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Mateo pulled away from the college, revving the engine, a sure sign that he was pissed off too. But there was no need—I’d handle the situation if it got out of hand. Until then, I was going to forget all about him. He may have kissed her one time, but there wouldn’t be a second. I’d make sure of that.
“So, you have a secret signal, huh?” I raised a brow, meeting Mateo’s stare in the rearview mirror, then turned to face Aida.
She shrugged, placing her bag on the floor between her feet. “Mateo said we needed one just in case.” She raised her brows. “I never thought I’d actually have to use it.”
“Why did you need to use it?” What I really wanted to ask her was what the hell did he want.
Her lashes fluttered as she blinked at me. “He wanted to know when we were going on a second date.”
I nodded, already thinking about all the ways to let—
“What’s his name?”
“Brad.”
“Right.”
—I was thinking about all the ways I could let Brad know that Aida was mine.
“Why?” Aida asked, her eyes widening. “Lorenzo.” She pushed closer to me. “I can see your brain working overtime.” She placed her hand on my cheek, her fingertips pushing through the scruff covering my jaw. “You don’t need to worry about him.”
I wasn’t worried about him, not when it came to Aida. She was mine whether she liked it or not.
“Lorenzo.” She pulled my face closer to hers, making me look directly in her eyes. “I said I was giving this a chance, didn’t I?”
I covered her hand with mine and gripped it. “You did.”
“Exactly.” She smiled. “You have nothing to worry about. I promise.” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her I wasn’t worried, but instead of saying that, I simply planted my lips against hers, needing to feel her against me.
We’d slept in the same bed together every night since Vida had stayed over, and although I didn’t want to push too qui
ckly, my body begged to be as close to her as possible.
The SUV pulled to a stop, and we both moved with it, our lips separating at the impact. “Fuck.” I leaned my head back and growled in frustration at how hard my cock was. Never in my life had I gotten this hard just from a kiss.
“We’re here,” Mateo announced like a goddamn tour guide.
“Where is here?” Aida asked, and when I lifted my head, I saw her staring out of the window, her face practically smushed against the glass.
“Here is the surprise.” I pressed my hand against her back and leaned around her to open her door, then slid out behind her. She stared up at the front of the bar, but I’d already had the sign taken down. The new one wasn’t being put in for another week, but I couldn’t wait that long to show her. I needed her to see that I listened when she spoke but that I also heard what she did when she said nothing at all.
I grasped her hand and led her toward the bar, not saying a single word until we were inside. Construction was underway to refit it exactly how I wanted it, but there was something already finished, waiting for me to show her.
“What is this place?” she asked, her gaze roving around the space. On one side was a new bar top being put in, and in the middle, a new floor was being fitted, but just beyond that was the finished stage. A stage that held a grand piano.
“Holy fuck.”
I grinned at her cursing.
“Is that a…” She spun to face me, then turned back, not waiting for me to answer as she darted across the floor and up onto the stage. “It’s so beautiful,” she murmured, trailing her hand over the shiny black surface.
“It’s yours,” I told her, halting at the edge of the stage.
“It’s…what?” She frowned, causing two lines to etch into the skin between her eyes. “What do you mean it’s mine?”
I shrugged, trying to act like this was an everyday occurrence, but in reality, I was nervous that she wouldn’t like it. The guy who I’d bought the piano from said it was one of the best, but what if she didn’t like it? What if she hated it? “Ma said you’re doing music at college.” She stared at me, her mouth hanging open. “So, I called your dad and asked what kind of music.”
I stepped closer to the stage that came up to waist height. “I didn’t know you played piano.”
