Chapter 12
“Fire is like a first kiss—hot, immediate, and impossible to ignore.”
—It’s science
Iris
After our awkward conversation last night, I decided that the best thing I could do was just give Hector time to work through his demons.
I appreciated his telling me why he thought he was morally gray and unworthy of love.
I just happened to disagree. While I would be there to help in any way, I also knew he needed to come to terms with those demons himself.
If it was meant to be for the two of us, then it would happen when the time was right.
What I wasn’t going to do was mope around the house or work all day.
I had decided to message Agent Andrews this morning and let her know I didn’t feel comfortable meeting the family of the woman whose body I had found.
As much as it might give them closure, it just felt awkward and uncomfortable to me.
After I messaged her, I decided to redirect my energy toward having a good day.
Hector was right about me—I was a happy person.
I loved finding things that made me happy and brought others joy.
One of those things was cooking. So, I decided I was going to whip up a healthy breakfast. If Hector wanted some, I would share it with him.
If he was still being a sourpuss, then I would take the extras over to Nancy and maybe play some cards with her today.
I also decided I might as well just go home. My landlord had finally texted first thing this morning that the maintenance guy was changing the locks.
I didn’t want to bother my friends by staying with them—even though I knew they wouldn’t mind.
I think that was the reason I’d stayed with Hector for more than just the first night.
Sure, it was also because he was gorgeous and I had a crush on him, but it was also because I secretly hadn’t wanted to inconvenience any of my friends.
Hector didn’t have a ton of things in his cabinets, but he did have an oddly large supply of canned pumpkin, so I decided to whip up some pumpkin pancakes. I know it was technically spring, but pumpkin spice pancakes sounded delicious.
Midway through mixing all the ingredients up, I heard the soft thuds of paws and the click-clack of nails racing down the hallway.
I turned to see Sarge scurry up behind me, greeting me excitedly as if he hadn’t seen me in weeks.
My hands were coated in batter so I couldn’t pet him, but I did at least acknowledge him.
“Hi, buddy. Good morning,” I said softly, unsure if Hector was also awake or if Sarge had just escaped on his own.
Just then, Hector’s voice called from down the hall. “I’m coming. Hold on, Sarge.”
He turned to look at me when he came into view of the kitchen, stared at me for a second, smirked, and then turned to grab Sarge’s leash and head out the door.
He’d smirked at me. Unprompted. Usually, he only did that when I said something stupid or funny. That smirk was hotter than a black car in the desert on a hot summer day. Living with this man for any longer might be the death of me—or the death of my vibrator from overuse.
He had been buttoning up his red flannel shirt when he walked out, giving me my second glimpse in a row of his gorgeous chest. He not only had amazing broad shoulders, fine-tuned to perfection, but he had chest hair—the perfect amount of chest hair.
I didn’t know why I found that attractive, but I did. Hair on a man’s back—no thank you. Hair on a man’s chest—yes, please. I loved how a man’s chest hair felt scratching up against me, and I just knew that Hector’s wouldn’t disappoint.
The batter was ready, so I slowly poured my mix onto the griddle. I’d honestly been surprised to find a griddle, but I assumed whoever lived here before had left it.
Five minutes later, I had my first batch of pancakes on a plate and was pouring the next batch. I heard the door open and close and Sarge’s claws scurry down the hallway. He started to whine as I finished setting the mixing bowl down.
“Whatever delicious thing you are making, do not give him any,” Hector said, walking into the kitchen.
I turned to see Sarge looking up at me with big, pleading eyes. Hector was also looking at me. He leaned over to the side to see what I was making and then looked back at me again before a small grin broke out on his face.
“I think you’re wearing some of your batter,” he said.
I immediately looked down at the front of my shirt.
Since I had a large chest, that was usually where stuff fell.
I still had on my black cotton shorts and oversized, faded gray Golden Girls T-shirt that I had slept in, but I had managed to at least put on a bralette for support.
However, bralettes weren’t much, so they didn’t leave much to the imagination.
Not seeing anything on my shirt, I looked back up to Hector, only to see his eyes had followed mine to my chest. His eyes were now full of heat and lust.
“I don’t see anything,” I told him, hating to take away that lustful look on his face, especially knowing I was the reason for it.
His eyes finally moved back up to my face, and he took two steps forward and used his thumb to wipe something from my forehead.
Crap. I must have wiped some on there when I pushed my hair back from my face.
“Do I have any in my hair?” I asked.
