Earning Edie (Espinoza Boys #1) (18 page)

I finally made it between her legs, which Edie immediately tried to close. She didn’t succeed with my shoulders between her thighs, but the reflexive motion caught my attention.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”

I grinned and licked my lips slowly. “Oh, I want to do it. Don’t worry about that.”

Without waiting for a response, I leaned down and kissed her inner thigh.

And that’s when the knock came at the door.

EDIE

Pounding on the door, followed by a guy’s voice shouting Nick’s name, pulled me out of my lust-induced haze.

I lurched up and pushed at Nick’s shoulders. “Who is that?”

“Shit,” he groaned, dropping his head onto the mattress, way too close to my girl parts. “That’s Sean.”

The front door rattled, and I flew out of the bed to slam the bedroom door shut. Nick was on the move, too, grabbing clothes from the floor and tugging them on while calling out.

“Just hold your horses! I’ll be right there.”

As I struggled to fasten my bra behind my back, I caught Nick staring at me. He had a wide smile on his face, a gloating sort of smile. I held the back of my bra in one hand and smacked his arm with the other.

“Stop it!”

He laughed and motioned for me to turn around. “Let me help you with that.”

I couldn’t believe how calm he was. We’d almost had sex!

That was a big deal to me, but maybe it was just another day to someone like Nick.

My stomach twisted uncomfortably. I wasn’t the type of girl to jump into bed with a guy, especially someone who might not want a relationship. My insecurities had done a number on me tonight.

I should be thanking Sean for saving me from making a mistake. Not that being with Nick would be a mistake in and of itself; he was 10 kinds of hot and way out of my league. Given the preview, I had no doubt he’d be anything but great in bed. But what would happen tomorrow, and the next day? What would I do if he wanted to sleep with me and then walk away?

He held out my shirt. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Nick! Let’s go, man!” Sean shouted from right outside the door, making me jump.

“In a minute!” Nick called, and turned back to me. “I’m sorry about this. I should have taken that call so I could tell him not to come over.”

“It’s fine. You have plans,” I said with a shrug I hoped looked casual. “You should go and have fun.”

Nick stepped closer, sending my heart into a haywire pattern.

“I was having more fun with you,” he murmured, and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.

When he stepped back, his smile was pure bad boy.

I rolled my eyes, trying to play it off. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

His smile fell. “I really don’t.”

The realization dawned that sooner or later, Nick was going to open that door. And when he did, Sean was going to know he’d been closed in here with me. He’d think we slept together. God, he probably thought we were having sex right now.

Nick tugged me into his arms. “Edie, I just want to say—”

“We shouldn’t keep your friend waiting.”

Feeling claustrophobic, I pulled away and opened the door.

Sean looked over from the refrigerator, where he’d liberated a beer. A wide grin crossed his face.

“Well, well,” he crowed. “I didn’t realize you were in the middle of something.”

Nick grimaced and shook his head. “Dude, shut up. We were just having a little roommate meeting. Right, Eeds?”

Sean snorted. “Is that what you’re calling it?”

With a blush heating my face, I couldn’t even pretend to go along with Nick’s subterfuge. It was nice of him to not blurt out he’d been about to get lucky, but my embarrassment was obvious to anyone who looked at me.

“So, you ready to go?” he asked Nick. “Or, do you have better plans now?”

Nick eyed Sean, his expression uncertain. “I might. Why don’t you wait in the hall for a minute?”

Sean glanced at us for a long moment, a goofy grin on his face. Then he shrugged.

“Yeah, okay. Don’t keep me waiting too long. I could use a hundred bucks, but not at the expense of my whole night.”

Nick shoved Sean out the door, speaking in a low voice I couldn’t hear. Judging by his expression, he wasn’t happy.

Unsure what to make of that exchange, I went back into the bedroom.

On one hand, I was relieved Nick hadn’t gloated about getting hot and heavy with me, and on the other, I had to wonder if he was embarrassed by me. Why
had
he been so quick to fall into bed with me? Nick could probably get any girl he wanted, if Elana was any indication. That woman was flat-out gorgeous.

Did he just feel sorry for me? Was that all it was?

I collapsed onto the bed and hugged a pillow to my chest. My emotions had been all over the place tonight, and now I was exhausted. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on my breathing and tried to empty my mind.

The bed dipped at my side. “Hey, you okay?”

