I Want (Enamorado Book 2) Page 7

  “Do you work with your family?”

  Alejandro grinned and nodded his head once. “Yes. Except for my youngest brother and my sister-in-law, we all work within the family business in some way.”

  My brows rose in surprise. “So even if someone marries in, they’re given the option to work within the business?”

  He shook his head. "Our fathers started it together, which means it is as much hers as it is any of ours. More so, because technically half belongs to her alone."

  “Do you like working with your family?”

  I hadn’t meant for that to be one of my questions, but I couldn’t help my curiosity.

  "It is all I know, but I wouldn't change it for a thing. I love it. My parents always made it clear to us that we could do whatever we wanted. There was no pressure to work within the company, but it's in our blood. Even though my youngest brother doesn't work with us now, I suspect that when he retires from sports, he will join us in some capacity."

  I tried to imagine what kind of business a family could run that would pay off the way Alejandro's did. "You said you spend four months a year in America, either in New York or Los Angeles," I mused. "That means the business is international, which narrows things down a decent amount. My mind immediately goes three places. Property, finance or fashion."

  Mr. Poker Face gave nothing away. “I’m not saying a word since you didn’t ask a question,” he laughed.

  I only had three left, which wasn’t ideal. I hoped he’d let me cheat a little.

  “Is it one of those three things?” I asked.

  “Nope. You’re not even close.”

  His grin came within an instant of melting me into a puddle. I looked away and bit my lip as I thought over everything Alejandro had said to me since we’d met. Surely there had to have been a clue. I wondered what it said about me that I remembered everything he’d said to me. As I ran the conversations through my head, something jumped out at me, almost like a flashing neon sign pointing me in the right direction. Snapping my fingers, I leaned forward excitedly.

  "You told me you studied coupon cycles for two years. I thought you were kidding, but you were serious, weren't you?"

  His lips curled up into a smile. “I was one hundred percent serious.”

  “Mystery solved. You do something that involves grocery stores.”

  “You’re good,” he laughed. “I didn’t expect you to narrow it down so well. It is good to talk with someone who hears what is said. So many people just nod their head without taking anything in.”

  I smiled at the compliment before I continued. "Do you have a food brand or something?"

  He shook his head. “No. We own CS Markets.”

  My head went back as my eyes widened. Sheesh. That explained the massive house and the luxury cars in the driveway. CS Markets were huge. I’d once been a loyal Vons shopper, but in the last few years I’d switched over to CS because they doubled coupons every day except on the last Saturday of each month when they tripled them. Triple coupon days were no joke. I lived for them and had filmed many, many CS store hauls for my channel.

  “Can you just walk into any store and get all the groceries you want?” I joked. “If so, do you go in once a week and run around like you’re on Supermarket Sweep?”

  His warm laughter caused me to clench my thighs beneath the table.

  “I’m not allowed to take what I want without paying,” he answered. “It would throw off the inventory.”

  We spent another fifteen or so minutes talking about his job and mine before we left the Farmer's Market to return to our respective homes. By the time we pulled into his driveway, and I parked the car for him to get out he'd elaborated that his official job title was Chief Digital Officer, which meant he was in charge of overseeing the company’s mobile app division.

  He grinned at me as he took his lone bag from my back seat. “What time do you want to film?” he asked.

  I looked at my dash display and thought for a minute. “Give me about an hour to get the shot set up. I need to pull the cakes out of the fridge so they’re the right temperature and I may need to spruce up some of the icing. The guest code to enter at the gate is 0-4-9-1, so just let yourself in and come to the front door.”

  "Do you want me to wear anything special?" he asked. "For our store commercials, we don't let the employees wear any clothing with prominent branding."

  I shook my head. “Nope, you’re golden. What you’re wearing now is more than fine.”

  By more than fine, I meant mouth wateringly hot. Alejandro could wear a flour sack, and it would look crazy sexy.

  “Then I’ll see you in an hour.”

  "Looking forward to it," I answered. Shifting into drive, I turned the wheel and headed back out of his driveway, chewing my bottom lip as I made the short journey back to Emery's house. As much as I wanted to pretend I wasn't, the truth was that I was beyond attracted to Alejandro Cruz. Nothing could or would come of it, but for the first time in years, I had a crush on someone. All I could do was hope it wasn't going to be an issue.

  8

  Alejandro

  When I got back into the house, I found Rafe sitting in the downstairs den playing Rainbow Six on the PlayStation. I grabbed my iPad and airpods from where they’d been charging on the bookshelves that lined the wall along the back of the room before I sat down on the sectional a few seats away from him.

  “I guess operation bring the bird over the wall was so successful that she felt compelled to invite you over to her house to say a special thank you,” he said dryly.

  I frowned, not paying attention to him as I pressed my thumb to the button to open my iPad, anxious to pull up Kaya’s YouTube page. “Special thank you?”

  “Don’t play dumb, jackass. Fifty bucks says you spent the last three hours rolling around in that chick’s bed.”

