Chapter 14
“Hangovers are just regret with a headache.”
—It’s science
Iris
I woke up the next morning with a slight headache and my phone chirping like crazy.
I rolled over to grab the annoying device, realizing I was in Hector’s guest bedroom. Memories from the night before started to flood back to me. I had practically thrown myself at him after having a few glasses of his dad’s amazing sangria.
My heart melted a little more, knowing that he didn’t take advantage because he didn’t want me to think less of him.
I didn’t think that was possible, though.
I’d watched this brute of a man almost throw down with Rita—his own sister— when he thought she was talking crap about my body.
I’d also watched him sign back and forth to his other sister Dani and had seen her melt into him.
The more I learned about Hector, the more I knew I wanted to be with him.
Opening up my phone, I pulled up the family group chat to see a whole bunch of messages.
Auntie:
Oooh, ladies, I got a new smut book from the book fair, and it is soooooo good! It’s about a sexy Scottish highlander with a giant swizzle stick under his kilt.
Hazel:
Did you seriously just say swizzle stick?
Cora:
She did, and now I think I’m going to puke.
Gale:
At least she didn’t come and wake you up this morning and offer to read you one of her favorite scenes so far.
Auntie:
I’m just saying it’s a good book and you girls should read it.
Anna:
No, thanks. I’m good.
Hazel:
Yeah, Anna has a husband now, so she prefers his swizzle stick.
Mom:
Now I’m the one who’s going to puke.
I chuckled at the absurdity of their comments and then switched off that thread and went to my other unread texts. I saw a few from Cora only and pulled those up.
Cora:
Morning, sunshine! How are you feeling today?
I rolled my eyes at the winking emoji she’d added.
Cora:
I think I’ll swing by your office around 3p if that’s okay?
Cora:
If you’re still busy, I can occupy myself until you’re done.
Cora:
Do you want to go out to eat, or just grab something and take it back to your place?
What was she talking about? She was coming here?
I scrolled back in the conversation to see that she and I had texted last night—after my multiple sangrias. Oh crap.
Cora:
Hey, I’m coming down to Vegas tomorrow to set up some new testing equipment at Lake Echo over by the new bridge near the dam. I don’t know how long it’s going to take, so I may just stay the night and come back the next day. Can I stay with you, or do you want me to get a hotel?
Me:
Stay with me!
Me:
I haven’t been back to my place in a few days
Me:
I’m at Hector’s house
Me:
But I have no more clothes
Cora:
What?! Who’s Hector? Call me!
Me:
I can’t
Me:
It’s Hector’s birthday
Me:
His family is here. They gave me sangria and it is so yummy!
It was a little humiliating seeing the drooling emojis I had put after that line. I definitely had too many sangrias.
Cora:
Lmao. How many sangrias have you had?
Me:
A few
Me:
I think I’m gonna make out with Hector again after his family leaf
Me:
Leafs
Me:
Shit
Me:
Leaves
Cora:
Go drink some water and go to sleep, but you better give me ALL the details tomorrow!
Welp. I guess I was going back to my apartment today, and Cora was staying the night with me. Apparently, in my drunken state, I had told her to bunk with me. Oh, and I guess I had a lot of explaining to do at dinner tonight.
I shot her back a quick text letting her know that three this afternoon worked fine and that we could just get food delivered to my place.
I didn’t want to go back to my apartment. I knew I needed to, if for no other reason than to get my own sense of confidence back. I didn’t want to let whoever broke into my place take over the space, and there was no time like the present. Plus, with Cora there, it would be a little easier.
But I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay here with Hector.
He’d kissed me. Well, technically I’d kissed him first, but then he kissed me back. Part of me wanted to stay here to see if I could get him to open up to me more. But I also knew I needed to give him some time.
This wasn’t about forcing him to be with me. He’d told me he’d wanted me—that he was interested in me—but he just didn’t think himself worthy. I needed to show him that he was and that it was worth taking a chance on us.
There was just something about him that made me want to lay myself all out there. Lay myself bare—in more ways than one.
