Suspicious Minds (Fate #3) (2 page)

“Baby—”

“Don’t call me that!” he said loudly. “Just answer the fucking
question! Did you sleep with him?”

“It’s complicated.”

“No, it’s not!” He backed away from her bed, feeling the enormous
ache in his heart mixed with the anger and disgust inundate him. “It’s simple
enough, Linda. Either you did or you didn’t. Which is it?”

She shook her head, squeezing her eyes in pain, but that still
wasn’t a no. When she opened her eyes again, he saw the tears. The unforgiving
boulder now lodged in his throat allowed only for feelings of disgust.

“I’ve been so confused,” she whispered.

“So you took off for the weekend with him.”

It wasn’t a question; it was a fact. He was stating the obvious,
and the clearer this became, the angrier it made him.

“Nikki needs him in her life,” she whispered as Lorenzo brought
his hands to his head and turned his back to her, unable to even look at her
anymore. “And I just didn’t know . . . I wasn’t sure what to—”

“Did you sleep with him?” he asked again, swallowing hard, peering
up at the ceiling, and willing the hope to go away. The hope his shattered
heart was still grasping at that she might actually say no. At this point, he
knew it didn’t matter.

“Yes, but . . .”

He spun around, unbelievably stunned as if after admitting she’d
been with him all this time, there might’ve actually been a chance she hadn’t
slept with the guy. “You did?”

She nodded, her face scrunching up as she began to cry. “I’m
sorry,” she whimpered. “I just . . . I’ve been so torn—”

“Did you really think you’d have a decision to make once you
fucked him?”

She gasped as he felt his crushed heart nearly go through his
chest. Lorenzo didn’t even attempt to lower his voice anymore. The longer he
looked at her, even with her pained expression, the more disgust far outweighed
the pain, and he was glad for that. He needed it.

“How long?” he asked as his chest heaved.

Thoughts of her having been doing this behind his back for weeks,
maybe months, and he’d been completely oblivious to it infuriated him.

“How long, damn it!”

Not even seeing the obvious pain she was in from just shaking her
head as she squeezed her eyes shut, gave him any satisfaction. “We’ve been
talking again for weeks, but it was only last night that we—”

“I’ll have all your shit in a box on your porch by tomorrow.” He
rushed to the door, pissed at himself that he’d almost made her say it. “Mail
me my key. I don’t wanna hear from your ass ever again.”

He’d felt sick to his stomach before many times, especially while
in boot camp. But it’d never felt this brutal—revolting.

“Enzo,” she said as he reached the door. “I’m so—”

“Fuck you!” he said, turning back to glare at her one last time.

Never in his life would he have believed he’d ever speak to her
so disrespectfully, but at that moment, respect was the last thing he was
feeling for her.

“You’re not allowed to say another word to me ever again.”

He heard her sob as he stormed out the door. As infuriated and
disgusted as he felt, the pain was still there, and it pissed him off.

As promised, Vincent stood outside the door, waiting, but didn’t
say a word. His brother knew him better than anyone. He knew better than to ask
anything, especially with the way Lorenzo was feeling.

He’d been seeing Linda for almost a fucking year. He’d fallen in
love with her and Nikki almost instantly, and she’d been ecstatic when he
proposed just a few months ago. In spite of his mother’s reservations about him
getting involved with a single mom, he didn’t care. Even Vince had voiced his
concern that Lorenzo had moved too fast, but he’d been so sure he’d felt
from
her what he’d been feeling
for
her. Nikki it’d turned out had been just
a bonus. There was no way he couldn’t fall in love with a sweet little girl
like that, and he’d been so ready to take on the role of her stepdad. He wasn’t
even sure what hurt more, losing Linda or no longer being a part of Nikki’s
life.

His mother and Vince had tried in vain to warn him about getting
too attached, but their warnings had come too late. He already was. The ache in
his heart was so brutal he could hardly stand it, so he tried to focus on the
anger—the disgust he felt for Linda now. She’d slept with the guy. Slept with
the guy the same night she’d fucked Lorenzo just that morning.

It was an incredible feat, but he managed to not punch his fist
through one of the glass windows on the doors along the corridor they walked
through.

It wasn’t until they were out in the parking lot and Lorenzo
exhaled harshly that Vince finally spoke up. “You gonna be okay?”

