Rafa bit his lip. “Um, a couple decades, I think.”
“Well, that is a classic indeed, Rafael Castillo. Go big or go home, huh? Are you going to see this bike again?”
“Definitely. Like, every day. Especially when I go out.”
Her jaw actually dropped open, and then her eyes narrowed. “Wait. Does this Harley come with its own radio?”
Closing his eyes, he nodded.
“Raf!” Ashleigh looked like she didn’t know whether to laugh or not. “That’s definitely a risky ride to take. And here I was thinking I was naughty for seeing one particular painting at the Louvre three times this week.” She grimaced, her teeth pressing together. “I may have even touched it, which was totally against the rules. Alarm bells were ringing.”
Ashleigh had always insisted her vibrator would do her fine until they were out of college and out to their parents, especially after one girl she’d slept with in high school had tried to blackmail them. She was sure her Tea Party-leaning mom and dad would take it worse than Rafa’, and they had bet a bottle of Dom Pérignon on it. They’d always talked about crushes, but now it was suddenly becoming real. “Maybe you should just go for it.”
“I don’t know.” She stuck out her lower lip and blew strands of her hair up off her forehead. “Part of me thinks we should wait. But shit. It still feels so far away, you know? We’ve always had our four-year plan, though.”
“Yeah. Well, I’ll be too freaking humiliated to even look at another Harley for about five years at least.”
She winced. “That bad?”
“Worse. Whatever you’re imagining, times it by a hundred.” He’d replayed the kiss over and over, and each time the mortification grew, cold and clammy in the pit of his stomach. Even though it seemed like…just for a few seconds…had Shane kissed him back? He had, hadn’t he? How else would his tongue get in my mouth? At the thought, Rafa shivered hot and cold all over. Their mouths had been open, and he could still imagine the heat of Shane’s touch on his back, moving down his body…
But the memory of Shane’s hands firmly pushing him away overshadowed everything else. Not that he blamed Shane at all. Even if they were two regular people who met at a bar, what would Shane ever want with him? A gawky virgin likely wasn’t high on Shane’s to-do list. “It was like…I have no idea what came over me. Temporary insanity.”
“Shit, babe. I’m sorry.”
“I mean, as if some scrawny geek like me has any place trying to ki…ride a Harley.” And God, being with him was Shane’s job, And Rafa had put him in this terrible position. “Harleys are so out of my league.”
“Hey.” Ash drew her brows together and gave him her I mean business expression. “That’s bullshit. You may still think of yourself how you did when you were fourteen, but you’re all grown up. You’re hot. You can’t see it for some bizarre reason—you probably need a therapist to unpack why—but trust me. You are Harley-worthy.”
“But…” He wanted to believe it was true. He knew he’d grown a lot, but he still had those freckles, and his hair, and—
“Stop cataloguing all your perceived faults.”
Rafa had to chuckle. “Okay, okay.” He sighed. “I’m dreading tomorrow. Mom’s coming home from California, and the Harley will be back around. Wasn’t here today. I can’t hide up here forever.” He groaned. “And I bet my mom has more public speaking for me to do. I just wish I could hit fast-forward, you know?”
“I know. Stay strong. We can do this. Keep me posted, okay?”
“Yeah. Get to bed, Intern. Those lattes won’t get themselves tomorrow.”
“Sadly true. But hey, Raf? It’ll be okay. I bet it’s not as bad as you think. It never is. So stop torturing yourself. That’s an order.”
He gave a mock salute. “Ma’am, yes ma’am. Love you.”
Ashleigh blew him a kiss, and the connection terminated. He tossed the tablet beside him and groaned softly. No matter what she said, it really was as bad as he thought. There was no way it couldn’t be.
It was definitely, one hundred percent as bad as he feared.
In fact, it was worse, because when Rafa forced himself downstairs to the main level, Shane and Alan were there by the Red Room talking to a few of his mother’s agents. As Rafa entered the hall, they all glanced over, the chatter ceasing.
Do they know? Did he tell them? Oh my God they probably all had a good laugh, and right now they’re thinking about what a loser I am.
Their collective gaze felt like lasers on him, even though he knew Shane would be crazy to tell anyone his professionalism had been compromised. Panic clawing at his throat, Rafa dropped his eyes and kept walking toward the main staircase, hurrying down it and nodding to aides that passed by. He knew Alan and Shane would follow, and he stopped outside the China Room when he reached the basement. The China Room was one of those places in the White House that probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but now was just weird. Who needed ornate display cases of china settings?