Concealed - A Hiding From Love Novel #2 (33 page)

“Oh yeah. The boy here has a Harley and the guys want him to ride point. We would find him his own car, but every time we let him in one of ours, he won’t stop playing with the hydraulics. Kid has no self-control around a lowrider.”

My dad can’t help but crack up, and before long, he’s asking Gabe questions about the shop. I see Ramon standing quietly, letting Gabe answer.

My mom takes this opportunity to grab my elbow and direct me a few feet away. Beth follows, shooting me looks the whole time.

“You’re still seeing this boy,” my mother states.

“Mama. It’s complicated.” I run my hand through my hair, hoping it looks okay so she won’t have another excuse to criticize me. “But you need to understand something. I love him. Very much, and I won’t give him up, even for you and Dad.”

Beth gives me an encouraging smile.

“He’s very handsome,” my mother says almost like it’s a crime.

I try to hide my smile. “Yes, he is.”

“And he’s a mechanic?”

“Yes, Mom.”

“He doesn’t want to go to college?”

“He did for a while. I think he wants to own his own shop. He’s learning everything he can from Ramon before he looks into getting his own place.”

She sighs. “And he treats you right? He knows you have to finish your degree?”

“Mom.” I’m very serious. “He even offered to pay for the rest of my degree. He’s a hard worker, Mom. He started after-hours service at Ramon’s. He gets all the customers and does all the work himself. Sometimes he works twelve or fourteen hours a day. And he did it all for me, Mama. So that I wouldn’t have to pay for school by myself.”

I see my mom’s face flush, and I think maybe she’s embarrassed at the thought of some guy she doesn’t know paying for my school when she won’t.

“Mom,” Beth interrupts. “He’s even been looking out for me. Over at the halfway house when I volunteer. He’s come over there with me to meet a friend I made there. He was worried, so he checked out my friend. He’s a really good guy, Mom. You wouldn’t want someone to judge me and Alexis only because we’re Hispanic, would you?”

Mom shakes her head, and I can see her mind turning all of this over. “You shouldn’t be making friends at the halfway house, Beth,” she says as an aside. “The boy’s right about that.”

Beth acquiesces, realizing that’s a different conversation for a different day.

“So, Mom.” My voice is gentle. “Do you think you could try to get to know Gabe? I don’t need your agreement to see him, but it would make me a lot happier if you and Dad did approve. I care what you think. I just can’t decide my life by it.”

She sighs and looks over at Gabe and Dad listening to Ramon explain something. “Okay,
mija
. If this is really what you want. We’ll try. It won’t be the same as Marco though.”

I almost laugh. I think my mom wanted to marry Marco, honestly. “I know, Mom, but it’ll be fine. I promise.”

She nods and Lupe sweeps in and takes us off to the kitchen to chop
jalepenos
for the
queso
.

I don’t see Gabe again until we’re all sitting down outside to eat. He comes over with a plate of food for each of us and sits next to me.

“I think I just agreed to fix your dad’s car for free for the rest of my life,” he tells me by way of greeting.

I laugh even though he scowls at me. I put my hand on his arm and give it a little squeeze. “I’m sorry,” I reply, even though I’m not. “Are you okay?”

He looks at his plate and stabs at the strips of steak on it. “Nothing like throwing me to the wolves with no warning, babe.”

“I know. I know it was rough, but I couldn’t think of any other way to do it. It was so hard to do at all. I couldn’t deal with your nerves and their stubbornness. Ramon and Beth and I agreed it would be best this way, and look – my mom’s promised to give you a chance, and my dad’s going to use you for slave labor. It’s way better than it could have been.”

“Well, I hope you’re ready to spend a lot more time down here because I have to come next weekend and do an oil change on your dad’s car. Then the weekend after, I’m supposed to work on your brother Tomás’s Acura. Ramon’s got a friend down here who’ll let me use his garage for a few hours. According to your dad, the Acura needs a new timing belt.”

I bust out giggling, and Gabe stops chewing and just stares at me.

“You think this is funny? Your dad just basically told me that if I want to date his daughter he owns my ass, and Ramon facilitated the whole thing. Fuck.”

I try hard to stop laughing, but it really is funny. Leave it to my dad to take over any way he can. If he can’t run me, he’ll run me through Gabe.

“I’ll talk to him. I promise. You don’t have to do all that stuff. At least not forever. Maybe once in a while until they get to know you.”

I see the first sign of a smile breaking through on his face. “And what do I get for all of this ass kissing I’m going to be doing?” He gives me a heated look.

I tap my forefinger to my chin and look up at the sky.

“Hmmm. Seems like there might be something I could give you…”

He leans over and growls in my ear, “Babe, you’d better think of something real fast or I’m going to embarrass the hell out of you in front of all these fine people by throwing you on top of this picnic table and doing whatever comes to my mind.”

I gulp. He’s looking at me like he’s very serious, and he has a very creative mind.

“Okay,” I whisper. “Let’s finish our food and then we can go.”

He nods and goes back to eating.

Gabe

A la tercera va la vencida.

Third time’s a charm.

I
finish my dinner in five minutes and have Alexis telling everyone we’ve got to get back to Austin right away. Her dad shakes my hand as we’re leaving, and her mom gives me a kiss on the cheek. They’re not my biggest fans, but I can tell they’re trying, so that’s all I can ask.

Ramon stands nearby and smirks at us. I don’t think he’s fooled at all by our precipitous exit.

