Page 5 of Scoreless Nights

Throwing on my workout gear, I grabbed my keys and left my phone. It would be easier to relax if I wasn’t worried about it ringing with my dad on the other end.

When I got down to the parking garage, I started to veer off toward the pedestrian exit when a woman doing jumping jacks caught my eye. Her back was to me but she had on jeans, which was why she drew my attention.Jeans? A workout?A lot of people in Miami were very eclectic, but no one worked out in jeans. It was too hot for that shit.

Whatever.

When I started toward the door again, the woman let out a growl, loud and echoing off the walls of the garage. She began pacing, and talking to herself, but I wasn’t quite close enough to hear what she was saying. Something about her wouldn’t let me walk away, though. I had never noticed her before, and as late as it was, I started to get a little worried that she was lost, or maybe even on something.

“Excuse me?” I asked, walking closer. The good Samaritan in me was eager to help her, but she didn’t seem to hear me or even notice me approaching.

“You’re not crazy,” I heard her say. “You can do this. You’re not a kid. Just go up there.”

“Excuse me,” I said again, a little louder.

She turned and faced me, her eyes wide, and her chest heaving from what I assumed was from her random workout. Her blonde hair fell around her face, and the shirt she was wearing dipped down low enough that her cleavage was on display. I licked my lips involuntarily, thinking that if she wasn’t so crazy, I would charm her until her panties were around her ankles.

Recognition flashed in her eyes and that immediately told me she knew who I was. Fucking her would be easy. Two in one night would be better than a run, and it seemed I had the time.

“Oh…um…”

Her cheeks flushed with a hint of embarrassment, and I smiled at her as I got close.“¿Estás bien, belleza?”

Her eyes got even wider before she turned away from me and started talking to herself again. After a few mumbled words, she stopped and faced me again, lifting her shoulders back and her chin up.

“Cruz Martin?” She walked closer with a formality I didn’t understand, and stuck her hand out. “Lillian Harris, nice to meet you.”

ChapterThree

Lily

If there was a worse way to see your famous step-brother who intimidated you, and probably hated you, that you hadn’t seen in six years, then I would like to hear that story. Because at that moment, it felt like a heart attack would have been better than the humiliation I felt when I turned and saw Cruz watching me panic.

Mom was calling me nonstop on my drive so I called her back and told her I was an hour away, but that was a lie. Technically, I was already there. I just needed more time to prepare myself before going up to see Cruz. The drive took all day, and I had energy to burn, and worries to shake out. I needed that hour to myself, even if it was in a strange parking garage in South Beach.

Belleza.

I knew enough Spanish to know that he called me beautiful. That meant he had no idea who I was, because the Cruz Martin I once knew would never call me that. So I did what any two strangers should do, I introduced myself.

But the way his forehead creased, and his body tensed, made me feel like that was the wrong thing to do. I pulled my hand back and hid it behind me, hoping he didn’t even see it. I could almost feel myself turning green from the need to vomit all over the place.

“Uh,” I backed up, deciding to head to Angel’s house and letting my parents deal with it. From the look on Cruz’s face, I would be safer with “strangers” anyway.

“Lily?” He finally asked, his voice hoarse.

“I have friends I can stay with,” I explained. “You and I are…” I trailed off without finishing my thought, “and this is weird. I’ll tell Mom and Ivan, don’t worry. And thank you for the offer, I should just—”

“It's midnight.”

“Yeah, so here’s the thing. My mother doesn’t realize I’m all grown up, but ta-da, I’m a full adult. So it may be midnight, but I need to go.”

I turned to race toward the driver door of my car, but Cruz snapped out of his dumbfounded trance and reached out to shut it. “Come upstairs. I’ve been expecting you, so it would be kind of rude to bail on me now. You can leave tomorrow.”

“You looked like you were heading somewhere,” I motioned towards his keys and clothes.

“You told your mom you had another hour, I was just going to jog until you arrived.”

Oh yeah, he was talking to Ivan when I called my mom.Shoot.

“Don’t let me stop you,” I laughed, although it was more awkward than funny. “I can just, um…” I looked around, like I had a lot to do but all that was there was my car. “I gotta go.”

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