  I had to tamp down my urge to tell him to fuck off. I’d never been territorial or defensive about anyone or anything before—but clearly, Kaya was the exception to all of my previous rules. “First, she has a name. Use it. Second, your guess is completely wrong. My plan to bring the bird over worked and afterward Kaya, and I went to the Farmer’s Market.”

  In my peripheral vision, I saw him glance over at me in surprise. “What the hell was at the Farmer’s Market?”

  I grinned as I typed the words Kaya’s Korner into the YouTube search engine. “She was there,” I answered. “That was all I cared about.”

  “Interesting.”

  “What’s interesting?” I asked without bothering to look up. I was busy counting how many videos were on Kaya’s channel. It was like hitting the jackpot since there were over one hundred and ninety-one videos. I planned to watch every one.

  “It’s interesting that you seem so into this girl.”

  “Not really,” I answered, “since she’s different than anyone that came before.”

  Rafe’s derisive snort caught my attention, and I turned toward him with a frown.

  “What the hell was that for?”

  “You’re in the beginning stages of lust right now,” he answered. “Just wait ‘til you find out what makes her crazy.”

  “Don’t be a dick. She’s not crazy; she’s perfect.”

  “Until you find her field of bodies or the used pieces of dental floss she’s been saving since she was three. Your past being what it is, I can’t imagine she doesn’t have something crazy as hell going on. Even if it’s just four extra toes on each side, there’s something there. It’s like you’re a magnet for it.”

  “Real nice, asshole. First of all, I’ve seen her toes, and they’re as perfect as the rest of her. There’s nothing wrong with Kaya. Trust me.”

  “Be careful, man. Your past—”

  “Is just that,” I interrupted. “It’s in the past. I never knew what I was looking for until I met her.”

  He was silent for so long that I didn’t think he had anything else to say. I’d just decided to watch a video titled “Get Read
y With Me” when he spoke again.

  “Keep your head on a swivel,” he said quietly. “Learn from my mistake and never, ever let your guard down. I never want you to know what it feels like to have the rug yanked out from under you in the most painful way possible. One minute I was going to be a father. The next, I was holding a silicone pregnancy belly wondering why anyone would be so fucking cruel. I trust no one aside from our family, and I think you should do the same.”

  My heart fucking broke for him every time he said something about that situation, but I wanted him to move past it. We all did.

  “Rafe,” I sighed, “Francesca was a goddamn nightmare, but you can’t judge everyone by her actions.”

  He shrugged and turned back to his game like he wasn’t affected, something we both knew damn well wasn’t the case.

  “Just be careful,” he said. “That’s all I ask. Protect yourself.”

  “I promise you that I know what I’m doing,” I answered. “As the chances make themselves available, it’d be nice for you to spend some time with Kaya when she’s around. You can’t avoid anyone who isn’t a family member or a co-worker for the rest of your life. If you would branch out a little, you’d remember that not all people are evil.”

  “Sure.”

  I wanted to push it because his tone of voice couldn’t have been more unenthusiastic, but I knew it wouldn’t get us anywhere. Rafe needed to want to find his way back to normal. We’d all tried for him, but being his change was an impossibility. We could encourage and guide, but he had to do the work.

  I let it drop, slid in my earbuds and watched two of Kaya’s makeup videos before I headed over to her house. Already I knew that I was, without a doubt, her biggest fan. She was funny, quick witted, smart and clever. One of the things I liked best about her was her ability to laugh at herself. I detested people who took themselves too seriously. That she was so easy going was just another thing about her that appealed to me.

  Watching her was enthralling, but even still, I kept a close watch on the time. At the forty-five-minute mark, I threw in the towel, returned my iPad and airpods to the bookshelf, said goodbye to Rafe and then headed over to Kaya’s. I ignored his pointed look completely—it was obvious he was trying to make a case for caution, but I wasn’t having that shit. I didn’t need to be wary—I just needed Kaya.

  I took my time—as much as I could, anyway—in leaving my house and walking down the driveway. I checked my watch as I pressed in the code at the gate at the end of her driveway and was pleased to see that I was only eight minutes early. That wasn’t so bad. I didn’t care if she knew I was eager to see her—it was the truth, after all.

  It took about a minute for her to answer the door. When she did, I had to stifle the urge to pull her into my arms and kiss the absolute hell out of her. She was slightly out of breath and her cheeks were flushed, but she looked happy to see me, which was all I could ask for.

  “Hey!” she said cheerfully. Opening the door wider, she gestured for me to enter. “Sorry, I’m out of breath. Set up didn’t take as long as it otherwise might have since most of my stuff was still up from last night’s recording, so I was outside playing with Elvis.”

  I chuckled as I tried to imagine how one would play with a peacock. “Do you let him chase you around the yard? If Elvis needs the exercise, we can always put Rafe out there with him. He seemed to enjoy chasing after him.”

  She snorted when she laughed. “I wish I’d seen that. Elvis loves to perform, but I’ve never seen him run after anyone—especially not a man. It’s a new behavior, for sure. That’s not typically how he plays, either. When he was just a little guy, he taught Emery how to play catch with him and then she taught me. That’s what he and I were just doing in the yard.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “How does a peacock teach his owner how to play catch?”

