Tangled: A Moreno Brothers novella (5 page)

But he refused to let Manny think he’d actually buy into the idea
that Izzy dropped the ball when it came to their kids—something so unlike
her—because of this professor. So he shrugged.

“She works with the guy. Part of her job is discussing the curriculum
with him—talking. I get caught up at work all the time too. It happens.”

“Sure, sure,” Manny said as if in total agreement but still added,
“and that’s probably all it was, but then I got to thinking. Kind of odd that
this would happen to your wife. You know especially the way she is with the
kids and all.”

It’s exactly what Romero was thinking. But the kids, Izzy, and
Aida were downstairs now, and he
did not
want her hearing what Manny was
implying.

“Lower your voice,” he warned, feeling a little hot all of a
sudden.

“I’m just saying I kind of had a feeling this whole thing with
her going back to work might be trouble—”

“Lower your fucking voice,” Romero warned again through his teeth,
knowing full well he’d just let his uncle in on the fact that the more he kept
talking the more this was starting to get to him.

Manny obviously saw the sudden blaze in Romero’s eyes because he
lifted his hands and started backpedaling. “All I’m saying,” Manny said, his
voice still just as loud, so Romero raised a finger at him and lifted the
crumpled bag of popcorn, threatening to throw it at him. Manny lifted his hand in
front of his face in defense. “I didn’t think,” he repeated in a very loud
whisper, “it might be
this
kind of trouble. And it probably isn’t,” he
added quickly. “It’s just that I hear about this shit all the time at the bar. Guys
come in there to drown their sorrows in booze about their wives doing them
wrong. I’m not saying she would, but I’m just worried because I know how bat-shit
crazy you’d get if she so much as got a little too friendly with the guy. Even
that would make you . . . you know . . . go nuts. You got them kids to think
about now. So I just thought as your uncle I should warn you to be aware.” He
pointed at his ear. “Listen for the warning sirens. It probably really is nothing,
and the
only
reason I’m even bringing it up is because shit happens to
most
people. Not Izzy. You know this. You say it all the time. She’s perfect,
remember?”

Romero gulped hard, knowing his whole night could easily be
ruined if he gave this too much thought. Manny would never come at him like this
about anything he knew might set him off, unless he really thought he was onto
something. Max had been quiet the whole time. Either Manny hadn’t discussed
this with him before tonight, or this could be one of the many times Max
disagreed with Manny.

“He’s right,” Max said, glancing out the kitchen door, making the
knot in Romero’s gut go even tighter. “I don’t think she’d do anything either,
Moe. But innocent flirting between two colleagues is more common than you
think. I hear it down at the bar all the time too—married guys talking about
flirting with their co-workers—but sometimes it goes a little further than just
flirting. Sometimes some of these guys talk about developing feelings and shit.
Before you know it, they’re feeling
confused
and tempted to take things
further.” He lifted his hand up when clearly he too picked up on Romero’s instant
irritation about the mere implication that this might be the case with Izzy and
the professor. “I’m not saying she’s even flirting, and if this were anyone
else, we wouldn’t have even brought it up. But this is you.” He shrugged. “And
let’s face it. Even innocent flirting would make you fucking nuts. So in case
it is, maybe, you know, you talk to her about this professor guy before it does
go any further. You don’t wanna accuse her of anything because like we said it’s
probably nothing, but I agree with Manny. Be aware. Knowledge is power. Find
out more about this guy. Ask her what it’s like working with him. Is he married
too? Stuff like that.”

Romero already knew the answer to that last one, and the more he
thought about it, the more he hated the idea of her working so closely with
Elliot.
But he had to be reasonable. Just like him, Izzy lived for her family—for him.
She told him this often. She’d
never
given him reason to doubt her. It
wouldn’t be fair to
not
give her the benefit of the doubt. She hadn’t worked
outside the house a day since the kids were born until now. This was new to
her. This was likely to going to happen more than once. It was normal. She’d
already admitted that the first few days after she’d gone back to work she’d
nearly been late to pick them up. She was just getting used this huge change in
her life.

