Chapter 16 Daniela
DANIELA
I gulp, my cheeks growing red hot.
Jordan.
Did he see us?
Did he follow us?
“Uh…” Words falter on my tongue.
Hawk wraps his arm around my waist.
“Seems you got lost on the way to get waters,” Jordan says.
Hawk’s arm tightens around me. His jaw goes rigid. “We’re getting them now.”
“Where’ve you been?”
“We—”
Hawk interrupts me. “We don’t owe you any explanation. Come on, Daniela.”
“Right, you don’t.” Jordan turns but then looks over his shoulder. “You’ve got a leaf in your hair, Daniela.”
My hands get to my hair quickly. It’s up in a ponytail, and it’s soaking wet of course. Sure enough, I pull a leaf off my scalp.
“He knows,” I whisper to Hawk.
“Of course he knows.” He chuckles. “But who cares?”
I smile despite myself. If Hawk’s not worried, why should I be?
“No one could have found us back there,” Hawk continues. “It was off the beaten path. He was looking. Plain and simple.”
“Maybe he was just worried that we were taking so long.”
Hawk scoffs. “Right. The guy is after you, Dani.”
“Well, he won’t get me.”
“Damned right he won’t.” Hawk turns me toward him and crushes his lips to mine.
The kiss is hard and possessive, Hawk marking his territory with Jordan only a few steps away. When he pulls away, I’m breathless, my chest heaving. He doesn’t give me a chance to recover before he’s pulling me toward the refreshment stand.
When we join the others, the tension dissipates in the air. Gina and Lavender are obliviously chatting away.
Jordan sits across from us, a sour look on his face that he attempts to hide whenever Gina or Lavender look his way. But Hawk is right. We don’t owe him an explanation.
“Where were you guys? We were waiting for a while,” Lavender finally says, her gaze flitting between me and Hawk.
“Just got a bit lost,” Hawk shrugs. “This place is bigger than it looks.”
“Yeah, it is,” Gina agrees, shifting her gaze toward Lavender.
They don’t believe us, and I don’t care.
“Which ride is next?” Lavender asks.
“You three have a good time,” Hawk says. “I should get Daniela home. Her family will worry about her.”
“You mean they don’t worry about her when she’s with you?” Jordan asks.
I go cold.
What is Jordan talking about?
“Why would they?” Hawk asks.
“Oh, I don’t know. I mean, one of your brothers is an ex-con, and the other is in the hospital after overdosing on drugs. I believe one of your sisters is engaged to a mobster—”
I can’t take it anymore. “Shut up,” I interrupt him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” Jordan retorts. “Everyone in this town is skeptical about your father’s business. There’s no way he got all his billions from his father’s ranch and his mother’s inheritance.”
Hawk’s blue eyes darken, and his facial muscles flex.
I’ve seen that look before, many times at home in Colombia. Fists are about to be thrown, and I have to stop it.
“Jordan, that’s enough!” My voice cuts through the tense silence, making everyone look at me. “Why do you care so much about where Hawk’s family money came from? Are you jealous?”
Jordan looks taken aback. But he recovers quickly, his sneer returning. “I just care about you, Daniela. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Well, thank you for your concern, but we’re fine. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Hawk and I are leaving.” I tug on Hawk’s arm.
Hawk rises and nods.
“Don’t bother.” Jordan stands. “I’m leaving. Fuck all of you.”
Gina and Lavender are staring, mouths agape.
“What was all that about?” Gina asks.
“He’s a dick. That’s what it’s about,” Hawk says. “I should have punched him into next week.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” I say. “The last thing we need is for you to get in trouble.”
“Well, now we have an even number for rides,” Lavender says. “Unless you guys are still leaving.”
Hawk shrugs. “I guess one more ride won’t hurt.”
“Good.” Gina laughs. “And kudos to you for getting rid of Jordan. Lav and I think he’s a douchebag anyway.”
I cock my head. “Then why did you agree to come here to the waterpark with him?”
“Because”—Gina shrugs—“he’s got connections. He’s gotten us into some of the best parties and events around the city. But that doesn’t mean we like him.”
Hawk furrows his brow. “Connections? What do you mean by that?”
“He works at a pretty lush restaurant,” Gina says. “And if Lav and I want to make it in the culinary business, we need to rub elbows with the Texas culinary elites.”
“I didn’t know there were Texas culinary elites,” I say.
“Oh, yeah,” Lavendar says. “It’s a whole system, really. You haven’t lived here long enough to get wind of it. But don’t worry, girlfriend. Gina and I will take care of you.”
Hawk’s expression is unreadable.
He seems to be pondering Jordan’s “connections.”
“Come on,” I say, tugging on his arm. “What’s the next ride?”
“I vote for the whirlpool,” Lavender suggests, her eyes glinting.
“That sounds like a plan,” Hawk says, squeezing my hand. “Lead the way.”
We follow Lavender and Gina and enter a whirlpool ride where we are spun around in an enclosed tube before spinning down a long tunnel into a large open pool.
The thrill of the ride staves off some of our awkwardness, and soon we’re back to laughing and joking, the ghost of Jordan’s bitter words forgotten.
After the thrilling experience of the whirlpool, we decide to take a break and rest by the poolside. Gina and Lavender engage in a playful splashing battle, their laughter echoing through the park.
Hawk sits beside me, a content smile on his face. His hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining.
“What time is it?” I ask him.
He glances at his Apple Watch. “Almost five.”
“I suppose we should go.” I look at my shoulders. “I hope my sunscreen held out. We’ve been here for hours.”
“We have,” he says with a sigh.
“Hey.” I flip onto my side to face him. “You okay?”
“Yeah. it’s just… I had fun.”
“Me too.” I frown. “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
“It is. Despite that dickhead Jordan.” He rubs at his scalp, mussing his half-wet hair. “But I haven’t…”
I nod. “I know. You haven’t been thinking about your brother. Maybe we should go.”
“I think so.” He sits up, adjusts his sunglasses.
I walk over to Gina and Lav in the pool. “Hey, guys,” I say. “I think Hawk and I are going to call it a day.”
Gina waves. “Okay, it was great hanging with you guys.”
“You too. See you in class next week.”
Ugh.
Class.
Where Jordan is my kitchen partner.
Oh, well… Can’t worry about that now.
Hawk and I head to the locker rooms and change back into our street clothes. In my hand is a plastic bag with my bikini inside. I throw my towels into the bins.
I meet Hawk outside the locker rooms.
“Ready?” he asks.
I nod. We walk to the parking lot.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“For what?”
“I shouldn’t have invited you. I knew you had other things on your mind. So did I, actually. I guess I was selfish.”
“Dani,” he says. “Wanting some fun isn’t selfish. It’s self-care. We can’t only focus on the crap in our lives. We have to appreciate what’s good.” He takes my face in his hands. “And you, Daniela Agudelo, are the best thing in my life right now.”