Aced (Blocked #2) (20 page)

Maybe there was
something
left to eat. An old piece of bread? I opened the fridge and jumped back. It was fully stocked! I gasped as I sorted through apples, oranges, and salad fixings in the produce drawer. Deli-sliced turkey and cheese sat on one shelf next to Greek yogurt and a tub of salsa. And there was fresh milk and a new container of hazelnut coffee creamer on the top shelf. Who had bought these groceries for me?

Then I noticed a brown clump on my countertop: a basket of potatoes. I howled with laughter. Brad hadn’t given my spare key back. My potato must have gone grocery shopping.

I held my belly as my shoulders shook, and I laughed so hard that tears came to my eyes. I didn’t mind
these
tears. A long sigh left my lungs when I finally gathered myself back together. I didn’t feel quite so tired anymore.

Ten minutes later, I turned onto Rez’s street and hit the brakes when I saw media vans outside the greenhouse. I’d thrown my hair into a ponytail after my locker room shower, and had hastily applied mascara and lip gloss on my drive. Was I up for dealing with paparazzi?

Brown eyes, dark and deep, filled my mind. Eyes that studied me with interest and knowing, that crinkled when their owner smiled.
Yes
. I was up for it. My eleven-year-old Hyundai and I inched toward the Barbarian horde.

I tensed when the reporters erupted into action. I locked my gaze on the keypad near the gate like it was my target for a volleyball spike.

“Madison!” a reporter yelled as she hustled to my car.

So the girlfriend mystery had been solved. I wondered how Braxton would react to my name on the news. Cameras rolled and bulbs flashed. A blast of frigid air assailed me when I rolled down my window.

“Dane Monroe’s inside with Lucia and Alejandro,” the reporter panted. “Is this a double date for Valentine’s Day?”

Here’s hoping.
I weaved my arm around reporters to press the buzzer. “Speaking of Valentine’s Day…” I glanced at them. “Don’t you guys have dates tonight?”

“I’ll take
you
out, sugar,” one cameraman said, and the reporters laughed.

C’mon Rez, let me in.
Questions zinged my way as I waited for a response from inside the greenhouse.

“Why is Alejandro visiting Highbanks?”

None of your business
, I thought.

“Will President Ramirez be here?”

Not likely. But whoa, what’d it be like to meet him?

“What will Lucia and Dane do tonight?”

Each other
. I couldn’t believe that answer popped into my mind—Alejandro would not be pleased. Thank heavens I hadn’t said that aloud.

Another reporter: “What will you and Alejandro do tonight?”

Each other?
I gasped at the thought. My girly bits tingled with the realization I wanted to get naked with him. I craved a peek at the long, sleek muscles I knew hid under his stylish suits. But then I remembered Alejandro’s moratorium on sexy times before marriage. Why’d he have to be so strict?

The gate opened at the same time Frank jogged out of the house. He shooed reporters away from the driver’s side and frowned down at me through the open window. “Scoot over, Ms. Brooks.”

I scrambled over the center console as he slid into the driver’s seat and put the car in drive. “Stay outside the gates,” he barked to the throng of media before rolling up the window.

“You should’ve let us know you were coming,” he said as he pulled my car up in front of the house.

“Sorry.”

His scowl faded. “It’s hard dealing with publicity when you’re not used to it.” He parked and bounded around to open my door. “Lucia will be thrilled you’re here.”

She waited for me right inside the door. “You came!” She wrapped me in a boisterous hug. Over her shoulder, I noticed Alejandro watching me. There was a tightening in my belly.

“Sorry those vultures attacked you,” he said when Lucia let me go.

“It’s okay.” I shrugged. “By the way, they know my name now.”

His eyes closed as his mouth tensed into a hard line.

Frank turned the corner and disappeared.

“Luz!” Dane bellowed from inside the house. “Fuck. Need your help in here!”

She giggled. “He’s helpless without his sous chef. Be right back.” I read the saying on her long-sleeve T-shirt on her way out:

You Know I’m All About That Ace, ’Bout That Ace

Once she left the foyer, Alejandro and I stared at each other.

“Lucy said you couldn’t make it,” he murmured. “But you’re here.”

“Somebody
stocked up my fridge.” I cocked an eyebrow.

He started to smile, but then stopped. “Was that okay?”