There was no way Romero could be mad about her slipping one time.
He’d slipped more times than he could count when it came to so many things.
Izzy had always been so patient and forgiving with him all the times when he’d
brought home the wrong kind of diapers or wrong stuff from the market and
forgot about certain awards ceremonies for the kids. It’s not like Manny and
Max hadn’t been there and videotaped the whole damn thing every time, even when
Mandy got an award for holding her pencil correctly in kindergarten. Still he’d
felt like shit the times he’d been so caught up with work he had to miss out.
It was why he hadn’t even questioned it or even dreamed of being mad at his
perfect wife yesterday when he found out about her running late.

To Romero’s surprise, he’d been able to get into the movie they
watched, despite everything on his mind. Even more surprising, his son, who
normally fell asleep during movies, not only had stayed up for the whole thing
he immediately asked if they could see it again when it was over.

“Not tonight, baby,” Izzy said, opening up her arms, and his son
jumped in them. “It’s time for bed now. But tomorrow for sure.”

Romero walked his uncles out with Romeo in his arms before Izzy
tried to walk upstairs, holding him. He’d told her to leave Mandy, who
had
fallen asleep during the movie, downstairs too and he’d bring her up. He knew
if he didn’t she’d try to carry her up.

Once he got upstairs with Romeo, he came back down for Mandy. He
had to laugh at how limply his sweet daughter’s body fell over his shoulder. It
almost made him forget about all the shit Manny and Max had put in his head.

Until he got into his bedroom.

Izzy stood in the middle of the room, wearing a baby-doll
lingerie outfit and fuck-me heels. “Are the kids asleep?”

Romero nodded as his eyes ate up his wife from top to bottom.
Goddamn,
he was a lucky man. She
was
perfect. She shook her ass a little before
lying down on the bed, and he made sure he locked the door.

“I’m as bad as your uncles,” she murmured, smiling at him
sinfully. “I wanted to wait until Christmas before unveiling my newest naughty
outfit. But I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t wait until Christmas to see what
you thought.”

Romero unzipped his pants, staring at his perfect wife lying in
his bed. Jesus-fucking-Christ. How could he be mad at her? One more glance at
her perfect body lying on his bed in the most fuckable outfit imaginable and he
felt his blood begin to bubble despite how hard he was already.

He ripped his shirt and pants off until he was down to just his
boxer briefs and climbed on his bed, lying over her. “How the hell did I get so
lucky?” he asked without giving her a chance to respond before devouring her
mouth.

He ran his hands up and down her long legs and back up in
between. Kissing Izzy had always been his favorite thing to do. He didn’t want
to ruin the moment. Obviously, she’d gone all out for him tonight. He should
forget what Manny said and just enjoy his beautiful wife.

But the very thought that this professor might in any way be
distracting his otherwise meticulously organized Izzy grated him in a way that
he couldn’t let go. He had to get to the bottom of this, and it couldn’t wait
until they were done. “Baby?” he said breathlessly as he kissed her hard again
then nipped his way down her jaw line to her neck.

“
Yes,
” she said, equally as excited and aroused as he
felt.

“Yesterday, when you lost track of time,” he said, kissing her
again, and immediately felt her go stiff. “What?” he asked, pulling his face
away and searching her eyes. He couldn’t make out exactly what he was seeing in
them, but whatever it was literally spiked his heart rate. “What happened?” he
asked, still searching for a clue. “What made you forget the time?”

She shook her head, and while she attempted to hide it, he saw it
now. There was panic in her eyes. It was fleeting, but he hadn’t missed it. “I
was just working and didn’t realize what time it was.”

In an effort to hide his own panic now, he leaned in and kissed
her neck again softly then licked it. “Working?” he whispered. “On what?”

Her body had yet to return to the relaxed state it’d been when he
first lay over her. Though, she did run her hands along his back. Romero knew
this was an odd topic to be talking about at a moment like this and that he was
risking ruining the moment if he didn’t let this shit go, but he couldn’t help
himself. He sucked her neck, rubbing himself against her thigh.

