Abel (7 page)

C
hapter 6

“
Not on your life, Abel Ayala.” Nellie said as she snuck a peek at one of the brochures Abel had taken from the hotel lobby.

“
Hey!” Abel smirked, moving it out of her sight. “You’re not supposed to be peeking. I told you I wanna surprise you.”

“
Well, I’ll tell you right now.” Nellie shook her head defiantly. “St. John will bend a finger the day you or anybody else gets me to bungee jump.”

“
What!” Abel laughed.

“
Yeah.” A small smile broke through despite her sudden alarm that Abel might actually try to get her to bungee jump. “My mom says that a lot. Only she usually says it in Spanish. It probably makes more sense that way too.”

Abel shook his head
, still laughing, and then kissed her softly. “What does that even mean?”

He stared at her bright
-eyed, his big gorgeous smile taking her breath away. She felt silly suddenly, though the way he was looking at her made her heart flutter. “You know St. John the Apostle? Most depictions of him have him extending a finger or two up in front of him like this,” she lifted her fingers in front of her, feeling so silly about using her parents’ outdated saying that she felt her face warm.

Glancing at her fingers then back at what Ne
llie was sure was now a red face, Abel took her fingers in his hand and kissed them. “You’re adorable.” First, he kept insisting she was beautiful; now she was adorable? Her heart felt ready to burst. “Say it in Spanish. I’ll use that on my mom as soon as I get a chance.”

Now she laughed softly as she tried to remember exactly how her mom said it.
“
Cuando San Juan se agache el dedo
.”

Abel smiled
, staring at her lips. She was beginning to feel a difference in the way he looked at her and spoke to her, but she dare not give it too much thought or get her hopes up. He was so young and had his entire life ahead of him. It would be no ordinary life either. Already he was rich and slowly becoming more and more famous. This fight would be life changing for him, and she completely understood why he’d want to be free to enjoy it as the single wealthy hot celebrity he was quickly becoming—just like Felix Sanchez, the first one of his boxer friends whose fame had reached another level. Felix was all over the magazines with a different starlet or famous female athlete every week.

Abel
leaned in, slipping his hand behind her neck, and kissed her, this time a little longer than when he’d called her adorable but just as sweet. “Okay, no bungee jumping,” he said, still speaking against her lips. “But you said you wanted to live it up. So we’re doing something exciting today.”

After ordering room service and having another amazing morning in their room
, they explored Fisherman’s Wharf. They couldn’t leave without trying the famed clam chowder, something Nellie always had when she and Rick would visit, but she’d never enjoyed San Francisco as she had today. And now Abel was telling her the fun had only begun? With her heart hammering away, she wondered how much more excitement it could take.

*
**

Instinctively ducking
, even though Abel assured her she didn’t have to, Nellie thought about another thing she was sure her mom would say if she were ever asked to get on a helicopter.
Ni a patadas
. As nauseated as she was beginning to feel about doing this, she’d already turned down bungee jumping, rock climbing, and paragliding. She’d teased Abel that just because she wanted to try exciting things didn’t mean she had a death wish.

A helicopter ride around the bay seemed relatively safe when she
’d agreed to it. Now she was seriously having second thoughts about this whole letting-loose-and-really-living thing. Maybe she just didn’t have it in her. It took a certain type of person for that kind of lifestyle, and she wasn’t feeling it. Just because she’d managed to transform her outer appearance didn’t mean she wasn’t still the same ole play-it-safe Nellie on the inside. For as much as she talked about wanting to really live and let loose since her divorce, she’d only done a few things out of the ordinary in her free time that diverged from her usual curling up with a good book and a glass of wine on a Friday night. She’d been perfectly content doing so too.

W
ho was she kidding? Nellie knew it from the very start, but she was even more certain about it now. She wouldn’t even consider sleeping with another man while she was still doing so with Abel. The worst part was that, as alarming as it was to admit, it wasn’t just for moral reasons anymore. She couldn’t even begin to imagine another man touching her now. As much as she was trying to protect her heart and not think it, she was also beginning to get the distinct feeling that Abel wouldn’t be so okay with that either.

“
You nervous?” Abel asked through the two-way headsets they’d been given before they boarded.

She squeezed his hand and smiled but admitted it.
“Yes.”

“
You’ll be fine,” he said with the sweetest smile. “I promise.”

A few minutes later
, they were up in the air and away they went. As the minutes passed and the very friendly pilot narrated the stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Treasure Island, and the entire breathtaking bay, Nellie was able to relax and just enjoy.

To Nellie
’s delight, the tour included a three-hour dinner cruise after the flight along the bay on a dining yacht. It was supposed to be open to other passengers, but wanting the utmost privacy, Abel had bought out the boat. So it was just the two of them on the cruise being catered to hand and foot. Nellie thought she’d seen enough spectacular views of San Francisco, but seeing them at sunset with Abel holding her was just . . .
magical
. What she’d started with so much apprehension she now didn’t want to ever end.

“
So you glad you did this?” Abel whispered in her ear as he held her from behind.

She spun around slowly in his arms
, pushing away thoughts that this amazing day and what would probably continue into the next few days was only temporary—pretend. Because as wonderful as he’d been to her so far, she knew that once they got back to Los Angeles everything would go back to the way things really were. For now, she’d take what this actually felt like—the real thing. As much as she wanted to deny it, she was falling for this man. It scared her so much, but she wouldn’t ruin such an incredible trip, thinking about that. “Yes,” she said with as genuine a smile as she could. “I’m so glad I did this, and thank you so much for making me.” She tilted her head with a smile. “Maybe someday I’ll get the nerve to do some of those other things you suggested.”