Lorenzo didn’t want his brother to know just how profoundly he
was hurting. He shrugged, swallowing hard. “This is probably for the best. Who
was I kidding thinking I was ready for marriage—an insta-family?”

He tried to laugh, at least chuckle to make light of it, but he
couldn’t. In the next instant, he rushed to the bushes and threw up his entire
lunch and then some. He’d always known falling in love—allowing himself to be
that vulnerable for any girl—was just asking for heartache. But he’d mistakenly
thought Linda was worth taking that risk for.

Never again.

One

Lorenzo

Since the night at the emergency room with Linda over
six months ago, Lorenzo had lost track of all the meaningless romps he’d had to
try and numb the anger. It worked well enough, but the numbness was always only
temporary. He was past the pain finally, but he’d since accepted he’d never get
over the rage he still felt over Linda’s betrayal. He was actually angrier with
himself now for getting so caught up with Linda and ignoring the signs of
betrayal.

It had been annoying to hear her on the phone with her ex so
often—watch her slink out of the room for more privacy. Lorenzo always thought
it was because the guy was being an asshole or something and she didn’t want
Lorenzo getting worked up. She insisted she had to be amicable because she didn’t
want Patrick challenging the arrangement they had with Nikki. She didn’t want
to risk his asking for joint custody.
Lorenzo had been doing what he thought was the right
thing: being the understanding and supportive boyfriend—fiancé. And what did it
get him? The thought always had him gnashing his teeth. It was beyond infuriating
even after all these months.

Tonight had started off as just another night he’d be numbing the
rage. He knew the moment he saw her wander into the bar—alone—she’d do just
fine. But it was highly unlikely that a girl with an ass that would put Kim
Kardashian to shame and the swagger to match it would be alone for too long. So
he waited curiously for her man to arrive. When it became obvious none would,
he made his move. He’d struck up a generic but obvious “I’m only looking for
one thing tonight” conversation, and she’d been all for it. Now he was about to
fuck her senseless and he’d since forgotten her name.

Exactly how he liked it.

It was better if she remained nameless—kept things all the more
impersonal. The only way he wanted things to be with any woman he hung out with
now was impersonal and meaningless.

Ripping her panties off as he lifted her up against the door, he
wondered if he’d be doing her right there or if they’d be moving to the bed. As
hot as she was and as into this as she seemed to be, her quivering was of a
different kind than what he’d become accustomed to from most girls so eager for
meaningless sex. She was different from what he’d expected a girl with the
swagger she’d displayed earlier to be. In fact, he’d gotten the distinct
feeling this wasn’t a common thing for her, even before she told him it wasn’t.

“I don’t usually bring men I just met home with me.”

As jaded as he was about women, he actually believed her.
Something about those big sparkling yet unsure golden eyes made her statement
believable. The same eyes he’d gotten caught up in too many times when talking
to her at the bar seemed to mask her unease with what was happening between
them. He’d begun to feel the same unease the longer he’d talked to her.

“Tonight’s different,” she’d added as she’d glanced away
poignantly. “It’s what I want tonight. I
need
this.”

As curious as that had made him, Lorenzo hadn’t asked for more.
He didn’t need to get into anything about her personal life. Her background. All
he needed to know was that she was willing and all in for an insignificant
night of unabashed rage-numbing sex.

“Is this what you need?” he whispered against her lips as his
fingers caressed her wet slit, making her quiver all over.

He watched her lashes tremble as she closed her eyes and nodded.
Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip, and then a gasp escaped from those lips as
he slipped two fingers in her. As wet as she was, she was tighter than he
expected. Feeling even more aroused, he squeezed her abundant but rock solid ass
even harder. Leaving his two fingers inside her, he placed his thumb upward on
that spot he knew would make her quiver again.

For a moment he thought about just taking her on the bed and
fucking her. Getting it over with. Forget all the foreplay. It was all he
wanted anyway. But he couldn’t stop staring at the expression on her face. He
knew now that was one of his weaknesses. A weakness he’d enjoyed at the time. A
risky weakness.

Normally, watching as he got a girl off was such a harmless turn
on, but getting caught up in eyes like this girl’s was dangerous, especially
because this weakness was only second to his all-time weakness: her glorious
extra-plush ass. He’d noticed it about her first thing, and it had his cock
instantly going erect.

