Rock Chick Regret (Rock Chick #7)(73)

That’s when I noticed Blanca’s eyes were on me.

“I think I made Hector mad,” I blurted before I thought better of it.

Something flashed across her face, it looked like anger, warring with confusion, warring with compassion then she asked, “You think?”

“I…” I started, stopped and walked the five steps to Blanca. “What did I do?” I finished on a whisper.

I watched her face soften as compassion won and she put a hand on my arm. “My Hector, he’s a little hotheaded. You have to handle that boy with care. Queridita, first lesson, you don’t let a man touch you, ever. If Hector’s there to see it or he’s not. But especially if he’s there to see it. Sí?”

The light dawned. I might be fledgling New Sadie in my head but in his head, I was His Sadie. Period, dot, the end.

I nodded to Blanca.

She patted my arm and went back to cooking. I grabbed my mug and went back to sipping, finding I was so uncomfortable with the idea of making Hector angry at me that it made my heart hurt.

Ren materialized at the door and jutted his chin at me. “Sadie, I’m leaving.”

I decided my safest bet was to stay all the way across the room from him and this was exactly what I did.

“Bye, Ren,” I said on a wave.

Ren grinned at me like he thought I was funny, his eyes moved to Blanca and he said his good-byes. Then he was gone and Hector was in the doorframe, his gaze was still scorching and it was on me.

“Mamita, a word.”

It was not a request and he didn’t wait for my response, he turned and moved away as I heard the front door open and close behind Ren.

I stood frozen to the spot. Then my eyes flew to Blanca.

She gave me a reassuring wink (which didn’t reassure me) and gestured to the door with her spoon.

I pulled in my lips, put down my mug, took a deep breath and searched for Hector who was not in the living room, not in the cluttered other rooms but upstairs, in his bedroom. He was waiting at the door and the minute I cleared it, he threw it to.

Blooming heck!

He opened his mouth but before he could say a word, I launched in.

“He’s never touched me before. I swear it. It weirded me out!” I cried. “Honest to God, I wouldn’t even call him a friend. More an acquaintance. The Ice Princess always protected me from people getting near. When he hugged me, I tried to call her up but she was just gone. She keeps disappearing these days. Even when I need her. I’m used to having her around. I know you cannot imagine but, Hector, believe me, it’s beyond annoying.”

I stopped talking when I noticed that he’d stopped looking angry. Instead, his eyes had warmed and his mouth was doing the fighting-a-grin thing.

I replayed what I said, my hands clenched into fists, my eyes closed tight as my body went stock-still and waves of embarrassment flowed over me.

I’d done it. Now he knew everything.

How did I let that happen?

He was going to think I was absolutely, certifiably, insane.

Then I found myself snatched into strong arms, my soft body colliding with his hard one and his face went into my neck. I opened my eyes as he turned me and started walking me backward toward the bed his arms still locked around me.

Well, maybe he didn’t think I was certifiably insane. But I was beginning to think he was.

His mood swings were just bizarre.

The backs of my legs hit the bed, he stopped us and his mouth moved to my ear.

“Mamita,” his voice was rough with what sounded like laughter and something else altogether, “you think you could handle my mouth between your legs without freakin’ out?”

The legs he wanted to put his mouth between turned to water.

“What?” I whispered.

His head came up, his eyes were burning into mine (now, in a different way) and my breath caught at the sight.

“I gotta have a taste of you and I gotta watch you come, I don’t…”

My fingers at his waist dug in and at that second if he let me go I’d collapse in a puddle at his feet.

“Your mother is downstairs,” I breathed.

Hector’s mouth came to mine. “The walls are thick.”

“She’ll wonder what we’re doing!”

“No she won’t,” he returned.

“I won’t be able to concentrate.” I kept trying.

I felt his mouth smile against mine. “Mi corazón, you won’t need to concentrate.”

Oh my.

That got a stomach pitch.

Even so, I kept at it. “I can’t, not now. Maybe later.”

His mouth moved away an inch. “Yeah?”

Oh my God!

What had I done now?

I had to keep at it. My hands went to his shoulders, my heart skipped a beat, I ignored my heart and nodded.

Before I could go back on my promise, he kissed me quickly and muttered, “Pack a bag, you’re spendin’ the night again. We’ll try it, you can’t deal, we’ll stop and watch a movie.”

“Okay,” I said but my stomach was twisting, my heart was in my throat and I was having difficulty breathing. This was partially panic but it was also partially anticipation and I wondered which one would win that night.

Hector watched my face and his arms got tight. “Sadie, seriously, you can’t deal, you tell me, we stop,” he repeated in a way I knew he meant it.