Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set (17 page)

Alex picked up his water glass and took a sip before meeting her inquiring gaze. "The first time I saw Maya, it was across a field filled with freshman downing every beer they could get their hands on before the night was done. It was the first night of orientation and we had just been given our tour of the campus. We were being introduced to the other freshman who had finished their tours as well. I looked up and there she was. She turned and looked at me."

Alex smiled wistfully and took a deep breath. "Whoever tells you that it takes time or that you don't know right away that this is the one is full of it. Either that or they haven't experienced the real thing before."

Bianca was hard pressed to imagine that her sensible, responsible, and very scientific older brother was a closet romantic.

"Alex, you can't be serious," she said, but he only smiled and nodded.

"I am serious. Love isn't slow. It isn't rationale. It isn't anything you can even explain. All I know is that it comes when you least expect it and pounds you over the head, until all you can think about, dream about, is that person," he said intensely.

Deep inside she was happy that her brother had found someone who could inspire such emotions. The kind of passion that her partner Eduardo had said was essential for a lasting and satisfying relationship.

When Alex had said that he was involved with Maya again, she had been worried. Not because she didn't like her, but because she remembered the difficult time they had gone through in college. But now she had no doubt that her brother was happy and well and truly in love with his wife.

If she took his words as gospel, she couldn't deny that love had bitten her and hard.

Rey was all she thought about.

Rey was all she dreamed about. Despite wanting to know more about him and who he was, she knew that it didn’t really matter. She wanted her brother to know how she felt and that he approved of her choice.

"I think I’m in love with Rey," she said.

He seemed momentarily shocked, but then he relaxed and smiled.

"I like Rey. I didn't at first."

"Why not?" she asked, worried since her brother was generally a good judge of character.

"Jealousy. There was this good-lucking guy spending all kinds of time at Maya's house. Alone with Maya. I could see the way she looked at him."

"Maya would never cheat on you."

Alex raised his hand to quiet her defense of his wife. "No, Maya would never cheat. But I defy any grown woman not to notice Rey. For that matter, even my five-year old daughter thinks he's just the greatest and to tell the truth, he's good with her. He'll be a fine husband and good father someday."

Bianca nodded, took a moment to think about all that Alex had said as the waitress returned and placed the gigantic sandwich in front of them. A mountain of brisket filled two large slices of rye bread. There was a salad bar where you could get extra slices of bread to help you split the sandwich ever more, plus an assortment of pickles to add to the meal.

A busboy laid a large oval platter with at least two pounds of French fries before them as well. When they stepped away, she resumed the conversation.

"We're not at that stage in our relationship, Alex. I'm not sure it is a relationship yet or if we'll even get there. Is Rey the kind of guy who is long term?"

"Are you asking if he's the kind of guy I'd want you to marry?" he said around a mouthful of his brisket sandwich.

Bianca nodded, somehow managed to pick up her own overstuffed sandwich and nibbled at the one edge, working her way toward the meaty center. It took a few seconds for Alex to finish chewing, swallow, and talk once again.

She listened intently to what her brother had to say, needing his guidance.

"Rey and Daisy didn't have it easy growing up. Their Dad died when they were young and it made life very difficult for them."

Bianca sensed her brother was holding back on something.

"How difficult?" she said.

The question clearly made Alex uncomfortable.

"It's not for me to say, Bianca. If you and Rey reach the point where things are getting serious, you need to discuss it."

She wondered for a moment what could be so important and then decided it didn't matter. "You know what, Alex? I'm only just beginning to know Rey, but I know he's a gentle man. A caring one from what I can see of the way he treats his sister, his mother, and even Maya's parents."

Alex nodded and answered before taking another bite. "They all think he's God's gift to them. There isn't anything they need with the way he keeps an eye on them. It takes a good, kind, and strong man to deal with that."

Alex's statement confirmed what she had gathered about Rey. It confirmed to her that she not only wanted to get to know Rey better, she wanted their relationship to move to the next level. As for whatever had happened in Rey's life, whatever it was had made him the man she had come to care about.

She was certain it couldn't be anything all that bad and that she could deal with it.

But in the back of her mind, she wondered if that part of Rey’s life was the source of the darkness and pain she sensed in him.

And that suddenly worried her more than she liked.

Chapter Thirteen

Bianca tried hard not to show her disappointment that for the fourth day in a row, she and Rey had missed each other.

For the past week they had come and gone from the restaurant, their timing always at odds. More than once she had arrived to hear that Rey had just left to check on another job or to go get something for their project. More than once she had wondered if he was somehow avoiding her after what they had shared on Sunday night. After all, if he was interested, he would have picked up the phone and called her again, right?

Especially after missing her every day this week.

It was the start of the weekend and she'd be damned if she spent it wondering about Rey and why he hadn't called or come by.

Maybe he wasn't the kind of guy she had thought him to be.

Maybe he hadn't felt what she had that night.

A string of maybes worked through her brain as she swiped the last of the smelly cleaner from the door of the oven, shoved it shut, and stood. She worked the kinks out of her back and took a deep breath to clear the sting of the cleaner's fumes from her lungs.

"Working hard or hardly working?"

She jumped at the unexpected sound of Rey's voice, embarrassed. She looked less than her best. After all, she had just spent the better part of the last two hours cleaning years of dirt from the inside of an oven.