She stared deeply into his eyes now as he worked her into a
frenzy with his fingers. Noticing things such as how deeply the cute little
crease between her eyes went and wondering
why
she needed this tonight
as she began to pant, were setting off alarms. He had no business wondering
about her personal life. It didn’t matter.

He dove into her neck, sucking harder as he felt her undeniable
climax build. Pulling upward slightly, he sucked her earlobe, bringing the tiny
diamond stud into his mouth. A small moan escaped her as he continued to work
her other pulsating bud down below, the one he wanted his mouth on now too. “You
like that?” he whispered against her ear. “You want me to make you scream
before I fuck you hard? Is that what you
need
?”

“Yes!” she said breathlessly. “Oh my God, yes!”

Unable to take it anymore, he pulled away and kissed her deeply
as she came, her body quivering uncontrollably. Her mouth was impossibly delectable.
He could kiss her
all
night, but something about the way she kissed him
back so profoundly didn’t feel right. Kissing wasn’t supposed to feel this
intimate. It was supposed to be a turn on—period—something he did just to get
her and himself going.

Lorenzo lifted her and rushed to the bed just a few feet away.
The moment he let her go he tore his shirt off and started to reach for his
wallet, but she pulled him down onto her. He’d been right. Kissing her was unbelievable,
and apparently she’d thought so too because, despite the fact that she’d just
had what sounded and felt like an incredible climax, she wanted him to keep
kissing her. And damn it if he wasn’t tempted to devour her mouth all night too.

He did, at first, bringing his hands around her face almost as
frantically as she’d pulled him down. Her hands ran all over his tense arm,
chest, and shoulder muscles feverishly. Cradling her mouth as his ravenous
tongue explored every inch of it, he nipped at her bottom lip then sucked it.
He couldn’t get enough. His heart had never beaten so hard over just a kiss. It
was
insanity
. His attempts to stop and move on with what he’d come there
to do only ended with him staring deeply into her eyes before diving in again,
unwilling—unable—to stop himself. The kissing went on for far too long. Finally,
he forced himself to pull away breathlessly and stared into those beautiful eyes
once again. Why
the fuck
had he ignored what looking into her eyes did
to him and come back to her place anyway?

She flinched when he jerked back and pulled the wallet out of his
back pocket. Almost in a panic, he pulled his pants off and climbed back on her,
spreading her legs. He
had
to get this over with, bag her and leave as
he always did.

“I need to get my cock in you already,” he said, wanting to sound
anything but sweet because this wasn’t supposed to be sweet, damn it. “Spread
nice and wide for me,” he ordered brusquely.

Slipping both hands into hers, he brought her hands over her head,
holding them there as he swayed his hips against her and began to slide in. His
heart nearly gave out when he felt just
how
tight she was, and he froze.

“This isn’t your first—?”

“No!” she said too quickly, and he stared at her for a moment,
afraid to move on.

What the hell was wrong with him? Even if she were a virgin, this
wouldn’t be his first time with one. But there was something about those eyes. He
could only think of one way to explain it. But it was too sweet—too romantic—cheesy
even. It was almost is if her eyes spoke to him. The faint but undeniable ache
in them felt all too familiar.

Ignoring it, he did what he should’ve done from the moment they
walked into her place. He slammed deep into her with a purpose, doing his best
to not think about how incredibly tight she felt, which was nearly impossible because
it felt so
damn good
. But he refused to get caught up in those eyes
anymore, especially not as the incredible sensation began to increase. The
anger he felt now for allowing himself to even wonder for moment about this
girl helped move things along faster.

Normally he’d take his time, enjoy the act, and draw it out as
long as possible for maximum pleasure. Now he thrust into her roughly, faster
and deeper, because he needed to get there—needed to numb the rage he’d begun
to feel once again. The way her body reacted to his was also new to him. Their
rhythm was perfect, and despite his earlier suspicions that this might be her
first time, she knew exactly how to move, and it was making her moan. Giving
into the temptation, he glanced down at her face, and their eyes nearly locked,
but he tore his gaze away quickly.

Why hadn’t he taken her from behind instead? Damn it! It would’ve
eliminated any possible eye contact. But then he would’ve been staring at
something else that might’ve driven him even crazier. Groaning through his
teeth, he focused on their hands above her head. Even as her body began to
tremble uncontrollably and she cried out, he
would not
look into those sweet
eyes again. With one final grunt, he buried himself deep inside her and
collapsed over her, purposely facing away.

