Reckless Kiss - Tia Louise Page 0,4

my chest. “Hey, big fella. He’s a bruiser.”

Angel is beside me, tracing her finger along his arm rolls. “He’s adorable—oh!”

We all jump back when Bruiser wobbles and then barfs all over me.

I look down at the white stream running down my Armani. “That’s gonna stain.”

“Tito!” A young woman rushes up to me, taking the baby. “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s her fault.” I point at Lourdes. “She shook him up.”

“Come with me.” Lourdes catches my arm not even hiding her laughter. “I’ve got a damp cloth in the kitchen.”

“Oh no.” Angel stiffens and abruptly walks away from us.

“Angel?”

She doesn’t reply, but instead goes straight to a man I don’t recognize. He’s about my height with dark hair and eyes. He looks a few years older than us, and he’s standing beside Juliana, looking down at her with a stern expression.

I start to follow when Lourdes grabs my arm. “Hold up, Chief. Don’t go over there.”

My eyes are on Angel, and when the man sees her, his scowl softens just a bit. He pulls her into a long hug, closing his eyes.

“Who is that guy?”

“That guy is Roberto Treviño, also known as Beto Treviño.” Lourdes says his name with a deep exhale. “Also known as Carmie’s older brother.”

“Brother…” I study his face.

Now I see the family resemblance, but where Angel is sweet and light, this guy is dark and angry. He surveys the facility from under a lowered brow, even as he smiles at his sister.

“Is something wrong with him?”

“Like what?” Lourdes pulls me into the kitchen.

“He seems pissed.”

She glances over her shoulder once more as the swinging door closes. “That’s just his face.”

“Well, good. I can go and introduce myself—”

She grabs my arm again. “Give Carmie a minute. Trust me on this one, okay?” I don’t like it, but she reaches for my coat. “You’re a big mess. Give this to me.”

I shrug out of my blazer and hand it over. She dabs it with a damp cloth. “I heard he was moving back from Mexico. Looks like today’s the day.”

Leaning to the side, I watch as he speaks to Angel. Her hands twist and she pushes her hair back. She drops her chin and nods, and I can see she’s nervous around him. I don’t like it.

“It’s not coming out.” She shakes her head, wrapping it in a loose bundle. “I’ll have it dry cleaned.”

“No way.” I slide the garment out of her hands. “I’ll take care of it. You guys are on a shoestring budget as it is.” My phone starts buzzing, and when I see the face, I frown. “I need to take this.”

“You should go. I’ll tell Carmie you said goodbye.”

“I want to talk to her. I’ll just be a second.”

“Deacon.” She fixes brown eyes on mine. “I’ll tell her you said goodbye.”

Angel’s on the other side of the door, standing at her brother’s side, and my jaw tenses. I want to go out there and introduce myself, but Lourdes guides me to the door.

“Just give her some time, okay? You’re one of the good guys.”

Possession and frustration war in my chest, familiar feelings I’ve struggled with growing stronger through the years. When we were young and separated so much, I could understand. Not anymore.

“I’ll call her later.”

“You should probably let her call you.”

I take one last look at my angel before pushing out the door.

2

Angel

My arms are around Deacon’s waist, and I’m humming with the thrill of him being here at last. Tall and strong, he smiles, and I watch the muscle in his square jaw move as he banters with Lourdes.

It’s been a month since we were together, and I want to kiss him. I want to bury my face in his neck and inhale his clean scent of citrus and soap. I want him to lift me off my feet and take me away from this world like only he can do.

Then the baby barfs all over him.

Then my brother appears.

It’s like a bucket of ice water right in my face. Beto’s looking around the room, and I say a silent prayer as I step away from the group, going to meet him, hoping to avoid any questions.

When I was little, Mamá would say I had intuition. She would say I could sense things before they happened.

She also said family was the most important thing. She would say we had to love each other, have each other’s’ backs, but after she died and I came here to live with them, I didn’t even know them.

My