Aced (Blocked #2) (2 page)

I sighed as I swept my wet, curly hair up into a short ponytail. I stared at myself in the mirror, clad only in bra and panties. My abdominal muscles were my favorite body part, but I frowned when I noticed their grooves had lost some definition.
Time to return to the gym
. I also noticed my ashy skin, which I rectified with my favorite lotion. Breathing in eucalyptus and spearmint calmed me. But staring at my closet deflated me again. Most of my outfits held reminders of nights out with Jaylon.

“You’re watching
Parenthood
?” Lucia asked from the other room.

I winced. That show made me cry every single episode, and I choked up just thinking about Crosby kissing Jasmine. Yeah, I wanted them back together. Breakups sucked.

When I didn’t answer, Lucia snorted. “What are you, a middle-aged housewife?”

“Said by the nineteen year old whose favorite artist is Neil Diamond.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Good point.”

I grinned as I tugged on some black jeans. “Your dad’s the one who got you into Neil Diamond, right? Will he invite him for a private concert at the White House?”

She gasped. “What an incredible idea! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Might as well get
something
good out of him winning the election, right?” I yanked a form-fitting black shirt over my head and added a furry tiger-print vest. “Now that you’re hounded by the media and stuck with Secret Service for the rest of college.”

She harrumphed. “And Dane doesn’t have to be protected anymore.”

“Except when he’s with you and
your
agents.” I selected a necklace with black stones and small gold feathers that my father had given me.

“Yeah, he said I’m lucky he likes me so much or he’d never tolerate Secret Service following our every move.”

I smirked.
Sounds like Dane
. My long, black boots—my brother, Braxton, referred to them as my “bitch boots”—completed the ensemble.

“But at least he doesn’t have to deal with China anymore,” she added. “Those two are
aceite y agua
.”

As I exited my bedroom, I thought about Latin class and nodded. “Oil and water,
sí
. Where did China and Brad get reassigned?”

Lucia giggled. “To my brother Alejandro.” Her giggles grew into guffaws.

“Why’s that funny?”

“You think Dane’s pigheaded? You haven’t met Alex. He takes conflict with China to a whole new level. He’s so overprotective of me—it’s great to see
him
deal with being protected.”

I shrugged. He couldn’t be worse than
my
overprotective brother. I grabbed my phone and noticed again the unanswered voice mails, some of them from him. “Let’s do this.”

I just about drooled over Dane’s quick-set to Josh. With the ball hovering perfectly at the top of the net just waiting to be slammed, of course he made a kill.
Point, Highbanks
. Raucous cheers echoed through the arena, and I couldn’t help but smile at Lucia. “Thanks for bringing me here, Rez.”

She smiled back. “Bet you wish you had a setter like that, huh?”

“You read my mind. He’s amazing.” My shoulder bumped hers. “I bet you’re glad you
do
have a setter like that.”

She sighed. “He is amazing.”

I wanted to celebrate her happiness, but her look of bliss crushed me inside. I used to feel that way watching Jaylon wrestle—his impressive speed, glistening muscles, and steely determination filled me with pride every time. Now I’d never feel that way again.

Frank tapped Lucia’s shoulder. “I’m grabbing some coffee for Allison.” He gestured toward his blond Secret Service partner, who sat a couple of rows behind us. “Would you or Madison like anything?”

“I’m good.” Lucia looked at me with questioning eyes.

“I’m good, too.” He turned to leave but swiveled when I blurted, “Would you bring my boyfriend back?”

Frank’s eyes widened, and he shifted from one foot to another. “Um…”

“Relax, Frank,” I said. “Just making a joke.”

“Right.” He nodded. “Well, if he was stupid enough to leave, he doesn’t deserve you.” He turned toward the concession stand.

I shared a disbelieving look with Lucia. “Where did that come from?” I asked. “He’s so cool now. What happened?”

“Frank and I came to an understanding. Dad’s way too busy to worry about my love life, so Frank agreed to keep him in the dark about me and Dane.”

I was glad nothing would interfere with their romance now. Lucia couldn’t help it if her father was so Republican, and Dane was so Democrat. Things worked between her and Dane, and that’s what mattered.

The men’s coach, Phil, called a time out, and Dane looked up to wink at Lucia on his way to the huddle. His gaze floated to her left, and when his grin vanished, I turned to look. Was that
China
entering the arena?

Lucia must also have followed his gaze because she gasped. “Alex!”

Sure enough, Lucia’s older brother walked behind the brown-haired female agent. And another agent, Brad, lumbered behind them both.

I’d only seen Alejandro on TV, but his presence seemed magnified in real life. He was Jaylon’s height but probably weighed thirty pounds less. He moved like a panther, sleek and long in a black suit “dressed down” with no tie. His short black hair shone in the arena lights, and he appeared freshly shaven.
Hot damn!
He sure looked more suave than any college boy I’d encountered. Was that the typical dress for medical school at Johns Hopkins? Probably not. Something told me Alex did things his own way.

The agents veered off to say hello to Allison. As Alejandro approached, Lucia stood to hug him, shaking her head. “Hey, what’re you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

He smiled. “
Hola, chica
. Could we go somewhere to talk?”

She glanced at me. “I don’t want to leave Maddie. I dragged her here, so it’d be rude to abandon her.”

“So
this
is the famous Maddie.” When Alejandro reached across to shake my hand, his dark eyes burned into me. “I’ve seen you play, but it’s good to finally meet. I’ve heard great things about you.” His handshake was firm, but his hand was soft and warm, zinging a surprising thrill right through me. I realized that for at least a few moments, I hadn’t thought about Jaylon. He let go all too quickly.

