Page 63 of Recklessly You
“See you in a bit?” he murmurs.
It’s more of a question than a statement. He is waiting for my reply. He’s worried I won’t come back. There’s a part of me unsure if I will.
CHAPTER 21
LIAM
The task force leader outlines the mission we are undertaking in the upcoming days. We are set to depart for Long Beach in Los Angeles tonight and will spend a full week there to get ready for the bust. We will also meet with the Los Angeles Police Department to discuss the details of the hit. According to our undercover informant, the shipment has already left Mexico, headed for the docks. Everything is running according to plan. I grab my paperwork and head straight for the coffee station once Jerry, the lead, wraps up the meeting. John walks in with a new rookie.
“Damn, what happened to you? You look like shit.”
I grunt at his response and pour myself a hot, steamy cup of coffee. He’s not wrong. I feel like shit. I stayed up last night waiting for Sophie, who never returned to the house. It felt like a knife to the chest. I don’t blame her. I acted like a complete ass with her. She asked a question I should be able to answer, but I couldn’t. The trauma is too deep. What if I did tell her the rest? Would she freak out? Would she think less of me?
“Couldn’t sleep.”
He leans back on the counter with his arms crossed. “Woman problems?”
“Something like that.” The buzz of the station has me wanting to get out of here. I’m not in the mood today.
Fuck, I have never had women problems. I don’t even know how to handle this shit. And the look on her face when I told her we couldn’t be more. Goddamn. It’s clear she wants more than the terms we initially agreed to.
John grabs himself a cup, pouring coffee. “Apologize, even if you did nothing wrong. Then buy her chocolates or something, take her out, and lastly, let her have it.”
I raise an eyebrow at him and laugh. “Let her have it. What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shakes his head and stirs the cream in his coffee. “You need a book for dummies on how to make a woman swoon? It meansfuckher.”
I walk out laughing then turn to flip him off.
* * *
Pulling up to the studio,I grab the box of chocolates John suggested. Standing before her studio door, I watch her as she talks to the girls. She looks beautiful, wearing a red skirt with a white tank top. Her blonde hair sways as she shakes her head, laughing. My lungs constrict, becoming tighter and tighter.
I should be the bigger person and let her go if we can’t be more, but it’s not that simple. I’m selfish, and I don’t want to lose her. When I open the door, the bell rings, and the three girls glance up. Suddenly I feel awkward, and my nerves spike. As soon as I spot Sophie, my stomach drops. My mouth goes dry, and a wave of heat floods my face. I shift on my feet, unsure what to do, while my racing heart pounds like thunder in my chest.
Who am I? Since when does heat flood my face? Fuck me.
“Hello, ladies,” I say.
Sophie gives me a small smile, and Mila charges—well, more like, wobbles—toward me.
“Hi, Liam. What brings you here today?” Mila asks, hugging me.
“I needed to speak with Sophie. I’m heading out of town and need her to feed my dog.”
She chuckles. “Oh, I see, gotcha.” She winks and says in our native language, so Sophie won’t hear, “I know what you guys are up to. I wasn’t born yesterday. I’m not saying anything until she tells me, though.”
I shake my head with a laugh and respond, “You sound just like Abuelita.” That’s her signature response.I wasn’t born yesterday.
Mila waddles to the back of the studio, leaving me with Sophie.
“Hey, can I talk to you outside?” I ask.
“Of course.”
Once we’re outside, I ask what has been hanging over me. “You didn’t come home.”
Home. Fuck.
