Page 120 of Burn for You

I don’t even know what I’m saying at this point. I sound ridiculous.

“Do I look like I’m concerned about that?” I look up into those dark eyes, and no, he doesn’t. Not a single bit.

He wraps his arms back around my waist, pulling me even closer. “You remember when you teased me about the lack of women you’d seen me with?”

I nod.

“That’s because as soon as you opened that dirty little mouth to tell me to shove my meatballs where the sun doesn’t shine,” I blush and look away, but the intensity of his gaze forces my attention back on him. “I couldn’t get you out of my head. I couldn’t even focus on any other woman after you blew into my life like an annoying, beautiful little hurricane.”

He leans down pressing his lips to mine. “This isn’t just another hookup for me, Whitley. And I don’t think it is for you either. You are enough for someone to want to stick around.”

My eyes start to sting at that one sentence. I’ve always treated guys like all that they are is a good time, and most of that is because of my mom and her ideals. But I think a little part of me always felt like that’s how they saw me too. I was perfect for a hookup but nothing more, and I think when Owen left me that proved it to me. But here is this man in front of me, doing his best to unravel all of that, taking time to show me that maybe that’s not true.

I open my mouth to respond when a third figure appears in my peripheral vision.

“Sorry to break up the party,” Leo says. “But can I talk to Rafael?”

Raf turns his head to glare at his best friend. “Kinda busy here hotshot.”

I step away, running my hand down his arm. “It’s fine, I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Wait, May.”

“It’s fine,” I say over my shoulder as I walk away from the pair. Rafael gives Leo a smack on the side of his head for interrupting us, and I shake my head as I walk over to the bar.

I’m sort of relieved for the interruption, that conversation was…I don’t even know what I was about to say. Rafael is right, we aren’t just hooking up, but I don’t know where that leaves us.

I order a Long Island iced tea and take a seat at the bar, swiveling my seat so I can look out over the dance floor.My eyes immediately catch on my best friend, her smile beaming as Caio spins her around the dance floor. I smile, like I do every time I see them together. I always thought that it’s not what I want. Marriage, kids, a dog. But seeing those two, it makes me second guess it.“Here you go, miss,” the bartender says, sliding my drink over to me.

“Grazie,” I say, turning back around to face my friends with my drink in hand. I can see Rafael and Leo in what looks like it could be a heated discussion. Rafael keeps glancing over here, like he doesn’t want to let me out of his sight. It’s adorably over the top.

My eyes scan the room for Miles, he’s nowhere to be seen, and neither is Marina. Oh god.

I move to stand but then Marisol comes up beside me. “Hey,”

I smile. I really like Rafael’s sister. She’s got a bit of fire in her that I recognize. “Hey.”

She sits down on the stool next to me, her pale-yellow dress fanning over the seat. “I’ve never seen him look at anyone like that.”

I look back to Caio and Isla, both of them grinning at each other. “He’s always looked at her like that—like she’s an angel that fell from the sky just for him.” I take a sip of my drink from my straw.

“I meant my brother.”

I nearly choke on my drink and look over at her, then flick myeyes back to where he stands bickering with Leo. “Like that?” I ask. “He looks at pretty much everyone likethat.”

She rolls her eyes with a smile. “Especially Leo, but I meant the way he looks at you.”

My heart stops. I look over at Marisol, not knowing what to say. She just smiles. “He’s never looked at any woman the way he looks at you—like nothing else matters when you’re in front of him. I saw it at Olive&Vine, and I saw it out there.” She nods to the dance floor.

I attempt to make this all a bit more lighthearted. “Yeah, well, he can barely go five minutes without checking where I am,” I laugh.

She chuckles. “Wow, he really must be in love with you.”

This time, my heart drops all the way to my ass.He what?

Marisol just jumps off her seat and walks over to the two of them, taking Leo by the hand and pulling him into a dance, like she didn’t just throw an emotional grenade at me and walk away.

Rafael’s eyes meet mine, and then he takes a step towards me, and another, and another. I slide off my seat and start in the other direction. He can’t love me. No guy has ever loved me, not really. This was only ever meant to be something fun. I can’t do love. I don’t knowhow.

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