Page 48 of American Sweethearts

I groaned and gripped my dumb dick, which got hard from just her saying the wordsex. “We’re amazing at it. I’m hard just from thinking of that shower sex from last night.”

Now she was the one groaning. “Dammit, J. Don’t derail us, this is a serious talk.”

I threw my hands up, exasperated at myself. “Sorry! Pris, like I said before, right now I’m willing to take whatever you’re ready for. But I just need you to know that what I want iseverything. My life is where I want it, but it’s not complete, it’s not really real without you. I’m not gonna say you’re my soulmate because I know you have feelings about that, but I just need you to hear me say this…I love you. I have loved you since I was fourteen years old and kissed you in my Nonno’s yard. And unlike before, I’m willing to put in the work to be the man you deserve. Baby, whatever you need, my body, my life. Yo soy tuyo, Priscilla.”

She gasped at that last part like she’d been punched in the chest, and when she looked over at me, her eyes were full of tears. I leaned over and wiped them with my thumb.

“You asshole. Why are you doing this now, when I can’t do anything?”

I laughed at her rage, but the way her hand reached over to my thigh, and gently stroked, let me know we were fine.

“I got a lot going on, J. I can’t seem to make any decisions lately, but you’re right. We’ve been so good in these last few weeks. I love you.” I sucked in a breath, when I heard her say it. It was weird, because we’d said it hundreds, thousands of times even. But it felt different now, after I’d lost hope I’d ever getthose words from her again. She rolled her eyes at whatever face I was making, but she looked happy. “I do. I don’t seem to know very much else right now, but I know that.”

I wanted to say things, ask questions. I wanted to make promises and ask her to do the same, but I could wait, give her time now that we were both open to really trying.

“I’m here for whatever you need, Pris.” I needed to say this. “I want us to be a partnership, a team. We’ve never done that; we always tried to keep our lives separate and I know part of it was us trying to avoid clashes about our careers. I didn’t want you to think that I thought you needed me handling your business.” I fidgeted, just a little bit freaked out about how she might react, but it was important to say this, if we didn’t have that clear, we’d be doomed again. “Whatever you decide with your job, I’ll support you. I just want you to be happy.”

She gripped my hand hard and in a voice that was soft, but very clear, told me what I’d been needing to hear. “Okay. I want to try.”

I believed her. I felt it, too. We rode in comfortable silence until we saw the exit for Yonkers. Just as we were getting to the turn, the light snowfall we’d had for the last few dozen miles thickened, and I turned to her. “You need to be at work tonight?” Being a detective, she was supposed to have more normal hours, but there was no such thing as nine to five for cops.

She shook her head as she took a careful turn into the Cross County Expressway. “Not until after New Year’s.” She perked up as though she remembered something. “Actually, do you want to come with me to Bri and Reyes’s place tomorrow? They’re throwing a party. You’ll like them.” And just like that, the doors to each other’s lives were open again. I knew it wouldn’t take much for us.

I grunted in approval as she slowly drove us down the snow-covered streets of Yonkers. “You gonna let me be your date?”

The smile on her lips was pure sin as she maneuvered the car. “I may let you kiss me at midnight.”

“I’m in, then.” She laughed at my very suggestive tone, as I looked down at my phone which had been buzzing with incoming texts. When I looked at the screen, I froze. It was a message from Yariel that was either coming in at the best or worst time possible.

Yariel: Hey, pa! Listen. Did you talk to Priscilla? My agent’s hot about working with her. She’s already talked to an editor at my publisher and they want to see a book proposal ASAP. If she wants to make a move, I wouldn’t sleep on this. Call me anytime, Hatuey and I are around. Come thru tomorrow if you want, we’re having some people over for New Year’s.

Fuck I should’ve never talked to Yariel. Priscilla was going to be so pissed. All the shit that I’d told her—and tried to show her for the past month—would mean nothing. But I also couldn’t keep this opportunity, which could literally change everything, from her. Not after the offer from Tom.

I was reading the message for the third time when Priscilla’s hand on my shoulder made me look up from my phone. “Hey, sorry.”

“Is everything okay?” I quickly put my phone in my pocket. I needed a minute to figure out what to say.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I realized that the car had stopped and when I looked ahead, saw we were in front of my building in the guest parking. The snow was really coming down now, and I was glad we were at least off the road. “You want to come up?” She was going to kill me with those smiles.

“Yeah, I just need to?—”

She never got to tell me what, because her phone rang and then everything went to hell.

chapter thirty-three

priscilla

As soon as I saw the number, I knew my night, my New Year’s plans, and everything else was going to be screwed. A call while I was on vacation from Sanchez, our child protective services liaison, was never ever good news.

I help up a finger at Juan Pablo who was now looking out of the car window with increasing concern. “Gutierrez.”

His voice was strained, and two octaves lower than usual. “I’m calling you as a courtesy, because we have worked well together.” Sanchez was never one to beat around the bush, but he sounded royally pissed. That was concerning—the guy had been at CPS for over fifteen years; he’d seen it all and was usually not one to get emotional.

“Okay,” I said, and my tone must have been sharper than I was going for because J frowned at me. Sanchez and I didn’t see eye to eye sometimes, but he was a good worker and if he was bringing something to me, surely there was some fuckery going on.

“The stepfather was brought in for questioning. They’re still talking to him, but it looks like they’re going to let him go.”

“What?” I asked, incredulously.