Page 10 of Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort)
Leona balled her fists at her side and drew in some long slow breaths. She told herself that she would not lose it here in public, no matter how much she wanted to. Josef was in the car and all he had to do was look up to witness everything. She tried to uncurl her hands, but it was as if they had a mind of their own, and they wouldn't budge.
“Fuck you. No, seriously, Cullen. Fuck. You,” she responded.
“You’ve been there, you’ve done that, Menina,” he growled, stepping closer to her. “And now I’m asking if a souvenir is sitting in your front seat.”
Red flashed in her vision again, as her pulse picked up even more. She squeezed her already balled-up fists, trying to channel some of the anger flowing through her. She’d never wanted to hit anyone so badly in her life. It was taking every ounce of her being not to smack that look right off his face. Then again, she’d been there and done that too.
“When I said he’s mine, I meant he’s my family. He’s my little brother.”
“It’s a legit question. He’s the right age and—” he started to reply.
“Are you seriously that stupid? He’s thirteen! He was born shortly after my fourteenth birthday. We didn’t sleep together until I was seventeen. He was already three years old at that point.”
“I didn’t realize you had a brother,” he sputtered out.
“You didn’t exactly ask as you were pulling me into the bathtub. And since you apparently don’t remember, condoms were involved that night. I realize that you’ve been with so many meaningless whores that it all kind of blurs together in your brain, but I promise you, we were safe. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get my brother home for dinner.”
She flung her car door open and threw herself into the car. The wheels caught a little bit of gravel as she hit the gas to exit the park, and they made a little squealing noise. Running the conversation over and over again in her head, she was still in utter disbelief that he really just asked her that. That he thought that Josef was his, and that Leona had been hiding it for the last decade. Just what kind of whore did he think she was?
That was it, the final straw. Tomorrow morning she would talk to Vaughn and let him know that she would no longer be taking care of La Isla Bonita. She would assign Carmella to do it. If it involved Cullen Cruz, she would have absolutely no part in it.
“Isn’t he cool?” Josef said, breaking through her thoughts.
“What’s that, Jo-bro?” she asked, pretending like she had been too busy paying attention to the road.
“Cullen Cruz! Isn’t he cool? He’s, like, literally one of the greats and I get to play with him this week! We went for a run this morning too, since Mom had to drop me off early. I mean, how cool is that?”
“So cool!” she answered, pretending to be excited. “Just don’t get too attached, okay? He’s only here for a couple of weeks.”
“I know, but I want to learn everything I can from him. I want to be just like him when I grow up!”
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of, she thought.
Chapter Six
If Leona gripped the steering wheel any harder she might actually pull the pleather off the wheel. The spots where she usually rested her hands were already well-worn, but today could just be the day she tore through it. The dings and beeps coming from Josef playing on her phone were normally enough to drive her crazy, but in this moment they were a good enough distraction from her thoughts that she was willing to deal with it.
Pulling into the little dirt drive of La Hacienda, she let out a long, s
low sigh. Josef hopped out of the car, still full of all kinds of teenage boy excitement from a day spent with his idol. She popped the trunk so he could grab his stuff as she got out of the car. She pulled him into a hug and squeezed tight. She might have been madder than hell at Cruz, but she couldn’t take it out on Josef.
“Sorry I was grumpy on the way home. I’ve got a lot on my mind,” she said, still holding on to him and kissing the top of his head.
“It’s cool. I left your phone on the seat,” he said, shrugging away. “What’s for dinner?”
Leona shook her head, laughing. Such a boy question. She was incredibly grateful, though, that what was on his mind was food, and that he was entirely oblivious to what had transpired between her and Cruz back at the field. What would he have thought if he’d heard it? It tore her apart to even think of the answers to that. Josef was so enamored with Cruz that she worried he would have latched onto the idea and then run home and asked their parents. Now that would leave some explaining to do. How embarrassing it would have been to have to explain to her parents—and Josef—why Cruz would think that he might be Josef’s dad. She figured by thirteen he knew where babies came from, but still, having to talk to her brother about it gave her the heebie-jeebies.
Then there was her mother. Leona could see the look on her mother’s face now, giving her that glare that even at twenty-seven could stop her in her tracks. Hell, that look could probably stop traffic. Part of why her mother had asked the Quinlans if they could find a job for Leona was so she didn’t find some boy and get knocked up. Anna had told Leona countless times how proud she was of her and her hard work, and of how she’d never put herself in a situation that might jeopardize her future. The disappointment and anger that she knew her mother would feel was soul crushing to Leona. She knew she had made a mistake in sleeping with Cruz—a very hot, intoxicatingly blissful mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. She didn’t need to be reminded by her mother that it never should have happened, even if the man was sex on a stick.
“I’m not sure, but I’m not gonna be able to stay. I have some things I have to take care of at work. Tell Mama I’m sorry,” she answered him.
“Sure,” he said, heading into the house. “Oh, and Carlos texted you while I was playing on your phone. Something about room 1031 needing new light bulbs. Why would he use a winky face when talking about light bulbs?”
Leona could feel her face flush slightly, wishing that of all the texts that could have come in, it hadn’t been that one. “Oh, I’m sure he just hit the wrong emoji,” she offered. He shrugged, accepting her answer, and headed into the house.
She rushed back to her car, even more flustered now that Josef had seen that text. There was no time for Carlos Rivera and his booty call secret code right now. As much as she needed to clear her head and let off some steam, some afternoon delight was not the answer. What she needed was her best friend.
Looking at the clock in the car, she figured she had more than enough time to make it back to the resort before Drea had to meet her uncles for their bonfire ritual. Pulling out of the drive, her heart swelled as she thought about how excited her little brother was over getting to spend this time with Cruz. She got it—he was Cullen Cruz after all.