The moment he was able to catch his breath and his heart calmed a
little, he was off the bed. This was another thing that alarmed him. Normally he
couldn’t care less what his one-nighters thought of him. His intentions were
always made clear before he even left with a girl back to her place, his place,
or even just his car. “I’m just looking to have a little fun tonight. I won’t
even need your number.”

He’d said the same thing to this girl tonight. Now he felt like a
dick. But as tempted as he was to ask her name again, he forced himself not to.

No fucking way.

“Thanks,” he said, pulling his pants on. “That was . . .
very
nice.”

It was way more than nice, and already he could tell it wouldn’t
be nearly as forgettable as all the other trysts he’d had lately. That scared
the hell out of him. It was why he wouldn’t even allow himself to eye her for
longer than a few seconds. And despite the incredible urge to kiss her goodbye
before he left, he refrained. His exit was one of the quickest and dirtiest he’d
ever made, and while it made him feel like a total dirt bag, he stepped on the
gas, skidded out of there, and never looked back.

~~~

Sal’s oldest two kids stood outside in the front yard,
each holding on to a leash with a fur ball at the end—their twin Chow Chow pups.
Hearing about how adorable the pups were from his brother Vince was one thing,
but seeing them was something else. It was months ago when Vince first told him
about the puppies their cousin had bought for his kids, and because they
usually met on the fairway, it’d been even longer since Lorenzo had been over to
Sal’s house. Lorenzo could only imagine how much cuter they’d been back then
since they weren’t
tiny
puppies anymore, but they were still a sight to
see.

The kids ran to him when they saw him and hugged him.

“Look at owe puppies, Uncle Enzo!” Vivianna said, holding up the
leash, and happily ignoring the fact that her R’s were still nonexistent in her
speech. “Yogi and Baloo. Auntie Wosie named Baloo aftah huh favowit teddy bah.”

Vivianna was the younger of the two but despite her slight speech
impediment usually did most of the talking.

“Yogi and Baloo? Those are very cool names,” Lorenzo said,
squatting down to pet the two little guys. “You guys taking them for a walk?”

“No,” Vivi said as Chavita shook his head and waited for his
little sister to explain. “We’ah waiting fo da gwoomuh.”

As usual, it took a few seconds for Lorenzo to completely
understand what she was saying. “The groomer? These guys getting a haircut?”

“Ah huh,” she nodded, smiling big. “It’s theuh fust time.”

Lorenzo kissed his niece on the forehead, willing away the still
painful memories of Linda’s daughter Nikki. He was over Linda now, but he hated
how much he missed Nikki, and being around Sal’s kids, especially Vivianna,
always reminded him of her.

Sal and his good friend Romero walked out the front door. As
usual, Romero was in the middle of laughing until he was distracted by
something out in the street.

“There she is,” Romero said, and they all turned in the direction
where he motioned.

A big white-and-pink van with the words “Wagg’n Wheels,” with photos
of dogs and cats and a trail of pink paws painted all over it, pulled up in
front of Sal’s house.

“Cool!” Both kids said in unison as they all took in the van.

“Is she gonna need to pull into the driveway?” Sal asked Romero. “I
can pull my car out.”

“I don’t know,” Romero said, walking away toward the van. “Let me
ask her.”

The kids started to follow Romero until Sal told them to wait. He
then turned to Lorenzo. “We’ll go as soon as I get this taken care of. Grace is
busy feeding the baby, and I want to make sure I get the payment taken care of and
next appointment set.”

Lorenzo nodded. “Is Romero going too?”

“Nah.” Sal turned back to the van where the young girl wearing
pink scrubs stepped out. “He can’t today. He’s just here because that’s his
cousin. I’ve only met her a handful of times. Romero set this up, so he thought
it might be best if he was here for her first visit.”

Lorenzo turned back to the girl curiously. Both she and Romero
were turned away from them now as she began opening up the side of the van. He’d
seen some of these mobile pet-grooming vans on the road, but he was curious now
what one looked like inside. He’d personally never had a pet that needed to be
groomed, but it didn’t surprise him that his cousin Sal not only would have his
expensive dogs groomed but he’d have a groomer who made house calls.