Page 29 of Bang Buddies With Benefits
Zac
Thirty minutes ago, I was ready to bolt, the shock of having a baby thrust upon me comparable to being handed an old, sweaty stick of dynamite. Both children and nitroglycerin were unstable, and a big no-thank-you in my book.
Admittedly, if I’d known the best person to pass Gabby off to as I fled—or if I’d had the confidence to stand and walk with the squirmy bundle in my arms—I might’ve done so. But then we’d placed our trust in each other, as if we’d both accepted we were already in the trenches together, and not only survived, but managed to share a few smiles and laughs.
In another surprise twist, Catalina got emotional. Tears bordered her eyes as the father daughter dance came to a close. Not that I’d point it out, as I preferred my balls intact. Still, curiosity rose again, and as long as I approached the topic with delicacy, hopefully it wouldn’t upset her. “Your dad. Is he…?” Shit, I should’ve sorted out how to pose the question in advance. “I noticed that he isn’t here, and if you don’t mind my asking—”
“He passed away of lung cancer my sophomore year of college. Mamá was always on him to quit smoking. But he was stubborn, and insisted life was for living, not being careful.” A tiny smile touched her lips, a hint of sorrow mixed in with the reverie. “He was always larger than life, and his stories were legendary. He’d sit on the porch, light up a cigar, and it was like a beacon for everyone in the neighborhood to come by and listen as he spun his tall tales.”
During the first year of our sporadic sexy-time encounters, I considered Catalina’s detachedness a bonus. Whenever I bragged to my buddies, I’d refer to her as a unicorn woman for that very reason.
This whole experience had me thinking it sounded nicer in theory, the idea of a sexy fembot. The woman at my side was more complicated and well-rounded, warm, with silky soft skin, and a personality as captivating as her curves.
And captivated I was, so much so that I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
Another thought hit me, a recollection from that dark time period after my father passed away, and our booty-calls were the most frequent they’d ever been—till now, anyway. “Why didn’t you tell me? When my father died, you let me talk and talk, and never once mentioned you knew exactly what it feels like.”
A twinge radiated through my chest. One sired by a sense of rejection, or perhaps foolishness, that I’d poured my heart out and exposed myself like that. Did that mean she’d always meant more to me than I had to her, despite it being in a different capacity than a romance or a friendship?
Confidant didn’t fit, either, and everything inside of me churned and roiled, vulnerability lashing at my insides.
Catalina slipped her hand behind my neck, her touch soothing even though I didn’t want it to be right now. “BecauseI knew exactly what it felt like. I didn’t want to minimize your grief or make it about me.”
Damn. That was about the nicest thing anyone had ever said or done for me. My inner turmoil unraveled, thumping heavily in my gut before dissipating completely. What was up with me that I’d gotten so upset about such a little thing—one that ended up being a whole-ass misunderstanding?
Since I could ruminate on that all night and still not get a satisfying answer—or one I wanted—I focused on the here and now. I folded her hand in mine, basking in the quickening of her pulse, beating away at the base of her neck. Of her scent, and the intensity reflected back at me and how it caused her big brown eyes to shine more than the tears had.
She slowly leaned in and kissed me, short and sweet at first.
Then she dove back in, parting her lips enough for us both to get a better grip as our mouths moved together. As much as I’d love to plunge my tongue inside and indulge in a sweeping taste, I kept it PG.
I skimmed my hand over the flare of her hip, around to rest on the upper curve of her ass. The rasp of the zipper against my fingertips generated images of the future, of my stripping her bare, and given how tight my pants were getting, make that PG-13.
“Lina, Lina!”
Catalina wrenched herself away as the chanting grew louder. Her slightly shell-shocked expression led me to believe she’d also gotten swept up in our moment. As remarkable as our make-out sessions were, I highly doubted they were cheering for us to continue kissing and groping each other for their entertainment.
Sixty or seventy people in attendance, and when you multiplied that by two, it amounted to a whole lot of eyeballs aimed our way.
At the tinkling of her earrings and adamant shake of her head, I realized she was the object of their attention, not us. Louder and louder they chanted, and I leaned closer and asked, “What’s going on?”
“They want me to perform like a trained monkey,” she hollered, loud enough so her family members seated at the table would also hear. “I should’ve never given in to the pressure to take up competitive Latin dancing. Now they insist I put on a show whenever there’s a dance party.”
Wait. Is she talking about the type with the tiny sparkly, outfits and all the sexy hip shaking? Like on that show my mom’s obsessed with, where they pair up C-list celebrities with professionals?
Now this inquiring mind also wanted a show, and I debated how deadly it’d be for me to join in on the chanting. “Do you still remember the moves?”
A challenge ignited in the depths of her gaze, the blaze hot enough to spread to me and jolt my heart into motion. “Oh, I never forget a move.”
Ellie and Penny appeared out of nowhere. “Wait, is it happening?” Ellie asked, slightly out of breath from her apparent sprint to our table. Archer and Luke lingered in the background, not in the same rush as their girlfriends.
Penny popped her head over Ellie’s shoulder, turning them into an inquisitive, two-headed monster. “Are we finally going to see the famous dance moves we’ve heard so much about?”
“Ustedes dos también, Pen and Ellie?” Catalina asked with a sigh. “You’re both joining in as well?”
Their grins turned sheepish, yet they didn’t withdraw their request, while Luke and Archer exchanged glances that indicated they were clueless as to what was going on and why they’d been dragged along.
The crowd roared as Catalina stood, but as soon as she threw up a hand, a hush fell over the party. “I appreciate the enthusiasm, but the dance isn’t very enjoyable as a solo.” A thumb got aimed at me. “And I’m not dragging this lug around the floor, either.”
