She hated her job. She couldn’t stomach the people she worked with but had to wait a few months before she could be free. She had five payments left on her Audi and while she had enough money saved to pay it off, she didn’t want to make any hasty decisions. Paying off her car would leave a good dent in her savings, and she needed the money to pay her other bills while she figured out what she wanted to do. If she waited the five months to pay off her car she could afford to go another four months or so without a job before money got tight.
She glanced at her silver watch. Eleven-fifty. She wandered up the sweeping stairs and headed out the balcony. The air was cool and crisp, but not chilly enough to run her back inside. She wanted to see the illuminated garden and take in some quite time before the ceremony. She would miss her sister. Cayla thought back and tried to remember if they’d ever been separated for three weeks. No. Kalilah stayed local and went to college at the University of Houston, she preferred to commute and sleep in her own bed as opposed to sharing living quarters with a stranger who could possibly have hygiene issues. Cayla followed suit a year later.
While Kalilah chose to Major in Marketing and minor in English, Cayla chose the accelerated program that earned her a Bachelor’s in Computer Information Systems and a Masters in Information Systems Security faster than the traditional route. Cayla knew she had caviar dreams and needed the money to go with it. She busted her ass to get out of high school early. It was brutal but worth it. She landed a well-paying job at a technology firm, but her new boss made a great situation awful. She hated being micro-managed and belittled. She knew she was smart and didn’t like having her intelligence questioned. At twenty-six, she had a master’s degree and almost four years of experience, it was time to move on.
Her heartrate kicked back up, and goosebumps shimmied up her arms. She’d become hyper-aware of her surroundings; she knew he was there before he spoke. A warm sweater engulfed her shoulders and for the second time that night, she was surrounded by his scent.
“This will keep you warm.”
His lips were close to her ear. Her increasingly dirty mind conjured up a montage of hot animal sex that she’d often heard about but had yet to experience. There was an aura around him that, if she had to describe it, she’d say tangled sheets and sweaty bodies. Speaking of bodies, hers was currently begging her brain to shut the hell up and let it lead. If her body was in charge, she’d be finding out exactly how sturdy the balcony’s rail was.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
He was standing directly behind her, and she could feel the heat radiating off his body. Cayla was torn. She wanted him to touch her. Yet, she didn’t want him to touch her. She was so wrapped up in her dilemma that she hadn’t realized the countdown to midnight started. Then the reason for his sudden appearance became clear.
“Three…Two…One,” he whispered in her ear.
The sensation traveled down her lobe, through her body and settled in her lady parts. His big hands turned her to face him, and she was powerless to stop him. His gray eyes were smoky heat as he studied her face. His right hand cupped her cheek as he slid his thumb across her bottom lip again. The simple caress still had the power to set her on fire.
“Happy New Year.”
Three simple words whispered in a husky tone made his statement far more sexual than she would have ever imagined. Her eyes fell to his lips; they looked so kissable and inviting. Dex leaned in and his lips touched hers. Cayla’s brain flipped off the lights, turned the sign to “closed”, and went home for the night. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her fingers tangled in his thick, sandy hair. Strong arms pulled her against his body, one warm hand splayed on her back and other grabbed her ass pulling her closer.
She gasped, and he took advantage by deepening the kiss. His tongue slid in her mouth and teased her in the most erotic kiss she’d ever experienced. She couldn’t help but moan against his talented mouth. The fireworks that exploded and sparkled in the January night’s sky were secondary; every part of her existed for his kiss. Her hardened nipples rubbed deliciously against his chest, and her center begged for his attention. He laced his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back and nipped at her neck.
“Six weeks, Cayla.”
He was gone as fast as he came. Cayla shook her head to clear the lust fog; she needed to get ready for the ceremony.
Chapter 3
Dex felt the beat of the drums reverberate through his body. La Tamborrada was in full swing and the residents of San Sebastian, Spain, crowded the cobbled streets dressed in various costumes. This was something he was excited to experience. He arrived in time to see the town transition from a quiet community into a twenty-four-hour drum festival. The beats bounced off the beautiful, ancient buildings, and the crowd danced and cheered as several regiments of drummers of all ages and genders paraded through the town. The outfits were a mixture of soldiers, classic maidens, and cooks.
Dex grinned as the “cooks” marched by with life sized utensils. He identified well with their passion for food. His passion did cause him to switch his business degree path to culinary arts which almost got him killed by his father. Dex smiled to himself and sent his mother a silent thank you. He wasn’t sure he’d be alive today without her. His dad didn’t try to hit him, but his eyes conveyed a series of violent acts.