“Oh my God, yes. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. I knew you wouldn’t have time for shopping with your schedule. So…” He smirked. “Did the chips and salsa give me away?”

I laughed and gave his chest a playful push; he inhaled sharply. Did he feel it too? The frisson of energy when we touched?

“It was the potatoes, of course.” My body vibrated as I looked into his dark eyes.

He swallowed. We stared at each other like we were meeting for the first time. He wore navy dress pants with a zippered dark-gray cardigan over a plaid button-down. Suave and well-heeled, like usual.

“May I take the lady’s coat?”

I nodded. He circled behind me and grasped the collar of my coat as I shrugged out of the sleeves. When his fingers brushed my neck, a shiver crept up my back. His hands stilled—he must have noticed—and I froze too.

He leaned over my shoulder, my coat collar still in his hands and the sleeves halfway off. His bright eyes burned into me. “Cold out there, hmm?”

I took a deep breath to steady my racing pulse, and his spicy scent wafted over me. He stood so close that I could feel his warmth. His presence overwhelmed me, sent trembles down my spine into my legs. Without thinking, I lunged for his sweater and pulled him to me. I noticed the shock in his eyes just before I tilted up to press my lips to his.

His mouth was firm at first—hard like the rest of him—but I coaxed his lips open with persistent kisses. As I molded my lips to his, I knew the moment he yielded to me. His mouth softened, then pressed back with a heated urgency, building a bonfire inside of me.

Once he fully engaged,
he
directed the show. One hand cradled the back of my head while the other slid down my spine, tracing a line of fire as it descended to the small of my back. My breasts pushed against his chest, drawing a soft moan from somewhere deep inside of me. His mouth was hot and frantic on mine.

The kiss was rushed, desperate, and inelegant. It was perfect. At some point my coat crumpled to the floor. And I couldn’t care less.

I relished our contact as his kiss slowed to a sensual burn. He smelled so good and felt so real. But I knew good things didn’t last.

With a sigh, he unlatched his mouth from mine and looked down at me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Then he pressed me flat against him, his hands clasping my head and back, tucking me into his chest. I melted into his firm body. He was taller than me, which I liked, and we fit together seamlessly. I listened to his heartbeat, a galloping pulse that matched my own. The fine knit of his sweater felt soft against my cheek, and damn, I loved his aftershave. My breathing evened out as he held me. He was someone to hold onto, someone to steady me. I needed that.

When Lucia’s laugh echoed from the kitchen, we broke apart. His eyes darted around the foyer, flashing alarm. Lucia hadn’t wanted her brother to interfere in her life, and her best friend mauling him with kisses portended major interference. My cheeks flushed.

“Was that okay?” My voice came out in a whisper, and I cleared my throat. “What I just did?”

“Are you
kidding
me? I’ve been fantasizing about kissing you for a month now.”

Relief and joy filled me.

He picked up my wrinkled coat and draped it over his arm. “I just don’t know what Lucy will think of this.”

We were a
this?
I hoped so. I already knew how
my
sibling would react. Braxton would be pissed. But Nana would probably like Alejandro’s smarts and his gentlemanly ways. Wait—I was already thinking how my family would like him, after one kiss? That had been some kiss. My body still thrummed.

“Well, dessert’s a disaster, but—”

Lucia stopped short after rounding the corner. She gave us a curious look. “Everything okay?”

“Sure, Rez.”
More than okay
.

“But…?” Alejandro asked.

Lucia stared at him.

“What were you about to say?” he prompted.

“Oh!” She smiled. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Good, ’cause I’m starved.” I turned to Alejandro, whose eyes flared.

“I’m hungry too,” he said.

Lord, have mercy
.

“Guys, listen…” Lucia began.

I glanced at her. “What?”

“Dane’s trying some new dishes tonight, and he’s not very confident about them. Go easy on him, okay?” She grabbed my hand and led me into the house. I felt Alejandro’s quiet presence behind me.

As we entered the kitchen, Dane hovered by the oven. “Fucking shit,” he muttered.

“Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, GD,” I said.

He spun around. “Glad you made it, Maddie. But
you
might not be so glad once you taste this.”

“Aw, c’mon,” Alejandro said. “Lucy told me you make a mean fajita.”

“Yeah, but tonight I wanted to make
my
family’s dishes.” Dane lifted his chin. “White people have culture too, you know.”

