Through My Window (Hidalgos #1)(119)

Marco grimaces. “Yoshi? Like the turtle in Mario Kart?”

Apolo laughs a little, but I give them a stern look.

“It’s not a turtle. It’s a dinosaur.”

Gregory grabs the bridge of his nose. “Can we focus on going to the beach?”

Samy nods. “The cockroach is right, it’s a two-hour drive, so let’s go.”

Dani worries about the logistics of the affair, and I admire her for thinking about it when we have been dawn-drinking.

“We don’t have bathing suits or food,” she notes.

Gregory clears his throat. “As my grandpa would say, ‘no matter what you lack, you will find it somewhere along the way.’”

“Didn’t your grandpa leave your grandmother for a woman he met on the road?” Marco asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Exactly, he lacked love and found it along the way. Hey, stop ruining my cool moments.”

With Marco and Gregory arguing, we started walking to where we left the cars.

Time to travel.


Ares is driving with the window on his side open. One arm rests on it and his other hand is on the steering wheel. He’s shirtless, wearing only a backward cap and sunglasses. The sun streams through the window and slides over his skin, highlighting the definition of every muscle in his torso.

Virgin of Abdominals, why did you bless him this much? Why do you bring such a being into this world? So that poor mortals like me must suffer every time we see him?

Gregory’s head appears in the middle of our seats.

“I feel like the son back here,” he says. “Mom, I want booby.”

I tap him on the forehead with my fingers.

“Very funny.”

“Child abuse,” he says, moving to the other seat. He grabs Ares’s shoulder and shakes him. “Dad, aren’t you going to do anything?”

Ares sighs.

“Relax, son, I’ll punish her later.” He gives me his crooked smile.

“Uuuuuugh!” Gregory scrunches up his face dramatically.

Ares laughs. “How do you think you came into the world, son?”

“I give up! Now!” Gregory returns to his post with his arms folded across his chest as if in a tantrum. Apolo, who is on his right side, grimaces, and Dani, who is on his left side, ignores us, looking out the window. Joshua left with the others in Marco’s car.

We stop at a store to buy what we need for our impromptu adventure. I walk by where the bathing suits are hanging, trying to pick out a simple one. Ares appears in front of me, with a one-piece in his hands.

“How about this one?” he asks. I cross my arms over my chest.

“I like two-piece swimsuits.”

“But this one would look great on you, and you can wear it with these shorts,” he shows me one in his other hand, smiling. “A good combination.”

Ha! Nice try, Greek God!

“No thanks, focus on picking something for yourself.”

“Please?” Ares pouts. God, he has such nice lips, so kissable.

“Nice try,” I say, turning my back to him.

Ares wraps his arms around me from behind to whisper in my ear. “Well, but if I get jealous, you know what happens.” I swallow hard. “So, when you end up fucked in the sand on the beach, don’t complain.”

“No matter what I wear, you’re still going to fuck me,” I say, turning in his arms for a short kiss. He smiles at my lips.

“You know me so well.”

“So, I’ll choose what I want.” He opens his mouth to protest. “And, if you protest,” I run my hand down his abdomen to his pants, squeezing lightly, “you’re not getting any sex tonight.”

Ares bites his lower lip, raising his hands in the air in defeat.

“Choose what you want.”

“Thank you.” I wave him away, and he obeys. Who has the power now, Greek God?

I choose a simple red swimsuit, some sunglasses, and a beach hat. Dani joins me with what she has selected, and we leave ready to go to the beach.

“Beach! Here we come!” Gregory exclaims with his fists in the air.

I think this trip is going to be very interesting.





FIFTY-EIGHT


   The Campfire




Ares . . .

I can’t take my eyes off him. He’s laughing at a story that Gregory is dramatizing with his hands in the air. They are both shirtless, sitting in the sand with the beach in the background. The sea breeze moves my hair back. I’m sitting on a log close by, enjoying the view.

The sunset is here, and I don’t know how we spent the whole day on the road when the beach was only two hours away. Well, actually, I do know. At every stop, we were joking and talking nonsense for a long time.

Apolo, Marco, and Yoshi are playing with a ball we bought along the way, running around in the sand like kids. Dani is walking along the shore, enjoying a moment of solitude and tranquility, I guess. Samy is sitting next to me on the log.

“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” she asks.

“Yeah, it was worth the trip.”

She offers me a metal cup.

“Would you like a drink?”

I take the cup and sip. The strong whiskey flavor burns my throat.

“Whiskey?” I give it back to her and watch her drink without even wrinkling her face.