whisper. “What are you sorry for?”
My eyes lock on hers in the mirror. “I shouldn’t react to you like I am, but I can’t help it.”
She turns in my arms and leans into me, pressing her belly into my hard manhood. I grunt. She knows exactly what she does to me, but she doesn’t act as if it bothers her. “You know where I stand, Cruz. I haven’t hidden anything from you… I told you what I want.”
I cup her cheek. “It doesn’t bother you that I’m a has-been?”
She doesn’t even blink. “I wish you’d quit saying that. There’s nothing about you that is a has-been, Cruz Payne. As a matter of fact, I’d bet money that your best is yet to come.”
I search her face and see the sincerity shining back at me.
Her phone starts to ring, and she blinks regretfully at me. “I should get that. I’m sure it’s my mom wondering where I’m at.”
Since I don’t want to release her, I hold her hand and then walk with her to the bedroom and pick up her phone that is lying on the nightstand. I hold it up, and she nods, reaching for it. “Yeah, that’s my mom.”
It’s the anxiety on her face that has me hitting the answer button and putting it to my ear. “Hey, Mrs. Brooks. This is Cruz. Tara and I are on our way.”
With a sugar sweet voice, she says. “Oh, sure, honey. Thank you. We were starting to get worried.”
“Sure, no problem. We’re on our way. See you soon.”
I hang up and then hand the phone to Tara. Her eyes are wide as she puts it in her purse. “Wow!”
We walk hand in hand out the door and toward the elevators. “Wow, what?”
She shakes her head in disbelief. “I’m impressed. She didn’t argue with you, scream at you, berate you for being irresponsible or tell you soon isn’t fast enough. Nothing.”
I wait until we’re in the elevator and push the button for the lobby before I answer her. “And no one is going to talk to you like that either.”
She opens her mouth and then closes it before leaning into me. I put an arm around her shoulder. “You okay?”
She nods without looking at me. “Yeah, it’s just nice having someone on my side.”
Right here and now, I want to profess my love for her. It’s a crazy feeling, one that I’m not accustomed to or ready to even deal with, but the need to protect and love this woman is something I want to do.
The idea that I’m going to keep my distance from her is not possible. Not anymore.