Redeemed (Dirty Air 4)

“No!” Maya reels back.

“And then what?” Noah smiles at Chloe, clearly pleased after his little test. Asshole.

“We saved the cat and took her to a vet together. Santiago cradled it like a little baby, which was beyond cute. He definitely had my attention after that.” Chloe demonstrates the motion, making her perfect tits hike up an inch.

Fuck. Me. And she definitely has my attention after that. It’s official. Chloe needs to get the hell out of here. She’s a danger for my self-restraint, which says a lot because I have endless amounts of it when it comes to women.

“I’m surprised Santi left his little castle to go visit a park in the first place.” Noah wipes syrup from Marko’s fingers.

“Now that I know him, I’m surprised he did too.” Chloe nods. Everything she spews is absolute bullshit, yet oddly accurate. “I guess he couldn’t resist coming to my aid.”

I shouldn’t enjoy this charade as much as I do. “The shorts she wore made the rescue mission worth it.”

Chloe smacks my arm. I let out a loud laugh, enjoying the way her cheeks turn pink.

Maya and Noah stare at the two of us. Noah crosses his arms and grins at me while my sister openly gapes.

I look away, not liking the weight of their stares.

The rest of breakfast goes off without an issue. Chloe and I make a show of domestic bliss, with her drying the dishes I wash.

I jump in place when Marko sneakily lifts the leg of my sweatpants while I put away the dishes. My first dirty secret I’ve kept from Chloe comes out as Marko begs for Iron Man to help him fly.

Chloe stares at my leg. The way she blinks a few times has my stomach churning. It’s a look I immediately interpret as aversion. I hate it. But most of all, I despise how lesser than it makes me feel. This is exactly what I try to avoid by not allowing new people into my life.

Maya walks into the room and grabs Marko. “What did I tell you yesterday about Tio Santi’s leg?”

My temple throbs from the pressure. I clutch onto the counter, trying to soothe the frustration building inside of me. It’s not as if I can flip a shit in front of my sister since my girlfriend should know this basic fact.

Chloe’s gaze snaps from my leg to my face. She smiles at me in a way that has something twisting in my chest. I don’t know what to make of the expression on her face. It’s a look I want to label as appreciation, but that doesn’t make sense. But is that surprising when nothing about her makes sense?

A tiny part of me—a part so small I forgot it existed—questions if she can be physically attracted to me like I am to her. A flicker of hope fills me. It’s microscopic, yet strong enough to overwhelm me.

Chloe the criminal has devastation written all over her, and I need her to run in the opposite direction. Because now that I’ve been around her, I don’t know who’s more dangerous—her or me.

8

Chloe

For the second time in two days, I find myself trapped. Marko holds me hostage beneath a pillow fort he built with a random blanket as the roof. I tried to escape when Maya and Noah announced they were leaving, but Marko forced me to stay by promising cookies. While I could’ve said no to the sweets, his crooked smile convinced me to hang out for a full hour after his parents left for their couple’s trip.

“Marko. It’s time to let Chloe go home.” Santiago speaks from somewhere outside of our imaginary castle. The way his accent comes out heavier when he calls Marko’s name has me smiling. Who knew a Spanish accent could sound this sexy?

Marko covers my mouth with his fingers, staring at me with blue eyes similar to his father’s. “Shh. The tickle dragon hears us. I save you.”

I suppress my laugh. A tickle dragon is a new one, even for me.

Marko waves his spoon in the air, nearly whacking my face. “You don’t steal the pretty princess. You can’t eat her!”

I always wanted a man to defend my honor. But I didn’t expect it to be Marko, a four-year-old with a wooden spoon for a sword. The thought makes me giggle.

Marko’s hand muffles my mouth. “Be quiet!”

Santiago roars. Marko’s face lights up with excitement as the blanket is snatched from above our heads. ‘“Run, Chloe! Tickle dragon!”

Marko abandons me as he runs away from the fort. So much for being my savior. Santiago darts after him, making a whole ordeal of trying to wrangle him. I find myself entranced by his lightheartedness with his nephew. Laughter bounces off the walls of the house as he chases Marko through the halls as if his metal leg isn’t a problem.

Santiago doesn’t bother looking back to check if I follow them. It’s to be expected, seeing as he avoided me after his nephew revealed his “superpower.”