“Just discussing the day’s lecture,” she said, her words just a
little too nervous for his liking.

But there you had it, just as he’d told Manny. Discussing thing
like lectures and curriculum with this guy made perfect sense. He should just
drop it now. But the fact that she’d been so caught up talking to Elliot she
did something so unlike her had him fisting the sheet in his hand, and his dumb
ass went on. “And you just forgot about the kids?”

She went completely stiff now and dropped her hands from his
back. “No, I didn’t
just forget
about the kids,” she said in that tone
she didn’t use often but he knew what it meant. She was pissed. “I’d never
forget about them and you know that.” She tried to push him away now. “I just
didn’t realize how late it was.”

“Hey,” he said, pulling away to look into her angry eyes. “I just
meant you forgot it was time to pick them up. Don’t get upset.”

“Don’t get upset?” she asked, trying to sit up, just a little too
defensive. “You’re saying I forgot my kids, Romero. When have I ever done that?”

This time she did sit up and he let her. “Baby, I was just asking
because Manny brought it up tonight and I remembered I hadn’t even asked much
about it. I was curious.”

“What did he bring up?” she asked, pulling her legs off the side
of the bed. “Did he say I forgot the kids too?”

“No!” Romero pulled his legs off the bed, too, when she got up. “Look.
I’m sorry I worded it that way,” he said, going after her because she was
already headed to the bathroom.

He caught up to her in the bathroom and reached out for her hand,
turning her around to face him. His heart nearly skipped when he saw her
flooded eyes.
Fuck!
He knew he should’ve just let this go.

“You’re crying about this?” he asked, cradling her face in his
hands, even as she tried to fight him, and then kissed her softly. “I didn’t
mean anything by it, Izzy. It was just a question.” He pulled back and searched
her eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”

If it weren’t for her dressing up for him, he might think it was that
time of the month because this was way too much of an overreaction. Even on her
moody days, she was never this bad.

“I just felt really bad about yesterday,” she whispered, looking
down. “You know that kind of stuff never happens to me. I was so relieved when you
weren’t mad about it.”

Damn it. He should’ve known Izzy would be hard on herself over
something like this, and then his dumb ass goes and accuses her of
forgetting
the kids.

“I’m an asshole,” he said, kissing her again. “I wasn’t mad at
you then and I’m not now. I know you’d never forget them, babe. It was a stupid
choice of words.” He kissed her again and again because the more he thought
about it the more he realized how upset with herself she must’ve been. He’d
completely misinterpreted the panic he’d seen in her eyes. “Seriously,” he said,
bringing his arms around her tightly and wanting nothing more than to assure
her he was fine with her not being so perfect
all
the time. “I was just
curious. But don’t beat yourself up about this, Izzy. Manny got them and there
was no harm done. If it ever happens again, one of those two will always be
around.” He shrugged with a smile, remembering how puffed up his uncles’ chests
had gotten when Izzy had informed them she’d added their names to the kids’
emergency contact info. “Those two love feeling needed.”

He pulled back to look at her, and to his relief, she didn’t seem
so upset anymore. She even smiled weakly. “Yeah, well, don’t expect it to
happen
ever
again.”

He smiled even bigger now. “Izzy, never say never. I know you’re
perfect, but there are things even you have no control over. Shit happens. So
if this ever happens again, don’t sweat it. No one’s gonna be mad at you, least
of all me, okay?” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry I upset you. You
forgive me?”

Smiling a little bigger this time, she raised an eyebrow then
surprised him by placing her hand over the front of his briefs, instantly
getting a rise out of him. “Depends on how you plan on making it up to me.”

Groaning, he lifted her in his arms, overwhelmed with relief that
their night hadn’t been ruined after all. “Oh, I’ll make it up to you in more
ways than one.”

She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck as he rushed her
back to the bed. The moment he realized the naughty lingerie she’d bought was
crotch-less he knew the first time was going to be fast. After that, he’d take
it slowly. Now that he’d managed to fix what could’ve easily taken a more
disastrous turn, he had every intention of making it up to her
all
night.