His expression sobered as he looked back at Lucia. “I want to talk to you about something in private.”

She folded her arms across her chest as they both sat. “I already said no, thank you. I can’t right now.”

He frowned and squared his shoulders. Then he leaned in to Lucia’s ear and spoke to her in Spanish. She bristled next to me.

“How dare you?” she hissed.

I leaned back. What had just changed my sweet Rez into a pissy hellcat?

“
Told
you I wanted to discuss this in private,” Alejandro said.

“You want to keep my sex life
private?”
Lucia railed.

Alejandro’s eyes widened and darted around the stands.

“Then you should butt the hell out of it!” Lucia had lowered her voice, but her tone was still vehement. “You’re my brother, not my dad.” She squeaked as her hand flew to her mouth. “Dad doesn’t know about me and Dane, does he?”

“Not yet.” Alex seemed nervous when he glanced at me. “And I won’t tell him, if you promise to stop immediately.”

She and I gasped at the same time. “This is none of your business! You can’t blackmail me.” Lucia’s voice shook, and I could tell she was close to tears. I scooped her hand in mine for support.

Alejandro blew out a breath, seeming to look for the right words. “I thought I knew you better than this, Lucy.”

I squirmed. Alex might be hot, but I wanted no part of this sibling squabble. “How ’bout I leave?”

“Please stay,” Lucia begged. “You’re the only one who understands.” She squeezed my hand and turned back to her brother. “Thought you knew me how, exactly?”

“I thought you’d follow the teachings of our parents and the church.”

“I do, but I also think for myself. This decision was a big deal, and I didn’t make it lightly.” She gulped and dipped her head, seeming mired in guilt. But then she sat up. “You know what? I don’t have to explain myself to
you
. I’m an adult now.”

“Then act like it,” he said.

“I am, but you’re too busy judging me to see that. This is precisely why Matty and I don’t tell you anything, Alex. You’re such a
pendejo
.”

Alejandro maintained his stoic expression, but I could see the comment stung.

“I love you, Lucy,” he said, his voice strained. “I’m here to help.”

“No, you’re not. I don’t need your help with his.
At all
. You’re here to control me. Butt
out
.”

She turned away from him and stared at my feet. I could almost feel waves of fury pulsing from her. I watched Alejandro rub his hand over his face, seeming weighed down by sadness. I felt sad, too, with Lucia tense next to me and pain flitting across Alex’s face. Braxton and I had frustrated each other like this many times. There was no easy solution.

Alejandro’s mouth opened, but no words came out. He lifted his hand like he was about to touch her shoulder, but then he dropped it. After several moments, he seemed to realize Lucia wasn’t going to speak to him. He got up with a sigh and hustled down the steps to stand near the railing overlooking the court. Brad hovered twenty feet behind him.

I glanced at Lucia, who ran her hands through her long hair. “So, you and Dane, huh?”

She looked down, her cheeks aflame. “I guess I’m a ho.” She rolled her eyes.

“You know that’s not true.” I sucked in a breath. “Did Alejandro
say
that?”

“No.” She sighed. “But he probably thinks it.”

“I doubt that. And if he does, he’s wrong. I’m sure he’s just worried. He wouldn’t fly all the way here if he didn’t care about you.”

She sniffed, and a tear slid down her cheek.
Stupid brother!

“Actually, I’m surprised you both lasted
this
long, horndogs,” I offered, hoping for a smile.

Her mouth twitched. “I know, right? We waited as long as we could. But then I went to DC for Dad’s inauguration, and I missed Dane
so
much.” She sighed. “I pretty much attacked him when I got back.” She gestured to the court, where the muscles in Dane’s arm rippled as he high-fived a teammate. “I mean, could
you
stay away from that hotness?”

I chuckled. “You didn’t commit a crime, Rez. It’s just taking the next step with the man you love.”

“I wish my brother would see it that way.”

I looked at Alejandro. Even angry he cut a stylish profile against the railing. He couldn’t be totally immune to female attention, could he? Seemed to me like he should be receiving plenty of it. He gripped the railing with white knuckles as he glared at the court, no doubt aiming an outraged stare at Dane…

Oh yeah, there was still a game going on. Highbanks had a comfortable lead, so I tuned back in to the drama next to me as Frank returned holding two coffee cups.

“
You
.” Lucia pointed at him. “You told Alex. And you knew he was coming to yell at me, so you slithered away to avoid the confrontation.”

Frank said nothing.

“I thought we had a deal,” she fumed.

Her embarrassment had vanished, and damn, she was
mad!

“The agreement involved me not speaking to your father,” Frank said. “We didn’t discuss your brother.”

I watched Alejandro mutter something to himself, his mouth tight. He ran his hands through his hair like I’d just seen Lucia do—their family had the shiniest black hair—and a flash of silver on his wrist, an expensive-looking watch, caught my eye.

“I never imagined you’d speak to my brother! His life has nothing to do with mine.” Lucia crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at Frank. “You’re up to your old tricks, then. I can’t
believe
you did that.”

And I couldn’t believe Alejandro had judged his sister so easily. He’d swooped in to question her morals, then left her to deal with the aftermath. Nobody messed with my Rez that way. Before I knew it, I was marching toward him.

As I neared, he stood taller, and I noticed a subtle scent of spice.

“Good job,” I said. I stared him down as best I could, given I had to look up to meet his eyes. “What exactly are you trying to do here? You just made your sister cry.”

“I just—it’s my—” With a defeated sigh his head dropped, and he seemed contrite. “Sorry.” But then his chin lifted, and his dark eyes glowed with warmth.

Was the bastard actually
smiling
at me?

Chapter Two