I knew I needed to talk with him about it, but I also needed to get ready for work, and so did he.
But first…coffee. I needed one cup to get rid of my hangover, one cup to wake myself up, and probably one more cup to prepare myself for the intense conversation I would be having with my sister and co-workers today.
I set an alarm on my phone for twelve minutes.
Long enough to brew a quick pot of coffee, enjoy the caffeine a little, and then get in the shower before Hector took me to get my car.
It was a little chilly in Hector’s house—I’d learned he liked to keep his air conditioning set for just barely above freezing—especially since the only other pajamas I’d brought were a pair of dark-gray cotton shorts and a lavender tank top with a built-in shelf bra.
It was fine, though. This would be quick, and then I could take a nice hot shower.
I hadn’t heard Sarge or Hector, so I assumed they were both still asleep.
Trying to be quiet, I grabbed my glasses off the nightstand and made my way quietly out to the kitchen.
As I turned the corner coming around to the kitchen, Sarge’s cute face greeted me.
He was sitting just outside the refrigerator.
He seemed torn about whether to come to me or stay put, which meant Hector was awake and likely had food nearby that Sarge was hoping to benefit from.
Finally rounding the wall to the kitchen, I saw Hector leaning against the counter, eating one of the leftover pancakes with one hand and holding his coffee in the other.
There he was in that damn flannel again. This time it was a navy and green flannel shirt and some loose track shorts. The way his flannel shirt stretched around his arms like it was straining to break free made my ovaries swoon.
I smiled at him, even though that made my head hurt a little more, and made my way around the counter to get to some of that delicious-smelling coffee.
“Morning,” I called out.
“Morning,” his gravelly voice echoed through the space. “How’re you feeling?”
“Slight headache, but otherwise good.”
“I should have warned you that my dad makes the sangria strong.”
“It’s okay,” I told him. “It tasted great. I’ll be fine once I get some caffeine in me.”
“Here, I’ll get you a cup,” he said, reaching up into the cabinet and grabbing me a mug. “What time do you need to be at work? I can drop you off before I head in for the day.”
He worked at pouring the coffee while I grabbed the milk from the fridge.
“Actually, could you drop me off at my apartment? I need to get my car because my sister is in town today, and apparently in my semi-drunken state last night, I invited her to stay with me at my place,” I explained.
“And I’ll need my car to drive us both home from work since she’s meeting me there. ”
“Which sister is this?” he asked.
“Cora. She’s the state hydrologist. She’s based in Reno, but she does a bunch of work down here too, and she usually just bunks with me so she can save money.”
“Doesn’t the state pay for that?”
“They do,” I told him. “But if she can save money on a hotel, then she can use that money for other research projects.”
“Okay, give me ten minutes to shower and get dressed, and then I’ll drive you to get your car,” he said, taking another sip of his coffee. “I’d like to check your door anyway to see if your maintenance guy really did fix the locks.”
God, he was so sweet.
“For what it’s worth, Hector, I enjoyed staying here,” I told him, walking closer to him. “Especially making pancakes.”
I smiled at him, remembering what had happened while I made pancakes, and clearly, he did too, because he produced a large grin.
“You did, did you?” He set his coffee down on the counter and closed the gap even more between us. “What did you like about it?”
His hands went to my hips and pulled me closer as I tilted my head back to look right into his eyes.
“I liked how your beard felt against my face,” I told him, running my hands over his flannel shirt, hoping I could sneak my fingers up to the top buttons and undo them so I could steal a glance at his chest hair. “I think I liked the kiss too, although it’s been so long, I can’t really remember.”
I had no shame in flirting. If I were interested in a guy, I would go for it. Sometimes, it wasn’t reciprocated, and that was fine. But I wasn’t the type to sit back and wonder what-if about a scenario like this. Especially with Hector.
“Hmmm, then maybe I should kiss you again so you can see if you liked it,” he said, his voice low and rough as he leaned down to do just that.