"Hi. I wasn't expecting anyone," she answered and tugged at the hem of her filthy t-shirt.

To her surprise as she turned to face him, he didn't look much better. His jeans, always a temptation to the eyes despite the dirt, were caked with mud along the lower part of his pants legs. His t-shirt was torn along one side and there was a nasty scratch visible beneath the tear. The remainder of his shirt was streaked with muddy hand prints.

"OMG! You look worse than I do," she said and approached him.

When she stood in front of him, she drew up the torn side of his shirt and examined the long angry scratch there. "We need to get that clean."

Rey glanced down at her and swiped at her cheek, then displayed the smudge of grease he had removed.

"I think we both need to get clean. I hadn't planned on coming over here looking like this, but it became a day in contractor hell and I didn’t want to miss you again." He trailed off, seemingly flustered with his explanation.

Bianca smiled that he had wanted to see her. She smoothed the shirt over his side, but kept her hand on the waistband of his jeans. "I was disappointed that I've missed you all week. I was beginning to think you might not be -- "

"Interested?" he jumped in and raised one eyebrow in question. "Part of the problem was that maybe I was
too
interested, Bianca. As good as it was last time, I wasn't sure if I was the kind of guy -- "

"That I want?" she finished for him.

He shook his head and stuck his hands in his pants pockets in a gesture that was starting to get too familiar.

"That you
deserve
, Bianca."

His uncertainty and vulnerability were all too clear and tore at her heart. She cupped his jaw and the slight bristle of his evening beard scraped against her palm. She shifted her thumb to ride over his lips, quieting him while she answered. "I deserve a caring and thoughtful man. One who can make me laugh and make me feel loved. I need a man who can be strong enough for not only me, but for himself."

Rey considered her words carefully, aware of the faith she was putting into his hands by admitting those things. He could try to be all of those things for her and she was most definitely worth the effort.

"I'm willing to try, Bianca, if you are."

She smiled, rose on her tiptoes, and kissed him. "I'm not only willing, I'm ready, Rey."

He grinned at her words, slipped his arms around her waist, and drew her near despite the dirt on both of them. How much dirtier could they get? he thought.

"Then let's not waste any more time," he said, thinking of lots of ways they could help each other get clean.

* * *

Bianca had brought an overnight bag with her that morning, intending on spending the night with Diana and Eduardo so they could all get a jump on the work they had to do in the kitchen. Rey had made remarkable progress with his part of the project and they wanted to take advantage of that.

In the week since they had demolished the walls, Rey and his crew had taken down every section that the plans called for and re-done the headers and supports necessary for the new open spaces. Over the weekend, they would make the changes in the plumbing necessitated by the renovation.

Rey had estimated that by the following week they could replace all the windows along the bottom floor. Then they would tackle the windows on the second floor. When all that was finished, they'd sheetrock the exposed areas before tending to replacement of the doors and the detail work, such as the trim and restoration of the wooden bar area. When that work was completed, she had assembled a volunteer crew to help with the painting and staining.

Rey and his crew could then turn their attention to refinishing the floors and the exterior work, which luckily didn't require a lot of labor. Some new trim, patching up the missing siding, and a fresh coat of paint.

If nothing unexpected popped up, Bianca suspected that they might even be finished ahead of schedule. More importantly, they'd finish within the stingy budget they had given Rey. She appreciated how much he had done to try and keep things within their means.

"You really are doing an amazing job, Rey," she said as she sat next to him in his truck, her overnight bag perched on her lap. Her heart beat a little too fast as she thought of what might happen that night.

"We've been lucky so far. No unexpected problems. The inspectors have been on time and reasonable with their requests and approvals. A lot of things," he said with a shrug.

Bianca suspected it had little to do with luck and a lot to do with Rey, the quality of his work, and the effort he put into the project.

"You're being too humble. It's really happening and you're a big reason why."

He smiled then, just a small one, but she was glad for it.

"Thanks," he replied and pulled into a spot on New York Boulevard in front of a large, three story house.

"We're home."

Bianca slipped out of the car and waited for him on the sidewalk. He grasped her hand as he met her, walked her up the short flight of steps to the front of his home. Pulling off the large keychain on his belt, he opened the door and motioned her to be quiet as they walked in.

He held her hand, hurried her past one doorway, and to the end of the hall where there was a stairway. He nearly tiptoed up the steps and she followed to the next landing, where at the opposite end of the hall there was another door.

Rey kept on walking to the uppermost floor and breathed a sigh of relief which quickly turned to a groan as she heard someone call out, "Is that you, Rey?"

He motioned for her to head to the end of the hall by his apartment door and then he leaned down into the stairwell and answered, "It's me, Mom. No need to worry."

"Are you hungry? I saved you some of your favorite beef stew," she said.

Bianca couldn't help but be amused by the plight of Rey trying to gracefully avoid his mother and her beef stew.

Rey met her gaze for a second, shot her an apologetic smile, and shook his head. "Thanks, Mom, but I already had something to eat with the guys."

Bianca looked down at herself. She looked nothing like a guy, but a suddenly mischievous side couldn't help but emerge. She stood up straighter, puffed up her chest and mimicked flexing her muscles in a manly man kind of way.

Rey had to cover his mouth to smother his laughter.