I lied. “Sure, I’m good.”

Nick took my hand. “Listen, I said I’d go to this party, but I could blow it off.”

I blinked my eyes open. He leaned over me, his intense blue eyes watching my face with concern.

“No, you should go.”

“Are you sure?” He put his hand on my thigh and squeezed. “I could think of better ways to spend the right.”

I smiled. “I don’t think I’m in the mood now.”

He sighed and pulled his hand back. “Yeah, Sean’s kind of a mood killer. You want to come with us? We’re going to blow stuff up by the lake. It’ll be fun.”

I hesitated. While the idea had some appeal, I wasn’t sure I could be around Nick and act normal. I wasn’t ready to watch him flirt with other girls, but I also wasn’t ready to figure out where we stood with each other.

“I’m kind of tired. You go, and have fun.”

He bit his lip and glanced at the door for a long minute, before turning back to me and forcing a smile.

“Okay. But we’re still on for dinner at my mom’s place tomorrow, right?”

“Um …”

“I mentioned you’d be coming with me, and she’s looking forward to meeting you.”

Well, I couldn’t be rude. The man’s mother was making dinner, and she wanted to meet his roommate.

“Of course, I’ll go. A home-cooked meal sounds great.”

“Tell me about it,” he groaned dramatically, and we laughed.

We can do this
, I thought.
We can go back to being friends and roommates
.

He leaned in and pecked a kiss to my lips. “See you later then.”

He was out the door before I managed to pick my jaw off the floor. I hadn’t expected the casual affection, and I wasn’t sure what it meant.

Was it possible Nick liked me more than a casual sex partner or friend with benefits? This sex stuff was confusing. Maybe I should have appreciated Jaime’s slow-moving nature.

At that thought, guilt rose like bile in my throat. I had to break it off with Jaime.

I might not have slept with Nick, but I’d come close. Too close to call myself faithful to my boyfriend.

Chapter 12

Headline
: The art of the apology

Subhead
: How to dig yourself out of a crater-sized hole
Byline
: By Nick Espinoza
Lead
:
We’ve all been there. We open our mouth, and we say the exact wrong thing. Sometimes, we say it innocently, and sometimes not so innocently. Either way, the consequences come hard and heavy, and now we’re faced with the age-old question: How do I make the apology to top all apologies?

A variety of articles, from “The Science of Apologies” to “How to Make the Best Apology,” are littered all across the web to offer advice. Here’s a few things I picked up along the way …

EDIE

Nick’s mother lived in an aged but charming two-story Colonial home. The blue paint had faded to nearly gray, but the lawn was a vivid green despite the triple-digit summer temperatures and a riot of color exploded from flower boxes on either side of the entrance.

The large shaded porch, complete with porch swing, looked life a perfect oasis to me. I could imagine curling up there to read or study for class on a mild day.

To my surprise, Nick grabbed my hand as he led me into the house.

I hoped my palms weren’t sweating too noticeably. I was jittery with nerves.

After the blowup with my parents, I felt gun-shy about meeting another family. Not to mention all the weird emotions that had plagued me since our heavy make-out session the night before. One minute I was giddy with happiness to see him and the next I was falling into despair that he couldn’t possibly like me as much as I liked him.

Thank God, we hadn’t gone all the way. If I was this screwed up over some heavy petting, how would I feel if I’d given him my V card?

Nick didn’t bother knocking, but a young guy met us in the doorway.

He was cute, with dark hair a little too long to be anything but unruly and dark brown eyes. I recognized Nick in his features, even with the different colored eyes, and I figured him for a brother.

“Hey, long time no see,” he said.

It was a common phrase, but there was underlying tension to his words. I glanced at Nick, but he was smiling and relaxed. Maybe I imagined it.

“Have you eaten Mama out of house and home yet?”

Hearing him say Mama was adorable, but I resisted the urge to pinch his cheeks and croon. Tony rolled his eyes in response, and I smiled to see a kindred spirit. I could never control that urge in myself, even though it drove Debra crazy.

“Edie, this is Tony, my little brother,” Nick said, gesturing to Tony, who was anything but little.

He was at least a few inches taller than me — although he was slightly shorter than Nick — and more muscular than his older brother.

“Tony, this is Eeds. Be nice to her.”

“Dude, stop bossin’ me around. Besides, when have I ever been mean to one of your—”

Nick cut him off. “Whatever. Just sayin.”

