Seduced The Unexpected Virgin - By Emily McKay Page 0,54

the more refreshing when sipped under the expansive shade of an avocado tree. There were kids playing on the lawn, and plenty of parents around to shoo them away from the barbecue pit where carne asada and cabrito were being grilled. Women streamed constantly in and out of the house carrying trays of food. Someone had set a radio out on the patio and a steady stream of Ozomatli tunes had been playing. With their unique combination of Latino hip-hop and urban world beat, Ozomatli was one of his favorite Los Angeles bands. All in all, he couldn’t have picked a more festive setting.

Comparing this to the elegant party of the previous evening, he had a new appreciation for why Ana hadn’t wanted to go the Hudsons’ party. This was much more fun.

What worried him was that she didn’t seem to be enjoying it. Sure, she spent plenty of time talking to her relatives, but he could clearly read her posture. Stiff and unyielding. Awkward. Like she didn’t fit in and was waiting for someone else to notice. It was telling that she’d actually seemed more comfortable at the party the previous evening. Here she just seemed ill at ease.

There was only one person who seemed even less comfortable among the boisterous crowd: Ricky. Ward was surprised, but not shocked, when he spotted Ricky slouching among some of the older kids. He went over to say hello, exchanged a few words and even met Ricky’s mother. He’d seen Ricky once since he’d returned from Charleston. He could tell already that Ricky would be a tough nut to crack. But the kid liked music. And he wasn’t any tougher than Ward had been at that age.

As soon as Ricky’s mother, Lena, went off to check on something inside, Ricky leveled a serious stare at Ward.

Chest puffed out, full of protective belligerence, he said, “So you’re dating my cousin?”

“I suppose I am.”

“We don’t see Ana much, but we take care of our own. Don’t mess with her.”

For a second, Ward could only stare at Ricky in surprise. Ricky was all of about five feet four inches. And maybe just barely a hundred pounds. Yet here he was, ready to defend Ana’s honor.

Ward quirked an eyebrow and tried to keep his tone serious. “You’re warning me off?”

Ricky bumped his chin up, like he suspected Ward was making fun of him. “We take care of our own,” he repeated.

Yeah, Ward recognized that stubborn expression. It was more than mere family resemblance.

Nodding his understanding, Ward said, “She’s lucky to have you. I hope she knows just how lucky. I hope you do, too.”

He didn’t have any trouble with the sincerity of those words. No wonder Ricky was such a great kid—his inclination toward truancy aside. Whatever Ana’s family lacked in financial resources or social standing, they more than made up for with their open affection. He’d never been a part of a large family. After only a few hours in their company, he could feel himself getting drawn in by the comfort of their companionship.

He could easily imagine quickly becoming as attached to them as he now was to Ana herself.

Just then, he noticed Ana up on her toes, peering over the heads of others to catch his eye. She looked at him with raised eyebrows, the question written clearly on her face: Was he okay? Did he need rescuing?

He smiled and waved her away. She frowned and shuffled off. Instantly, he was sorry that he hadn’t called her over. He missed having her by his side. Just missed her.

And in that instant, he knew how completely he’d been fooling himself about his ability to maintain his emotional distance from her. He should have known that evening he’d caught her watching the television special on him. She’d pegged his crap so effectively. In that moment, she’d seen him more clearly than he’d ever seen himself. It had taken this long for him to even admit that she was right.

Hell, if that hadn’t clued him in to the fact that he was in serious trouble, last night at her house should have done the job. After they’d had sex, she’d calmly gotten up to get dressed and he’d damn near been in tears. If that wasn’t a sign of how deeply in over his head he was, he didn’t know what was. Add to that the fact that he was just about ready to start exchanging Christmas cards with her family, and he was completely screwed.

No.