Page 93 of Unspoken Promises

But instead, baritone sounds enter the barn area— Santi’s voice, then Rio’s, then Luis’… Enzo takes big, thick tastes of my neck, one, two, three more times at the sound of each voice, then leans back, letting his forehead fall to mine. He brushes my plump lips with his thumb, and his voice is husky.

“You’ll be the end of me.”

My God, could I have ever dreamed someone would talk to me like this? Take me like this? Care for me like this?

I am falling so damn hard… he’ll be the end of me, too, if I don’t fix this.

Just then, Luis steps by Estrella tied up outside and pats her on the neck.

“What are you doing tied up here,potra?”

Then he’s startled by the sight of us. “Dios mío!” He grabs his chest as if we gave him a heart attack. He quickly assesses the stable that is such a mess. It looks like we spent the whole night romping in here.

He averts his eyes politely. “Sorry to interrupt…”

He steps away as to give us privacy we no longer haveanyway because Rio and Santi poke their heads around the corner, handsome cowboys in their hats.

A sly grin spreads across Santi’s face.

Rio’s lips spread into a crooked smile, too.

I brush flakes off my shoulders as if that will wipe away their dirty thoughts.

Enzo doesn’t bother dignifying their assumptions and merely offers a simple, “Morning.”

“It certainly is a fine one, isn’t it?” Rio lifts an eyebrow.

Enzo’s brothers receiving this sign of us being more makes my heart swell. I always wanted a sibling. The way Enzo talks about his brothers and sister would make anyone yearn to be a part of this.

They shove off, clearly needing to do jobs of their own.

Enzo gives me one last kiss then cleans a few flakes from my hair, but I’m sure it looks like a bird’s nest. He picks up a fork and sets to finishing the job.

I lean against the wall, admiring him. My chest is so full it’s almost unbearable. Sometimes my feelings are so big I think my rib cage will snap.

But my thoughts of how much I care for this man, how gorgeous he is and how very much I do want to be his end are all interrupted by my cell buzzing in my back pocket.

And when I slide it out, the words send my swollen heart right down into my shoes.

UNKNOWN

I can make it to Mount Hamilton in two days. Can you offer me a safe house?

29

After one ofthe most joyful moments I’ve experienced since I was a kid, I would have expected Ava to stay on one of her bright high-noon moods for the rest of the day. Instead, I peek over; her jaw has dropped, and she stares at her cell.

I watch her out of my peripheral vision, both not wanting to interrupt whatever moment she’s having, yet wanting to observe her reaction. I chose to believe her story after the fair but I haven’t stopped wondering if that was foolish.

The cell was the source of her last freak out. And after what Rio told me… it leaves me unsure I made the right call. Still when I mentioned the hacks in the kitchen, she didn’t flinch.

It takes every bit of self-control not to snatch the phone from her hands, see who or what has made her darken like that, and seek out to destroy it.

“You okay?” I ask, dipping my gaze to her cell.

She searches for a response, and her pause sets my senses on high alert.

“We can talk about it later.”

---