I stood stock-still and stared.
“Woman!” Gus yelled when he straightened and planted his hands on his hips. “Are you crazy? Now you’ve freaked Gwen out!”
Frighteningly, Maria’s eyes came to me. “Learn,” she warned, pointing a finger at me and leaning in. “All of them, they’re like this. Do not let them get away with it. Put your foot down right off the bat, Gwen, do you hear me?”
“I hear you,” I whispered.
“I didn’t put my foot down right off the bat,” she told me. “Dazzled by his good looks, that was me. Don’t get dazzled by Cabe’s good looks, Gwen, learn from me. He’s just a man. He might do things to make you think differently but, believe me, he’s just a man.”
“I’m not sure that’s true,” I shared. “I haven’t seen it with my own eyes but I think he can walk through walls.”
More male chuckles and more shaking of Hawk’s body against mine but Maria didn’t think anything was funny. “He can’t. I see now, you’re dazzled. Shake that off, querida. The sooner, the better.”
“Uh… okay,” I agreed because she sounded serious.
Her finger jerked to Gus. “Behave!” she ordered then turned back to my coffee.
Hawk’s head dipped so his mouth was at my ear. “You dazzled, Sweet Pea?”
I twisted my neck to catch his eye. Then I whispered, “Behave.”
He grinned at me and my body jolted not from surprise but because a young human ran into it.
I looked down into the black eyes and beautiful face of a Hawk-like little boy as he shifted to the front of me then slapped my thigh.
“Well hello, little person,” I said to him.
He slapped my thigh again as Von warned, “Javier.”
“Orange!” the boy shouted then slapped my thigh again and pointed at my hoodie.
“Yep, orange,” I replied then pointed at my yoga pants. “What color is this?”
“Brown!” he yelled and clapped his hands.
I smiled down at him. “Excellent. Now what color is this?” I lifted my hand and tugged at my ponytail.
“Pretty!” he hollered and I couldn’t help it, I laughed and then crouched down so I was almost eye to eye with him.
“I’m Gwen, who are you?”
“Javier!” he yelled and clapped again.
“Santo,” I heard from my side and I looked to see the older boy standing there, removed, watchful, eyes on me.
“Santo?” I asked and he nodded. “Hey, Santo.”
He didn’t reply, his body started swaying but his eyes didn’t leave me.
“You’re handsome,” I informed him.
He kept swaying and studying me.
“Do you like your Uncle’s big lair?” I asked.
His head tipped to the side. “Lair?” he repeated.
I swept an arm out to indicate the space. “His house.”