Page 9 of Naughty and Nice
“Liliana, I didn’t mean to...” He took a step closer. “I didn’t know you were…” His dark orbs roamed over me. “Renata and José are on their way to the warehouse.” Another step brought him even closer. “You’re fucking beautiful.”
I shook my head and turned, slipping on my bra. Once it was secured, Nick reached for my arm and gently turned me back toward him. Lifting my face, I met his gaze.
“You’re beautiful,” he repeated. “I wanted to be sure you heard me.”
“I heard you.” I took a breath. Warmth rippled from his wide chest, only inches from my breasts. “You don’t scare me.”
His hands came to my shoulders, running down my arms. “I don’t want to scare you.” He reached for my hair. “I’ve never seen your hair down, stunning.”
My mind was telling me to back away, but it was my body that was obviously confused. The twisting deep within me was unfamiliar. I had the sensation that my panties were damp. The urge to lean into this man was almost too strong to resist. Never in my life had I recalled having such a visceral reaction to a man. Was this the desire other women spoke about?
I took a step back, my cheeks filling with warmth.
Nick did the same, stepping back. “I’m sorry, Liliana.”
I looked down and back up. “It’s the same as a bathing suit.”
“I’ll…Let me know when you’re ready to go.”
Standing still, my focus lowered, noticing the bulge beneath Nick’s dark blue jeans. I nibbled on my lower lip, unsure how I was feeling. Finally, he turned and headed toward the bedroom door. As he walked, I scanned from his dark hair to his broad shoulders and down to his trim waist.
Nick was so much more of a man than his uncle had been. While he was half Gerardo’s age—still a decade older than me—his presence wasn’t only the existence of his toned muscles or handsome face. My body reacted because I wasn’t afraid of Nick Ruiz. Over the years, I’d grown to trust him.
The spark of yearning caught fire within me, smoldering beneath the surface, a foreign flame I didn’t know how to tend.
I’d never ached for a man before.
It didn’t matter. I’d taken my stand—to be a single widow for the rest of my life. Besides, my name was already Ruiz. And anyway, Nick Ruiz wasn’t interested in me, not like that.
Chapter
Five
Nick
* * *
What the actual fuck just happened?
Leaving Liliana in her bedroom, I paced back and forth in her living room. The furniture, holiday decorations, and other surroundings were lost on me, my mind only seeing her nearly nude. I should have knocked.
Why didn’t I knock?
Her slender form and tiny breasts were the opposite of what I looked for when I sought companionship. Yet they were permanently imprinted in my brain. Her long hair flowing over her slim shoulders, the dip of her neck between her collarbones, and the way her nipples darkened as they tightened were images that played on repeat. She didn’t turn away from me. Fuck no. Liliana turned toward me, strong and proud.
These thoughts were insane.
Liliana was technically my aunt, or she had been.
She was also ten years younger than me.
It wasn’t like we were blood related.
What the fuck?
I needed to adjust my thinking.
Em had mentioned marriage one too many times. There was no way in hell that el Patrón would allow me to marry my uncle’s widow. Why was I even thinking that way?