When we finally get to the truck, I trap Alexis against the side, my hands on either side of her head.

“Where are we going, babe? There’s no way I’m waiting until we get back to Austin for my thank you gift.”

She blushes and it turns me on even more. My dick is straining at the zipper of my jeans. Knowing she was finally willing to tell her parents about us and force them to deal with me has turned me inside out. I’m dizzy with my need to remind her of how fucking incredible we are together.

“Okay,” she answers softly. “I know the perfect place.”

We hop in the truck and she directs me to the edge of town and a small motel with its original 1950s sign.

“Stay here,” she instructs as I park. “I’ll be right back.”

She hops out and runs into the lobby, where I can see her talking to the clerk through the window.

When she gets back, she has an old-fashioned metal key in her hand and a big smile on her face. We park in front of room 106, and she leads me inside, shutting the door behind us. The place smells like pine cleaner, which, given how old it is, actually comforts me. Maybe it’s been cleaned sometime in the not so distant past.

I reach to turn on the lights and her hand latches on to my wrist.

“No.” She slides that hand up my arm toward my biceps. “We need to talk for a minute. It’s easier this way.”

“Okay,” I touch her hair reverently. I think I might be as close to my dreams of Alexis as I’ve ever been, but I’m afraid to hope.

“Tonight, the stuff with my parents, it was the last thing standing between us. I’ll never let it come between us again. But I have to know that you believe me, that you trust me again. I need to hear you say the words, Gabe. That you’ve forgiven me and that you can be with me. One hundred and ten percent.”

I let her long hair fall through my fingertips, and I lean down until my face is alongside hers. I breathe in her scent of wildflowers. I can’t believe we’re finally here. Together, on the same page, ready to do this for the rest of our lives.

“I forgave you ages ago, sweetheart, and I trust you. I know you won’t bail on me again, and I hope you know I won’t be looking to anyone else for comfort. Ever again. Right?”

I can feel her nod against my cheek.

“God, Alexis, I love you so completely. Every time I think I can’t possibly love you more, something happens to show me I haven’t reached the limits yet. I know it was scary to take on your parents like that, but you don’t know what it means that you were willing to do it for me. I promise, no matter what happens with them, I’m here for you. You’ll never be alone. Ever.”

She starts to cry. “I know.”

“Oh, baby, please don’t cry.” I rain kisses on her face, tasting the saltwater that falls from her eyes like little pieces of her heart.

“It’s okay. It’s the good kind of crying. I just love you so damn much, and I’m so happy to have you back. I can’t say it in words.”

“Then don’t,” I whisper. “Show me.”

She reaches up, wraps her arms around my neck, and digs her fingers into my hair. Her lips meet mine and her breath is fast and hot against my face. Our mouths touch and the room explodes in a shower of rainbow light. My breath hitches and I move my hands down to her ass, pulling her hard against me.

Her tongue slides over my teeth and I moan. Before I can recover from the sensation of her in my mouth, she’s moved away and is reaching for the hem of my t-shirt. She pulls it over my head and I toss it on the floor somewhere. She puts her soft hands on my chest and abs, and I think I might die from the sheer pleasure of feeling her touch me like that.

I return the favor by taking off her top and then her bra. She steps back up against me and her warm, soft flesh moves against mine. It’s like being stroked with cream.

“Jesus, Alexis. What the hell do you do to me?” I gasp as I move my mouth against her neck, heading toward her breasts.

She doesn’t seem able to answer, and it doesn’t matter anyway, as my mouth latches on to one perfect nipple. I suck gently and hear her moan, “Oh, God, Gabe.”

I can’t help but smile. Nice to know I haven’t lost my touch. My hands span her little waist, and I get to the button on her jeans, still giving that breast the attention it so richly deserves. I struggle with the button and zipper until I realize I’m just too amped up to deal.

“Get this shit off, will you?” My voice is so rough.

She strips, and I do the same. Then I push her gently back toward the bed that I’m sure has to be there somewhere in the pitch-black room. When she hits it with the backs of her legs, she tumbles down and I follow, landing on top of her as we bounce on the scratchy motel bedspread.

Her hair spreads around her head and I bury my face in it, inhaling and relishing the scent I’ve never been able to escape since I first smelled it years ago.

“Promise me you’ll never cut it.” I kiss along her throat.

“What?” she whispers.

“Your hair. Promise you’ll never cut it.”

“Promise you’ll always love it?”

“Always.”

“I’ll never cut it.”

“I love you so much, babe.”

“I know.
Te amo, querido
,” she gasps as I reach the other breast and try to give it its fair share of attention.

My dick is rubbing against her thigh and I can feel my balls hardening. “I missed you so much. I don’t know how much longer I can wait,” I tell her as I move down to her soft, sweet stomach with my mouth.

She strokes my back and raises her knees. “So don’t. I want you. Just come to me. Please.”

I continue my path downward until I’m at the juncture of her thighs. “Maybe one small pit stop,” I tell her as I smile.

“Oh!, Oh God.” Her voice fades away as I stroke my tongue over her delicate center. Her hands find my hair again and she pulls on it. It makes my whole gut heat with need and I move my tongue against her in little circles. I have both my hands on her inner thighs, and I press them apart as I push my tongue inside, where I taste her, and my heart nearly explodes out of my chest. Knowing I will be the only man to ever be here like this with her again is heaven, and I can’t help but feel like a god when I finally move my mouth back to her clit and put my finger inside of her as she screams my name.