Page 20 of Caught Looking
I felt his hands come up to my face and his mouth making its way up too. “Open your eyes, Yari.” I didn’t want to, but he asked me, so I did. “My dad knows, okay? I told him and he’s fine.”
I stiffened. “No, Hatuey.”
“Yes, Yariel,” he countered. “When we got back from the camp yesterday and I went to my room, I called him. My life is my life, not my father’s, he gets that.” His eyes changed then, and for the first time I saw the same doubt there I’d been feeling for days. “Now if you have regrets, if you don’t want this, then—”
That was not fucking coming out of his mouth. In two seconds flat I had him on his back, my entire body primed to show him just how wrong that train of thought was.
“I want all of it.” I covered his mouth with mine, tongues sliding together, instant and complete connection. He jerked against me as I touched him, my hands rough as I grabbed and stroked all the parts that were now mine. “Mio.”
I grunted as we moved together, already needing more, and my eyes on him. Always on him.
He held on to me and spoke around a smile so full of love it pierced my heart. “You’re caught, Yariel Cabral. Forever.”
I sealed his words with a kiss as the warmth of the morning sun promised that the first day of our future together was going to be a beautiful one.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Valentine’s Day
Yariel
There was no fighting it—Iwas really that guy now. I was the obnoxious rich asshole who had recreated my boyfriend’s favorite restaurant at home just to make him smile. I couldn’t even pretend to care. Nah, I was feeling too fucking smug about how perfect all this looked.
“Is it all to your liking, Mr. Cabral?”
I nodded at my assistant’s question as I took in the details of the room. A small table for two had been set up by the glass wall overlooking the river, so we could dine with a view of the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty. There were little votive candles on the table and some flowers. White and green orchids, which Hatuey loved.
Next to the table was a bottle of Dom Pérignon on ice, and our meals were in the kitchen, prepared by my man’s favorite chef. We could’ve gone to the restaurant, but what I had planned would hopefully involve dessert in bed, naked.
I grinned again, unable to help myself as I patted the little box in my jacket pocket. “Everything’s perfect. Thank you,” I said, turning to look at Daniella. “I think I can take it from here.”
She smiled but was looking at me like she’d never seen me before. I got a lot of those looks from people these days.
“Sir, if I may say something.” She sounded so serious and formal I almost told her no.
“Of course,” I said, moving to look at the heart-shaped red menu cards that were on top of the place settings. Hatuey would eat this up. I liked to tease him about how sappy he was, but I secretly loved indulging that side of him. In this last year it had been my greatest joy to romance and seduce the man I’d loved forever and never thought I’d be able to call mine. I lived to give him everything he desired, and Hatuey loved a Hallmark moment.
“It’s nice to see you like this.” Daniella’s warm voice brought me back to the moment. I stiffened at the way she said it—to see me like this.
Before responding, I turned to look at her. I don’t know what I expected to see on her face, but she looked genuinely pleased. “You’re so happy,” she explained, and I couldn’t help but smile back. She was right—Iwashappy.
Fuck, I was much more than happy. My life was fucking made. I was deeply, desperately in love with my soulmate.
“Thank you for saying that, Dani,” I told her, touched by her words. “And thanks again for all your help with this. Hatuey’s going to love it.”
“Anything for Mr. Sanchez.” She preened at the mention of my boyfriend—and hopefully soon-to-be fiancé. The man had every person I worked with wrapped around his finger, and I would have been annoyed about it, if he didn’t have the same exact hold on me. He was the most gorgeous, kind, irresistible man in this whole city—fuck it, in this whole world—and he was all mine.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. When I looked at it, I saw a message from my driver saying he and Hatuey were only five minutes away. My heart thrashed in my chest like a caged bird as I replied to him. I had never felt this nervous. And that was saying something, considering I’d just come off a major league season that earned me my first World Series ring.
I glanced at Dani, who was still standing by the dinner table, and smiled. “They’re five minutes away.”
She nodded and started moving toward the door. “That’s my cue. Dessert’s in the fridge and the food’s on the warmers.
“You’re a star, Dani.” I sounded giddy as fuck, and I wasn’t even going to try to hold it back. I’d given up on being stoic as soon as I decided to give things with Hatuey a try. Containing how happy I felt was a lot more exhausting than just letting it happen, so I leaned into all of it. And now, tonight, I was ready to take the final big step.
I returned my focus to my assistant and pointed at the service elevator door. “I told Ramon to wait for you in the garage. He’ll text you when he’s dropped off Hatuey and will take you home.”
