With that, she turned and walked out, slamming the door behind her.
I woke later to the sensation of a soft hand caressing my face. I opened my eyes to find my grandmother sitting on the edge of my bed. She was watching me sleep, quietly dabbing tears from her eyes.
“Abuelita?” I whispered.
“Sorry,mi nieta. Go back to sleep, my love…” she whispered.
I reached out for her. “Why were you in the emergency room?” I murmured in Spanish.
“Don’t worry about that right now… Get some rest, my love,” she said with a sad, tired smile.
“What happened to Camila?”
“She left. I talked to her. She’ll be back soon.”
“And Papa?” I asked, a fresh wave of fear washing over me.
She groaned, a sharp, weary sound. “Hush and go back to bed, girl. If your father touches you again, he’s going to prison.”
“Abuelita—”
She held up a hand, silencing me. “No,” she said, hard. “I almost broke his arm today. He has a family and a business to take care of. He has lawyers, he has connections. So he won’t be going now. There would be no point. But… if he does anything to you again… anything. He’s going to be happy to go to prison, because I will murder him.”
The conviction in her voice was terrifying and comforting all at once. I reached out and took her hand. “I love you, Abuelita.”
She smiled through the dark. “I love you, Ingrid.”
Those were the last words I heard before I drifted back into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter twenty-four
Tristian
Standing by the door of my apartment, I leaned against the frame and let a slow smile tug at my lips. The frantic pitter-patter of Ingrid’s heels echoed through the hallway—the sound of her desperation to be perfect for me. It had been a few days since I said I’d take her on a proper date, and she’d been vibrating with nervous energy ever since. She was soft, she was giddy, and she was currently driving me half-mad with anticipation.
“Dollbaby, we’re gonna miss our reservation, you know!” I shouted.
I could hear her pace quicken, a flurry of movement behind the bathroom door that made me chuckle.
“Coming!” she called back, breathless.
When she finally emerged, the air left my lungs. She stepped out in a fitted black dress that hugged every curve I’d spent hours imagining. Dainty jewelry caught the light at her throat, and she clutched a little white purse like a shield. Her hair, usually loose curls and waves, was now straight down her back. She bit her lip, her eyes darting to mine, then down over herself.
“Do I look okay? I don’t normally dress like this, so this is a little bit out of my comfort zone…”
I moved toward her slowly, my shadow swallowing her small frame. It was almost insulting that she didn’t realize how good shelooked—innocently sexy, obliviously seductive in a way that made my pants tighten. Her makeup was subtle, highlighting the features I was becoming obsessed with.
“Doll…” I said softly. She looked up, searching my face for a verdict. “Words cannot express how beautiful you look.”
“Are you sure? I-it’s just that—”
I didn’t let her finish. I placed my hand under her chin, my thumb tracing the line of her jaw, forcing her gaze to lock with mine. “You look beautiful, Ingrid.”
A blush rose to her cheeks as I leaned down and captured her plump lips with mine, a low growl threatening to break through my chest. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer, her body heat seeping through my shirt. I had to be the one to break it, though it cost me every ounce of my restraint.
She let out a shaky breath. “Do that again.”
I smirked. “Ingrid, baby, we have a reservation to get to… If we carry on, we may never make it to the restaurant.”