His eyes scanned the top of my head before looking back into my eyes.
“No, just your forehead,” he responded and then curled his lip. “For now.”
“I’m making pumpkin spice pancakes. The first batch is ready if you want some.”
“Why did you make me pancakes?” he asked, looking at me very confused.
“I like cooking and thought it would be nice,” I told him, because I wasn’t sure what the issue was.
“Even after everything last night?” he asked.
I realized he probably assumed I was mad at him, so making a nice gesture clearly seemed weird.
“Hector, I’m not mad at you,” I told him, hoping to clear the air.
“I wish you would realize your broodiness and your past are not deterrents to me, but I’m also not going to be a jerk to you just because you don’t want to be with me.
I’m just not going to force myself on someone who simply doesn’t want to be with me. ”
“Iris,” he said, stepping closer to me. “Let me make something very clear. I want you. I want you more than I have wanted any other woman, but you deserve better than me, and if I let myself have you, I’ll end up breaking you—ruining you.”
“What if I want to be ruined?” I asked quietly, staring up into his eyes, clearly ignoring the red flag he was waving in my face.
He stared back at me for a long time. I could hear the pancakes sizzling—likely burning—but I couldn’t break away from his gaze. It was so intense, so powerful, I couldn’t have broken away if I’d tried.
I could practically hear the wheels turning in his head, his mind warring over what was the right thing to do.
I knew he was never going to make the first move, so I decided to be the brave one.
I leaned forward and put my hands on his chest, continuing to stare right into his eyes.
“Iris.” His deep voice made it clear that he was sending a warning not to cross that line.
Too late. I felt like being a line crosser today, because on the other side of that line was a sexy man who I knew would be worth it.
I leaned up on my tippy-toes and put my lips to his. He was stiff underneath me, as if frozen in time. He may not be reciprocating my kiss—yet—but he also wasn’t pushing me away, so I sallied forth into the unknown.
I pressed my lips more firmly against his, my tongue sliding out to touch his mouth, one little lick of fire to tempt him.
My hands slid up to his neck as my fingers weaved into the hair on the back of his head.
It was so soft and just long enough to pull a little as I tugged his head down closer to mine to deepen the kiss.
That must’ve done the trick, because in that moment, Hector’s body language changed.
He was now an active participant, as his hands moved to my hips and pulled me closer to him while his mouth ravaged mine.
One of his hands slid to my lower back, pressing me flush against him, my hard nipples brushing against his chest. His other hand moved to grab the side of my face and tilt my head exactly where he wanted it.
He took control of the kiss and gave me the rough, deep kiss I had longed for. It was incredible.
I pressed my hips forward, feeling his cock rub against my stomach, wanting to feel more.
I moaned at the same time Sarge let out a loud bark and then another one, followed by a hard knock on the front door.
“Surprise! Happy birthday, big brother!” someone yelled from the other side of the door. “Open up!”
Hector released my mouth quickly. “Shit,” he mumbled before leaning his forehead against mine as if to gather strength for what was about to come. “I’m apologizing now for what you are about to experience.”
“It’s your birthday?” I asked him.
He pulled back and stared down at me, his mouth a firm line, his eyes unblinking and serious. “Iris, do not, under any circumstances, leave me alone with them. If you’re here, my family will limit their craziness. I will literally give you anything—any favor, any request—if you stay here.”
I wasn’t sure if I should be thrilled at what he just offered me or scared because of the underlying cause.
“Okay. Deal.” I gave him a small smile in return as the wheels started turning in my head of the kind of favors I could ask for.
First, I had more important things to do. “But Hector, I need to go change first.”
He looked down at me, his gaze still full of heat. “Okay, but make it fast. Do not leave me out here by myself.”
“Super-fast. Promise,” I said and then ran to change as fast as I possibly could.
I heard the door open, and Sarge barked a few more times as several voices filled the background.
I felt this weird urge to make a good impression on his family.
I didn’t have enough time to fix my hair or add makeup, but I swapped my clothes, thankful I had packed my good pair of skinny jeans and a pink wrap blouse that tied around my waist and had cute flutter sleeves.
I took a deep breath and braced myself for whatever chaos Hector thought was about to happen.
I was a little nervous, but Hector’s eyes on me as he asked me to stay were so uneasy, I wanted to be there for him.
I wanted to be the support that he needed, so I would do it.
Plus, I was also secretly hoping that after they left, we could pick up where we left off in the kitchen.
Fingers crossed.