His brows jumped
, and he grinned playfully, pulling her closer. “Bungee jumping?”

“
No,” she said immediately. “Rock climbing, and dare I say it, paragliding maybe, but bungee jumping
never
.”

“
Ah,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes, “but I distinctly remember you saying that you
never
say never.”

He
distinctly remembered that? She stared at him for a moment as his expression drifted into the less playful and more serious. Their lighthearted banter took a turn, and once again she felt what she’d thought she’d felt before. Was he trying to tell her something? As tempted as she was to ask—maybe mention how she couldn’t remember feeling as alive as she did when she was with him; that her body had never experienced such pleasure; and that for all her talk about wanting to be free, she was more than willing already to give her heart to him if he asked for it—she couldn’t. There was no way. What if she was reading too much into the profound way he looked at her so much now? What if he was just this wonderful to all the women he went out with and her suggesting otherwise would ruin this trip, making the rest of their time here unbearably awkward?

As if reading her mind
, he searched her eyes now, very seriously. “What are you thinking?”

Did she d
are say it? She closed her eyes almost trembling with the fear of what her incorrect assessment might result in. Opening her eyes, she looked up at him, her heart beating harder than ever. “I was just thinking that of all the times I’ve been to San Francisco this is probably the one I’ll remember most fondly.” She stared at him, the fear still clutching and suffocating her heart, but she couldn’t hold in what she really wanted him to know anymore. “Today was absolutely amazing.”

She l
iterally held her breath as she waited for a reaction. She waited to see the disappointment wash over his face that she’d gone
there
—ruined the perfect arrangement. But there was none. The smile that chased away the all-too-serious look on his face just moments ago nearly brought a lump to her throat, and she exhaled slowly.

“
I feel the same, sweetheart, and I’ve been here plenty of times.”

Before she could say another word
or even respond with so much as a smile, his lips were on hers again. She spent the final glorious twenty minutes of their cruise right there in his arms with him kissing her so sweetly nonstop. She wasn’t sure if either of them had actually confessed anything on the top deck of that magical cruise, but by the time they docked, she felt as if she were walking on air.

Neither one of them dare
d say it, but that night they didn’t have sex like all the other times. They made love. Of this, Nellie was sure. No matter what either of them was too reluctant to admit just yet, it was what it sure as hell felt like it was that night, and Nellie was certain that it would feel like that from then on.

If Nellie had been afraid before
, she knew fear wouldn’t even begin to describe what she’d be feeling from that moment on. Just as her body had never experienced the bliss that only Abel had ever made her feel, she was positive that, even after all her cheating ex had put her through, her heart was yet to endure the pain of eventually having to walk away from this make-believe relationship.

~*~

On top of all the other reasons that Abel knew it would be impossible to stop thinking about Nellie now, she blew him away once again. She took complete control of the mini press conference that took place after the 5k run the next day. Andy had already passed along all the information she needed to know to get it all organized along with the list of questions Abel would
not
be entertaining.

Nellie told Abel that Andy
had also explained to her how hungry the media was getting for any comments from Abel about all the endless rumors bubbling up everywhere about his personal life and father. After the second time Abel was asked about the allegations that his father was involved in with the Mexican mob, Nellie took charge. She stood up without even a mic, but everyone heard her firm announcement loud and clear. “I’ve made sure you all received a list of topics Mr. Ayala will not be discussing today. If I missed any of you, I apologize and will be happy to give you one now if you just raise your hand.” She glanced around as no one raised his hand. “Great, I didn’t miss anyone. Now this is my final reminder. Mr. Ayala was gracious enough and happy to agree to this spontaneous press conference on his tight schedule. But if even one more of those topics he’s not here to discuss is brought up again, this conference is over.”

Seeing
the assertive way she stood up to them without any hesitation was a side of her that Abel hadn’t had the pleasure of witnessing before then. She’d worn one of her sexy power skirt suits to boot, making the scene that much hotter. Eyebrows lifted and he saw a few of the reporters take her in from top to bottom as they jotted furiously in their notebooks. A few photographers even snapped a few photos of her. Abel was certain there’d be speculation as to what his relationship with this new, no-nonsense, and not to mention sexy-as-all-hell assistant was. It was something he was actually looking forward to. They might be forced to discuss how exactly they should clarify what their relationship was now. It made him anxious because the conversation they’d had on their flight into San Francisco still nagged at him.
Serious relationships are not on my to-do list
. He might actually be in for a rude awakening. But this trip had gone so well that he was hopeful that if she hadn’t already, she’d be changing her mind.

The conversation on the flight back had been much lighter.
Their conduct even in front of the flight attendant and other passengers was that of an undeniable couple. Abel wasn’t holding anything back now. When they weren’t kissing and giggling openly, Nellie rested her head against his chest as he stroked his fingers through her hair, kissing the top of her head every so often. It felt perfect, and he didn’t care who saw them or what anyone thought. Then when they reached LAX because their flight had been an earlier one than the redeye they’d caught to San Francisco, the paparazzi were waiting and ready. Nellie turned into the same no-nonsense assistant he’d seen at the mini press conference, walking ahead of him, letting reporters know he wouldn’t be doing any unscheduled interviews.

Abel
’s protective instincts kicked in when he saw the cameras flashing in Nellie’s face and the paparazzi not only yelling out his name but for Ms. Gamboa to turn to them. They already knew her name and would no doubt start hounding her if they caught wind of their intimate involvement. He had no choice but to continue to walk behind her and in between his other body guards, who had also been waiting for them at the airport.