Rock Chick Regret (Rock Chick #7)(110)

“You know,” I informed him (yes, I was drunk or more drunk or, say, uber-drunk), “I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this but you have a very handsome smile.”

He slung an arm around my shoulders (what was it with these guys and the arms around the shoulders, not that I was complaining, it was nice, but still, how touchy could you be?).

“It’s been mentioned,” he replied, his head coming up to look at the house and his chin gave a jerk.

My eyes followed his and I saw Hector standing inside his open front door. He was dressed, jeans, boots, white t-shirt under a buttoned-up but untucked flannel. The flannel was bunched up around the gun that was on his belt at the side of his hip.

I decided at that moment that Hector looked good wearing a gun.

Then again, Hector always looked good.

“Hi,” I called and waved to Hector as Lee and I walked up the front steps.

Hector just stared at me then his eyes cut to Lee.

It was then I realized Lee’s arm was still around me.

I looked up at Lee when we stopped in front of Hector and informed him helpfully, “You might want to take your arm away. Blanca tells me Hector doesn’t like men touching me.”

“Blanca told you that?” Lee asked, his smile (and arm) still firmly in place.

“Yes. She’s known Hector, like, his whole life so I think she’s in the position to know.”

Lee nodded, his smile somehow bigger like he was trying not to laugh then his eyes moved to Hector and he said, “I tried to stop it.”

Hector looked at Lee then looked at me then he muttered, “Oh f**k.”

“It was Ally’s idea,” Lee told Hector.

“What was Ally’s idea?” Hector asked Lee.

“It was not Ally’s idea!” I cried.

“It wasn’t!” super-power-eared Ally yelled from the open back window of Lee’s Explorer. “It was Sadie’s idea. I just was offering moral support.”

“Shut up, Ally!” Indy shouted out the open passenger side window.

“I will not shut up! I’m not taking the fall for this one!” Ally shouted back.

I turned to the car, dislodging Lee’s arm and lifted both my hands and pressed down. “No one’s going to take a fall. Everyone calm down. It’s all okay. It’s rock ‘n’ roll!” I screamed.

“Righteous!” Ally screamed back.

“Rock on, sister!” Indy screamed too.

“It’s rock ‘n’ roll?” Lee asked, sounding as amused as he looked.

“You all wanna quit screamin’ at three o’clock in the mornin’ in my f**kin’ neighborhood?” Hector suggested.

Mm, well maybe we were being an eensy bit loud.

“Time for beddie by,” I announced (sounding like Ralphie), got up on tiptoe, kissed Lee’s cheek (like Ralphie and Buddy would do to me), turned and gave Indy and Ally a double devil’s horns (like Ava taught me) and shouted, “Rock on!”

They shouted back in unison, “Rock on!”

“Christ,” Hector muttered but I ignored him, walked into the house and headed toward the stairs.

I was in his bedroom, I’d turned on the light by the bed and was sitting on its side when he arrived.

“What did Lee try to stop?” Hector asked when he hit the room.

I leaned over and yanked off a boot then held it up to him.

“Look at this boot!” I cried, “Isn’t it aces? Daisy and the gang bought it for me. They bought me my whole outfit!” Then I threw the boot at him, thinking it was so cool, he might want to get a closer look.

He caught it, stared at it for less than a second then tossed it toward the pile that had somehow sprung up in the short time since Blanca’s tidying effort.

“Hey!” I snapped. “Don’t throw my new boot. It’ll get scuffed.”

Hector advanced, saying, “It’s a motorcycle boot. It’s supposed to be scuffed.”

Oh.

I didn’t know that.

Boy, I had a lot to learn about being a Rock Chick.

I was going to have to start taking notes!

I leaned over and pulled off the other one while he stopped in front of me. Then I hesitated.

Oh, what the heck.

I threw it in the pile and took off my socks.

“Can I ask you to do somethin’ for me?” Hector said.

I looked up and saw he had his hands on his h*ps and was towering over me. I couldn’t read his expression mainly because it was unreadable.

I decided I didn’t like him towering over me. I also decided I didn’t like so many clothes on him. He looked far better naked.

So I stood up and started to unbutton his shirt.

“What?” I said to his shirt, concentrating on my task.

“Burn that f**kin’ skirt.”

My hands stilled and my head snapped back.

“Excuse me?”

“That skirt. Burn it.”

I was confused, I liked my skirt, no, I loved it.

“Why?” I asked.

His hands came to my shirt and he pulled it up, my arms went with it and he whipped it off.

“Mamita, just don’t wear it again.”

I decided to give in, not wear it in front of him but not burn it. I could wear it on Crete and he’d never know.