I laughed. “This should be good. What’re you serving—McDonald’s cheeseburgers?”

“Don’t be a hater.” He scowled at me. “Sit your ass down and get ready for a cultural experience.”

I smirked at Alejandro, who slid into the chair next to me at the round kitchen table. “Those are beautiful flowers,” I said, admiring the centerpiece of orange and red tiger lilies.

“Dane got them for me today.” Lucia sat across from her brother. “
¡Qué bonitas!”

I nodded, and noticed Alejandro’s frown. Was he still upset about Lucia’s relationship with Dane? He’d seemed more accepting.

“Okay.” Dane removed the vase of flowers and replaced it with an oval plate filled with a mélange of pink and green. His hands clasped together like a little boy’s. “To represent my maternal grandmother’s Danish heritage, I made a smoked salmon appetizer.” He gestured to the plate as he sat. “Our guests, please begin.”

“So we’ll die first, then?” Alejandro asked with a gleam in his eye.

“Alex!” Lucia chided.

Alejandro nodded for me to go first, and I slid a cucumber slice topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and a sprig of dill onto my plate. I took a tentative bite, and crisp flavor flooded my mouth. “This is actually kind of good.”

“I
told
you!” Lucia shoved Dane’s shoulder. They both helped themselves.

When I reached for another one, my hand collided with Alejandro’s. He yanked his back and smiled at me. “
Really
good,” he said.

“I tried to recreate an appetizer we had in Copenhagen,” Dane said. He popped a cucumber slice in his mouth.

For the entrée, he served us plates with two dark red balls atop asparagus and turnip greens, with a side of mashed potatoes. What the hell was this? “Allow me,” Dane said, and he cut open one of the balls on my plate to reveal a white circle with a yellow middle…maybe an egg?

“Scotch eggs?” Alejandro guessed.

“To represent Grandpa Monroe, from Scotland.” Dane sat up a little taller.

I leaned toward Alejandro and whispered, “What’s around the egg?”

“Sausage.” He chuckled. “Try it, you’ll like it. We had these at the governor’s mansion once.”

The first bite was interesting, and not my favorite. Still, I managed to finish one of the balls and all of the potatoes and vegetables. When Lucia stood to help Dane clear the plates, Alejandro’s foot brushed mine. He leaned closer and scooped up my hand under the table.

“Thank God Lucy didn’t tell Dane how much she liked his balls,” he whispered.

I laughed, which earned me a questioning look from Lucia. But Dane’s swearing soon drew her attention back to him. Alejandro’s stroking my hand and the talk about balls had me on edge, hot and bothered.

Dane brought over ramekins filled with some sort of chocolate topped with raspberries. “Soufflé fail,” he muttered. “To represent my father’s French heritage.”

“Patrick DuPont,” Lucia supplied.

“The berries are supposed to surround the peak of the soufflé,” Dane explained. “Not fall into the crater.”

“An ambitious dessert,” Alejandro said.

Dane looked at him. “I’m an ambitious guy.”

“That you are.”

Alejandro was ambitious, too. His ambition was one of many traits that drew me to him.

Lucia took a bite. “
I
think it’s delicious.”

“My egg whites didn’t get stiff enough,” Dane complained.

Stiff?
God, this dinner was torture. My hand squeezed Alejandro’s, and a little smile broke over his face.

Dane shook his head. “Figures I’d screw up the part of the meal representing my dad.”

“Why’s that?” I asked him.

“I’m not that close to my dad. He has his jerkoff moments.” He sighed. “My mom deserves better.”

I hadn’t known that—I felt sad for Dane. But at least he had a good relationship with his mother. Braxton thought Senator Monroe would’ve made an awesome president, and she seemed like a strong, admirable woman the few times I’d seen her on TV.

“Well, maybe your soufflé needs more practice, but I’m impressed by this entire meal,” Alejandro said. Dane seemed surprised, but smiled.

“I agree!” I added. “Thanks for inviting us to dinner.”

Alejandro nodded. “Maddie and I will do the dishes, of course.”

We will?
He winked at me as he stood and picked up my plate. My legs squeezed together.

“But we want to play euchre,” Lucia said. “Let’s wait to do the dish—”

Dane cut her off when he grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet. He whispered something in her ear—I thought I heard the word
stiff
—and she giggled.