The energy of the town was intoxicating, and he wished he had a costume and a drum. It was a wonderfully loud and bold celebration, and the people were eager to participate despite the chilly weather. He watched from the window of the apartment he’d rented for the week. He wanted to be in the middle of the madness but also have the ability to seek alone time if necessary. It wasn’t until a little later in the day when he decided to venture outside. Since it lasted for exactly twenty-four hours, midnight to midnight, he figured he had plenty of time to get in the mist of the hubbub. Dex shrugged into his jacket and grabbed some earplugs just in case the drums were deafening. His stomach urged him to go out and find the Pintxos.
After hours of eating, toasting, learning new songs, and watching the action of the festival, he was ready for bed. He took a good shower and was out in time to see the end of the festival. He didn’t get settled in bed until a little past two o’clock in the morning. His body was still awake, so he just lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He blew a frustrated sigh into the darkness.
The excitement he’d usually felt just wasn’t there. Dex didn’t feel any enthusiasm for mastering a new dish. He didn’t long for the next destination in his journey or to check out the women. Over the past three weeks, he’d created different ways to try to enjoy his annual food exploration trip.
He’d engrossed himself in the culture, met different head chefs in different Spanish cities, brushed up on his Spanish, learned regional dishes - Cocido madrileno in Madrid, Pallea in Valencia, and Suquet de Peix, Fideuà, Crema Catalana, and Mel i Mato in Barcelona – but nothing worked. His disloyal mind constantly ran across the ocean like a refugee; apparently, his head was a hostile territory, and Cayla was a haven. Dex tried to exorcise her from his mind; he’d given himself speeches, pep talks…hell, he’d even tried diatribes. Yet, there she was constantly at the forefront of his thoughts. I shouldn’t have kissed her. Dex pulled the crisp linen up his naked chest to try to cool the heat that spread through his body.
He’d done kinky shit to quite a few women and never given it a second thought. But, here he was wide awake in a completely different country reliving one kiss. One hot, delectable, earth shattering kiss. Dex groaned and rolled to his side. The covers were now to his ears, but his traitorous body was already starting to respond to the memory. Giving in, he let the memories he’d been trying to suppress for three weeks flow.
Cayla’s soft body was pressed against his. “Happy New Year,” he’d said. She didn’t respond but stared at his lips as if she was dying and they were some sort of lifeline. Their lips touched, and Dex felt like he could float. Her soft, hot body pressed into his. Her scent flirted with his nostrils. Dex groaned when his hand slid over her soft ass. His heart drummed in his body and all his blood ran south. Her mouth opened for him and when his tongue slid home, he was in heaven. He’d been waiting and wanting to kiss her for months, and his lust turned into a deep, almost desperate need.
He broke the kiss and disappeared before he could beg her to spend the night with him. He’d never had to beg. Hell, sometimes he didn’t have to ask. His brother was fifteen minutes away from becoming his best friend’s husband, and he was trying to reenact a majorly unoriginal ploy. The best man fucking the Maid of Honor at the wedding. His body was so primed that he had to recite the Italian alphabet in his head. Backwards.
When Cayla appeared in her bridesmaid’s dress, he’d prayed that invisibility was possible. The last thing he needed was to be hard in front of half of Houston. Her dress was black and impossibly tight. The long sleeves were lace and so was the rest of the dress. The lining was made to look as if Cayla was naked underneath the lace. And the illusion was doing incredible and terrible things to his mind. Fuck! He switched to Latin. Zeta, i Graeca, ix…Luckily, the bodice of the dress didn’t reveal any cleavage.
Dex wondered if Kalilah put her sister in that dress just to fuck with him. He’d momentarily scowled at her as she walked down the aisle. But, she was beautiful in her cream, long sleeved dress. Like her sister, her dress was form-fitting. The front dipped in a V that stopped a couple of inches before her navel. It was enough to be sexy, and the rest was simple enough for her to still look elegant. The intricate pattern in the beading circled her waist and imitated a belt. The same beading accented the top of her shoulders. The partially translucent sleeves fell and ended in subtle lace. She smiled at his brother t
he whole way down the aisle. Their eyes met for a moment, and the twinkle in her eye confirmed his suspicion. He would get her back. He didn’t know how or when, but she would pay.
Dex’s eyes must have conveyed his mission because Kalilah giggled slightly before turning to Nick to begin the ceremony. And just like that, a few heartfelt vows, tears of joy from both mothers marrying off their oldest children, and one hell of a wedding kiss later, they’d gained an additional Sinclair. Dex was about to pat himself on the back for making it through the entire ceremony without having one salacious thought, but his pride sunk like a boat with a big ass hole. Cayla’s dress was backless.
Dex was fully aroused; there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He could take matters into his own hands, so to speak, but it would just make him want her more. Dex stared at the silhouette of his imitation of a tent pole. Enough! Dex rolled onto his back and did what he’d been avoiding since he’d left Houston.