  “Right?” she laughed. “Her neighbor had a baby boy that Emery would babysit. Elvis stole one of the baby’s teething rings, and one thing led to another. Before she knew it, she realized he wanted to play catch with her. He’s got a mountain of toys and pilfered goods stashed around the property. When he brings you something, you’re meant to toss it so he can bring it back.”

  “Pilfered goods?”

  “Oh, right,” she nodded and gestured for me to follow her to the kitchen. “I forgot to mention—he’s basically a klepto. Just let me know if your car keys or wallet go missing. Yesterday he managed to make off with the mail woman’s pepper spray. Peacocks are very social, and they normally like to be in a pack but not Elvis. He thinks he's human, so his pack is us. He likes to present gifts to us to show his worth."

  “Elvis sounds kind of badass,” I joked as we walked into the Spanish-style kitchen.

  “He is,” she agreed. “Leaving the property is a new addition to his mile-long rap sheet. Really hoping that’s not going to be a permanent thing.”

  I was glad that she’d turned toward the kitchen table since it meant she didn’t see me wince. Great, I thought. I was contributing to the delinquency of a peacock. Luckily I didn’t get a chance to dwell on it, because my attention was quickly diverted to the half a dozen cakes in a jar artfully displayed on the table and the camera set up for recording. I hadn’t known what to expect, but she also had professional lighting set up at the table. It was obvious that she took her videos seriously. I was impressed.

  Kaya chuckled when she turned around and watched me take it all in. “Intimidated?” she asked.

  “Maybe a little,” I admitted. “I just hope I don’t sound like a complete dolt.”

  She smiled at me sweetly. “Don’t worry. I’ve got enough cake left to do two or three takes of each flavor if we need to.”

  That took some of the pressure off. I was so distracted by how much I needed to touch her that I worried I’d say or do something stupid. I was a man, after all. I’d seen Mateo do some pretty stupid shit around Ava and it always happened when he’d get lost watching her. I’d called him a dumbass at least a hundred times, but since meeting Kaya, I got it.

  “I’ve set up the shot so that we can sit right at the table,” she explained. “It’s a casual thing so don’t feel uptight. I’m looking for real reactions—don’t hold back. If you hate one, tell me. That’s key. My feelings won’t be hurt,” she assured me.

  “I solemnly swear that I will be truthful.”

  “Alright, then we’re all ready. If you sit exactly here,” she gestured to a seat at the table, “and I sit here,” she took a seat next to it, “we’re in the frame. Get comfortable, so I can make sure the lighting and everything is good on the monitor.”

  I sat still as she turned her head and checked us on the monitor. I wasn’t sure what kind of fucking loser it made me that I couldn’t wait for her to upload everything so that I could see us together. Nothing weird about that, am I right?

  Each of the six cakes in a jar had been wrapped with a piece of raffia that was tied in a perfect bow. The bows each held a small piece of baby’s breath, and in front of each cake, there was a fork positioned just so, the silver of the flatware shining brightly in the afternoon light. To the left of the cake display was a glass of water and an elaborately folded dusty rose napkin tied with raffia and topped off with a piece of baby’s breath tucked into it to match the décor of the cakes. Her level of skill was apparent in everything I saw.

  “I’ll start by introducing you,” she explained. “Let me know when you feel comfortable, and we can get started.”

  I gestured to the cakes and wiggled my brows suggestively. “Trust me; I’m more than ready to dive in,” I joked.

  Her laugh sounded a little nervous when she picked up the remote for the camera off the table. “Here we go.”

  Here we go, indeed.

  9

  Kaya

  The sound of my ringing cell phone pulled me from a super steamy dream about Alejandro. I yawned as I picked the phone up and then gulped nervously when I saw his name on my caller I.D. It wasn’t
like he could know that I’d been dreaming of rolling around in the surf with him, I assured myself.

  I tried to play it cool when I answered the phone, hoping the fact that I was just waking up didn’t make me sound like a phone sex operator. “Hello?”

  “Good morning, Belleza.”

  I really needed to find out what that word meant. I was glad Alejandro couldn’t see me through the phone. If he had, he would’ve known I was smiling like a complete idiot. The sound of his voice did something to me every time. I was doing my best to keep myself in check but shooting the video with him the day before had only made me like him more. In addition to being one of the most gorgeous specimens God had ever seen fit to grace the earth with, he was also hilariously funny and incredibly kind. I hadn’t even balked when he’d suggested exchanging numbers when we’d finished filming. I also hadn’t turned down his insistence that we eat dinner together, citing that he needed to combat his sugar high. We’d picked up dinner from Jack in the Box out on PCH before we drove across the street to sit and eat our burgers while looking at the ocean. Somehow Alejandro made me forget all the reasons I was wary of liking men.

  “What’s up?” I asked, surprised to hear from him since it was just before nine in the morning and he’d mentioned the day before that he would be working half days during the week. With the commute being what it was, I knew he’d planned to leave his house at seven.

  “I don’t want you to freak out—”

  My eyes widened as my heartbeat accelerated. I didn’t even wait for him to finish what he was saying. “You can’t start a sentence like that! Now I’m freaking out. What’s wrong?”