“Nickie, is that you?” a lilting voice called down the hall.

Nick led me into the living room, and I saw dainty furniture in the Victorian style and an explosion of family photos on the walls that seemed at odds with each other. It was like an antique store and a grandma’s house collided.

“My mother,” he whispered to me, as a gorgeous woman swept into the room. I’m sure my mouth dropped open, because never in a million years had I pictured Nick’s “mama” looking like this.

She was Italian, he’d told me, and for some reason I pictured her as an older, plumper version of Nick. Instead, she was slender, and rather than Nick’s dark coloring, she was fair with honey blond hair. As she glanced up at me I saw that Nick and his mother had one thing in common. Her blue eyes were the exact shade as Nick’s, though not nearly so vivid with her lighter coloring.

“Hi, Mama,” Nick said, muffled, as she threw herself into his arms.

“You don’t visit enough,” she scolded. “I wouldn’t have to be so emotional if you were a better son.”

She pulled back with a huge smile that brightened the room. Her skin was still smooth, and she was petite, but with an overly generous mouth and large eyes.

She turned to me. “You must be Edie!”

Her accent was delightful. Nick and his brother hadn’t sounded anything but plain old American. Her melodic voice was a treat.

“Um, yes. Nice to meet you.” I paused, uncertain what to call her.

“Adriana,” she filled in. “It’s so exciting to meet you! Nick never brings anyone home.”

Nick cleared his throat loudly, an awkward interruption.

His family seemed to think I was more than a friend. I shot a suspicious look at him, but his attention was on his mother.

I had no reason to believe Nick would lie about our relationship. It made sense when Elana showed up unannounced, but most guys didn’t want to introduce their real girlfriends to their family, much less a fake one. Maybe Adriana had made the assumption all on her own.

“Mama, I’m going to show Edie something. We’ll be back.”

“Okay, Nickie. I have to do a little more prep in the kitchen. Tony is manning the grill for us!”

As she turned away, Nick grinned at Tony. “Sure you’re man enough to take my place?”

Tony scoffed. “When did you become a man?”

I snorted a laugh, and Nick scowled at us both.

Tony grinned, his eyes on me, clearly pleased to have scored one on his big brother.

Nick tugged my wrist. “C’mon, Eeds. Let the boy play with fire. I want to show you something.”

Nick tugged me down the hall while Tony mouthed off another comeback.

NICK

I had to get Edie away from the family before one of them came right out and blatantly called her my girlfriend.

I hadn’t
specifically
told them Edie was in a relationship with me, but I might have implied as much to Mama in our last phone call. She’d been fretting over me again, sure that something was wrong, and I panicked. Before I knew it, I’d blurted that I met someone special, but it was a work in progress.

Technically, it was true. She’d be my girlfriend soon.

Edie wouldn’t see it that way, though, so I had to walk a careful line to keep everyone happy.

“Where are we going?” she asked as I dragged her down the hallway.

She dug in her heels, and I turned to see her grinning at a photo on the wall. It showed me, Gabriel and Tony all dressed in soccer outfits with short shorts and socks pulled up to our knees. This picture was mortifying, mainly because of what I held in my hand.

“Is that a doll?” Edie asked.

“Um …”

She pointed at the kid in the middle. Black hair sticking up in a cowlick, blue eyes to match the soccer uniform. She’d never believe it was Tony; he had dark eyes. And while Gabe had my eyes, his hair was the same honey shade as Mama’s.

“That’s you.”

“Yeah,” I grumbled, yanking her forward and away from the offending picture. “It wasn’t a doll, it was a sports action figure.”

“What the heck is a sports action figure?”

I shot her a mock glare. “He was a soccer player. It’s totally manly to have a figure such as a superhero, soldier or—”

“Sports dolly,” she finished with a snicker.

I opened my mouth to argue the point but gave up. “Right. Boys can play with dolls, too.”

“Fair enough. It’s pretty darn cute.”

Ignoring her comment, I stopped and opened a door on the left. “Here’s what I wanted you to see.”

She leaned in to peek around my shoulder, and a sudden rush of warmth spread through me. It had nothing to do with her physical closeness, and everything to do with sharing a piece of my childhood with her. I’d never brought a girl here. Elana had seen it, but I’d never invited her into my family life; she’d been part of it already.

“Your bedroom?” Edie asked.