It was light at first, as his beard tickled my face. Then his hand sifted into my hair, and he pulled me in closer as he deepened the kiss. I felt shivers run through my whole body as I tasted his coffee on my lips and tongue.
I moaned, causing him to release my lips and pull back. I immediately felt gloomy and mourned his lips leaving.
Finally opening my eyes, I caught him staring. His expression was different—focused, almost speculative—and the weight of it made me squirm.
“What?” I asked. “Do I have something on my face again?”
I knew I wasn’t much to look at in my ugly pajamas, glasses, and hair that would scare small children, but the way he looked at me felt like more than a casual notice.
“No,” he said, though I wasn’t sure I believed him. His gaze didn’t falter, only grew sharper, and when I shifted uncomfortably, his arms tightened around me.
“Well, Hector, you’re staring so hard, it’s kind of difficult not to feel self-conscious,” I pointed out.
His mouth curved, but his voice was rough. “Iris, you walked in here with totally fuckable hair and your nipples peeking through your shirt. You have no idea how much of a temptation you are right now.”
I blinked, completely at a loss for words.
He leaned closer, voice low. “Ever since I was a teenage boy and discovered the joys of masturbation, I conjured images of my ideal woman. Every single one of those images looked exactly like the woman in front of me right now. I just need a moment to take this in. My dream woman is right in front of me.”
Holy crap…Did he just say that?
“Tell me to stop, Iris,” he said, and I could see the battle he was fighting internally with himself.
“I don’t want you to stop,” I told him, taking my hands and running them up over his chest, hoping to pull the top open a little more so I could see some chest hair. “I want you to kiss me, Hector. Kiss me again.”
I slid my hands up higher, looping my arms around his neck and pulling his head down closer to mine. And that was the straw that broke the sexy camel’s back.
His lips crashed onto mine, claiming them.
I opened my lips slightly, giving him my not-so-subtle permission to slide his tongue in…and he did. His tongue swirled in tandem with mine, letting me taste the coffee he’d just drunk while inhaling his natural scent of pine and clean laundry.
His hands slid down over my ass, and he squeezed tight as he pulled me impossibly closer. I felt his length harden against my stomach.
Brrrrrring. Brrrrring. Brrrrring.
My alarm startled me out of the kissing haze Hector had put me in.
“Sorry!” I scrambled to grab my phone off the counter and turn the alarm off. “I set that so I didn’t run late getting into the shower before we had to leave.”
I turned back to Hector, seeing he was now two steps back with his hands on his hips.
“Go get in the shower,” he said. It wasn’t mean, but it was clear that this wonderful make-out session was over.
I didn’t feel the same. “You could join me,” I said, taking two steps forward and poking the bear. “Want to?”
“Yes,” he replied, but he didn’t move an inch. “But the first time I’m inside you, I want to take my time. I need hours, and we don’t have that right now.”
Hours? My breathing started to pick up as I pictured spending hours with Hector…naked…his hands all over me…and his mouth. Yeah, I wanted to take my time with him too.
“Okay,” I grumbled, not really wanting to delay this, but I understood.
“I’ll make it up to you,” he said, which once again brought me back to my X-rated thoughts.
Oh, the thoughts I had right now.
“Iris,” he said, startling me back into the here and now. “How long is your sister staying?”
I stared at him, wondering why he’d asked. “Umm…she, uh…leaves tomorrow afternoon.”
“Do you have any immediate plans after she leaves?”
“No, why?” I asked, a bit confused.
“Have dinner with me.”
Ohmigod.
“Like, a date?” I asked, perhaps a little too excitedly, because my question elicited a sexy smirk from Hector.
“Yes, Iris, a date,” he said, that grin growing bigger as his hands moved from his hips to mine.
“Okay,” I whispered and then smiled huge.
“Shower,” he commanded and then kissed my forehead. “Go, before both of us get fired for never coming in to work today.”
I relented because now I had something to look forward to.
A date. With Hector!
Too giddy to contain my excitement, I leaned up and kissed his mouth quickly and then ran off to take my shower.
This was going to be a great day.