Page 44 of Before the Storm

26

LUCÍA

The dim sunlightfiltered through the front windows in Santiago’s house. The room was stuffy with the early morning heat and the fact that they had been closed for almost a full day since Francisco had left earlier that morning. I made my way to the back of the house, grabbing the watering can from the back patio and filling it up at the kitchen sink. It took me seven refills to finish all the plants, even watering the few succulents in Santiago and Victoria’s bedroom that I hadn’t done the time before.

I slid the back door closed and made sure to lock it and turned on my heel, walking briskly out of the house and in the direction of my parents’. I had been mid-laundry when the power went out, and I was hoping that it would come back soon so I could finish washing my bedsheets.

The sun was already starting to set, the birds starting to quiet for the evening. I turned into the driveway, and he wasstanding there, his arms loose against the sides of his body like a man without a single care in the world. The top button of his dress shirt was loose, and his hair looked disheveled, probably because he kept playing with a few strands like when he was concentrating on his work. I’d watched him the night before, perched over his laptop, scowling at the screen because he was supposed to be on vacation, but his sister’s mother was more important.

“What are you doing here?” I stopped. The door to his car was still open, an alert beeping inside. He took a few steps closer to me, and I squirmed. He wasn’t supposed to be here; he was supposed to be back in the city, fixing his thing. I was supposed to be doing my thing here too. Watering plants and vegging on the couch with the still-unnamed cat.

“I forgot to give you something,” he said, frozen in place. He smiled softly, and that made me smile, the absurdity of it all. My entire body tingled in response. I watched him move like my life depended on it, his gaze lit with something hot. Sizzling.

“Okay,” I drawled, tilting my head in confusion. “Is it another tongue depressor? Because I already told you those are disposable.” I laughed at my comment, and he stalked towards me, his gaze fixed on mine.

He shrugged. “Yeah, actually.” He took a few steps towards the sidewalk where I was and grabbed something out of his pocket, producing a still-wrapped wooden stick heprobably bought at the pharmacy. Not at all like the one he had taken from my house that first night.

The feeling of seeing him again was overwhelming me. The air was thick with humidity, and I could feel beads of sweat forming on the back of my neck, getting warmer and warmer as he approached. He had to be stifling hot under that shirt of his. And why was he wearing dress pants if he was going to drive ten hours to get back home? It was ridiculous.

But intoxicating. The heat, the smell, Francisco, everything.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing the scent of the summer flowers to fill my lungs. When I opened them, he was standing there, looking at me with a heated gaze, his lips centimeters from mine.

I looked up, my heart racing as he leaned in closer. His hand cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. I closed my eyes again, my breath catching in my throat as he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.

Time stood still, and we were the only two people in the world. The outside world faded away as we lost ourselves in each other, and nothing else mattered. The only thing I could hear was my heart beating against my chest. Francisco’s hand came up to tangle in my hair as he pulled me closer, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to me.

Every cell of my body was lighting up, and I couldn’t get enough of him. His lips were soft and warm against mine.Our bodies were pressed together, and I could feel the heat between us growing with each passing moment. This was different, more intentional. Our first real, intimate kiss since the conversation we’d had.

“Hi,” he said as he smiled into my mouth. “I missed you.”

I laughed out loud, looking straight into him. “I just saw you last night!”

He shrugged, not a single fuck given. “So?”

I beamed. “Is that what you forgot to give me?” I pointed at the tongue depressor still in his hand.

Francisco laughed in response, hooking his arm around my shoulders and bringing me into his side. He kissed the top of my head and pulled me towards the house. The cat was lounging on the stoop, and she lifted one brow as soon as she heard our steps getting closer.

I skipped ahead hurriedly, unlocking the door and dragging him into the house by his hand. The cat scurried inside, and I jumped at the sound of the door closing behind him.

I turned abruptly, hitting his hard chest. His hands immediately went to my waist, holding me close to his body while keeping me upright. “What are you doing here, really?” I asked, searching his face for answers. He was not supposed to be here. Family came first, always. I couldn’t catch my breath, his body pressed against mine, pushing me hard into the front door.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said, his mouth going to my neck and moving up and down, delivering small kisses all over,frantic. His hands were everywhere—one moment by my head, the next tugging at my dress, the straps sliding down my shoulders.

“Slow down,” I tried to say in between breaths, but the man was not having it at all, pulling my hair out of its knot and tugging at the length, tilting my head back. He looked feral, his eyes dark with want. My stomach bottomed out, my hands going to his hair and sinking into his scalp. He growled in response, the indecent sound going straight to my center. “Oh my god, okay,” I rasped, my toes curling in my shoes.

One of Francisco’s hands was on my thigh, the hem of my dress bunched up at my waist. “What?” he retorted, mouth still on my skin, dragging down, down, down.

“Nothing. I just—nothing.”Jesus.“Keep going.” Desire thundered through my whole body, making me light up just like the night sky lit up with those wonderful summer storms. But this time, instead, it was Francisco’s doing. A long time coming, if anyone asked.

He crouched, setting both his hands under the curve of my ass and lifting me to his body, my legs wrapping around his waist automatically. Practiced, like this had happened for years before this moment. I smiled into his mouth at the same moment thunder rattled the house, the windows shaking with the intensity of the phenomenon. The cat meowed and scurried past and then tucked her lithe body into the small nook under the stairs.

“Where?” There was an edge to his voice, a sense of urgency I’d never heard from him before.

“Bedroom.” I lifted my head and found his eyes crinkled up in a smile so wide, my heart stuttered for a few beats. He turned us, his grip tightening on my body, my legs squeezing harder around him in response. His steps were light up the stairs. Seventeen. That was how many there were. And within a few seconds, we were at my bedroom door. Francisco kicked it open in a messy, fevered move.

“Where are the sheets?” he asked, his mouth still on me, burning my skin from the inside out. I wasn’t sure how he’d noticed it since his attention was rapt on me.

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