I grinned, never one to miss an opportunity to tease her. “Yep. I want you to be very comfortable here.”

She wasn’t biting, though. She shoved me through the door and followed, her gaze sweeping all corners of the room.

I’d brought her to my bedroom to buy some time away from the family. In a minute, I’d make an excuse to dash out and remind them not to comment on my relationship with Edie and scare her off.

Now, I felt a little uneasy. She was really scrutinizing the place, and I wasn’t a clean freak or anything. My mind whirred as I tried to remember if I had anything embarrassing lying around.

She crossed to my bed and looked at the intricately patterned teal-and-green quilt.  “This is beautiful. I always wanted a quilt.”

“My Abuela … um, grandmother, quilted it for me when I was little,” I said. “My father’s mother.”

She nodded. “Your dad is Hispanic?”

“He was. Mexican with a smidge of Cherokee. Mama is full-blooded Italian, though. I’d like to claim that side of my heritage more, but with a name like Espinoza … .” I trailed off with a shrug.

“Why? Because being Italian would be more exotic?”

“Nah. Nothing like that.”

I hesitated, but then thought what the hell? This was about letting her into my family, and the more she knew about me, the more believable it would be to Mama that Edie was someone special.

She
was
someone special.

I cleared my throat, and shifted from foot to foot. “Mama’s the one who raised us, ya know? Papa was always on the road, working. He died around 10 years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. We’ve had plenty of time to deal. Besides, it’s hard to mourn someone you barely knew, you know? He was gone so often I often felt like Mama was my only parent.”

“So you didn’t have an absolutely perfect family either,” Edie said softly.

“Of course not. No one does, you know.”

She smiled. “Your mother is something special, though. I could tell that right away.”

I nodded. “She’s amazing,” I agreed. “Which is why I’d like to claim my Italian side first and foremost.”

“Well, then to me, Nickie, you’ll be a fiery Italian from here on out,” she said with a wink.

I laughed, feeling an odd flutter in my chest to hear her use my family nickname. She’d loosened up so much since we met.

“You know, I usually only let girls call me Nickie after they sleep with me.”

She gasped in mock outrage. “But I sleep with you every night, Nickie.”

The door opened midway through her joke.

Tony smirked at us, obviously having heard our little wordplay without the proper context.

Edie’s cheeks went pink, and before she gave in to the urge to clarify the situation, I went into damage-control mode.

“Hey, Tony, can I have a word?” I said, grabbing his arm and pushing him into the hall.

I glanced back at Edie. “I’ll be right back. Have a look around my room. Mama hasn’t changed a thing about it since I moved out.”

Edie looked startled and turned to examine the walls.

I shoved the door shut behind us, and Tony raised his eyebrows at me.

“What’s up with you?”

“Nothing. What do you mean?

“You’re jumpy.”

“Am not,” I said quickly. Then chuckled at Tony’s disbelieving smile. I did sound like a defensive 7-year-old. “Okay, so maybe I’m a little nervous.”

“She’s not your usual type, is she?” Tony said, and I shot him a hard look. He lifted his hands up in peace and backed up a step. “No offense meant, bro. I just mean … she seems pretty down to earth. I like that.”

“Oh … yeah, I guess.”

He had a point. My exes tended to be a little more high-maintenance — makeup and nice clothes and styled hair. That made me feel superficial, but for the most part I’d only been with girls who had pursued me. I’d never really worked for a relationship. Even Elana had made the first move.

“So, what did you want to tell me?” he asked.

I turned and started down the hall, and he fell into step.

“Listen, Edie and I are still figuring things out, and she’s a little skittish—”

“No wonder she’s skittish. Look who she’s with!” Tony joked, as we walked into the kitchen where Mama was gossiping to Cynthia, who must have just arrived.

“I can’t wait to get to know this girl, Cyn. She seemed so sweet!”

I grimaced at Mama’s gushing. It was going to be tough to keep her from blowing my tiny fib out of the water. If she was too excited, Edie would catch on that everyone believed we were involved.

After last night, we
were
involved, as far as I was concerned. Edie probably wouldn’t agree, though.

“Oy! The Cynner returns!” I called.

Cyn turned a grin in my direction. Her blond curls were an unruly mess floating around her head as usual, but somehow it worked for her, setting off her blue eyes and giant smile just right. Her coloring was similar to Mama’s, though she was only a niece by marriage.