“I can pay for it.”
“I know.”
Her hands land on her hips. “I can afford to buy my own pizza.”
“Okay, then pay me back.”
I’m well aware she can afford to buy a slice of pizza—I’m the one who signs her paychecks. But I also know there’s nothing in that tiny bag but her ID, a lip gloss, a hair tie, and a handful of hard candies.
“Right now?” she asks, eyeing the food. “Can’t we eat first?”
“You have cash in there, right?”
She peeks into the bag. “Well, I have some back at the hotel…”
A sheepish expression crosses her face, and I step toward her. “I like buying you things,” I admit. “You work hard. You deserve to be spoiled. Even if it’s only a slice of pizza.”
The look she gives me blazes through my chest, and I guide her away from the front of the shop. At the corner, Sofía leaps forward, steals the pizza from my hand, and runs away.
She gets a head start while I process her theft.
“Get back here!” I chase her down the street as she giggles and pumps her arms like it will make her move faster.
But the cartoonish movement only slows her down. She chomps on the end of her food, melty cheese pulling as she chews.
“You’ll never catch me,” she yells over her shoulder, mouth full, but she stumbles, nearly dropping her pizza slice.
I steady her, clutching her waist. The silky dress twists when she faces me. Her brown eyes peer up at me beneath her lashes, and my stomach somersaults when her free hand lands on my abdomen.
She steadies herself, takes another bite of pizza, and then lifts the slice and hovers it in front of my mouth. I dip my head and tear off a piece, the salt and oil melting on my tongue.
“Fuck, that’s good,” I groan, savoring the food. My stomach grumbles, and she offers another bite, which I greedily take.
I’ll do anything to keep her close, so when she leans against my side as we stroll back to the hotel, I let her. And when she offers me the last bite of crust, I draw it between my teeth and revel in the sizzle that zaps down my spine.
An electric silence stretches between us after we enter the elevator. We stop in front of her hotel room door, and my heart thumps in my chest.
“I had fun tonight,” I admit. “I’ll see you in the morning. Have a good—”
Before I can finish, Sofía presses onto her toes, palms braced against my chest, and slams her lips against mine. My eyelids flutter shut as my hand caresses down her waist, but the kiss is over as soon as it begins, and once I pry my eyes open, Sofía stares at me in horror like I’m a car crash that’s lit on fire.
“Oh, god,” she mutters, her fingers scraping against her lips.
She retreats, her hand slapping against the card scanner. Her face is pale, a stark contrast to her swollen lips. My body movesbefore my brain catches up, and I close the space between us, reaching out to touch her.
“Sofía, I—”
The lock beeps, Sofía slides into the room, and the door slams in my face.
Chapter 20
sofía
I’ve been hit by a bus named vodka cranberries.
Sunlight filters through the blinds, and last night’s events return in flashes while my head pounds. The bar. Oliver and Amy’s raunchy make-out session. Dancing and drinks. Pizza. Kissing Jett.
I fly upward in bed, clutching the sheets.
