“I was adopted; my dad raised me and my little brother alone. The end.”
“What’s your background?”
“Dominican. Well, my birth mom’s Dominican. I don’t think they’d consider me Dominican if I went back there now.” She laughed a little.
“And your mother?”
“She’s never been in the picture.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Her phone vibrated on her lap and she gasped loudly as I parked the car on the sidewalk across the street from my parents’ condo. She answered the phone using a high-pitched tone.
“Where are you?” She seemed on edge as she awaited the response, and then, “Why would you go to Florida without letting me know?” Then a frown. “No. Absolutely not.” Followed by a heavy sigh as she brought a hand up to her face, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I don’t remember that. I’m so sorry. I called all the hospitals. No. What? What do you mean?” Her hand dropped and she sat up straight suddenly. “Are you sure? When are you coming back? Will you let me know the minute you’re home?”
By the time she hung up the phone, it looked like a hundred things were racing through her mind and I found myself leaning in a little closer, as if those things would spill out of her brain and into mine. She glanced up at me and stared for a moment, as if her eyes were having a difficult time focusing on me.
“Where are we?”
I wasn’t sure if she was asking because I hadn’t said or because she’d blacked out just now. Either was a possibility, after all, especially if what I thought was happening was actually happening. I stayed quiet for a moment, waiting for her to speak again.
“Adam, where are we?”
“I need to make a quick stop before we go where we need to go. Are you okay?”
“Sure. I’ll wait for you here.” She nodded slowly.
“No. I want you to come with me.”
“I just need a moment. Are you going to take long? I don’t mind waiting.”
“I’d rather you come.”
If she didn’t go inside, I’d never know what my mother thought about her and her situation. Worse, I wanted her to go with me, because despite the fact that I thought she was certifiable, I genuinely liked her and wanted to help her.
“Okay. Is this where you live?” She glanced over at the midrise building across from us.
“My parents own a condo here. I live a little closer to south campus.
Let’s go.”
As we stepped out of the car and looked both ways to cross the street, she looked over at me. “Are your parents here now?”
“Yes. They’re here for the weekend.” I looked at her as I opened the lobby door for her. “My brother has a game. They usually try to go to those.”
“You don’t?”
“I’m not a huge fan of hockey.” I let the door close behind us and waved at the security guard behind the front desk. He waved back as we continued walking toward the elevator. “I do go sometimes. Moral support and all.”
“Do you think he’ll go pro?” she asked. Her mind seemed occupied, but she continued making small talk regardless. I realized she was probably nervous. About meeting my parents? About the phone call?
“What was the phone call about?” I asked finally, now that we were trapped in a slow-moving elevator and she had nowhere to run.
“Nothing.”
“It didn’t seem like nothing.”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now, especially not right before I meet your mom.” She squinted. “What do you call her? Mommy? You seem like a mommy’s boy.”
“What if I am?” I felt my lips twitch.
“I knew it.” Eva grinned suddenly, her entire face transforming with that one movement, and I felt the air between us crackle.
Damn that air and damn that crackle.
She was always pretty, but she was stunning when she smiled like that. My body inched toward hers. It was automatic, magnetic, something that couldn’t be helped. She tilted her head up slightly, her big brown eyes searching mine.
“Just do it,” she whispered.
“Do what?”
“Stop thinking about it and kiss me.”
Somehow, during our exchange, I’d lowered my face closer to hers, my lips closer to hers. I was a sucker for the impossible. It was one of the things my brother and I had in common. We both liked the challenge, the rush, the prize. Without warning, she grabbed a fistful of the black T-shirt I wore and pulled me until my lips were on hers.
I didn’t know who I was kissing. I didn’t care. The only thing I could concentrate on was her mouth moving against mine and her tongue finding mine. She reached up and tugged the ends of my hair as she deepened the kiss, making all of the blood in my body rush to my nether region. I pushed her against the wall of the elevator, my head dizzy as my hands began exploring her body. As if on cue, the elevator dinged and rocked as it came to a full stop, and I was forced to pull away. Through hazy eyes, I found that she looked just as taken aback as I was. Her lips were slightly parted and looked so soft; the only thing I could think about was having them on mine again. She’d lowered her hands from my hair.