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“Shouldn’t you be asleep?”
Carla turned and scowled at me. I could see the purple circles under her eyes, and I knew she hadn’t been resting. I felt like an asshole. I’d been happy to brush her off. The less time I had to spend with her, the better, but maybe, I should have been keeping a better eye on things.
“Shouldn’t you?”
“Touché,” I chuckled, not pulling my eyes away from the canvas.
Carla sighed. “Sorry.” She leaned up against the dresser and crossed her arms under her chest. The action brought her breasts up, and I swallowed heavily as I tried to pull my eyes away. “I don’t mean to be such a bitch to you.”
The softness of her voice made me feel like an asshole. “You shouldn’t be the one apologizing,” I admitted. “I’ve been an asshole.”
“True.” There was a slight sparkle in her eyes, and I realized I liked the sight of it. It also made me realize how truly depressed Carla had been, which again, made me feel like an absolute dickhead.
This girl had lost a sister to illness, and then, her family to the cartel. Instead of bringing her closer, her father had sent her away. And instead of showing her kindness, I’d made things worse. All because I was pissed at my father for forcing me to give up my dream for the family.
“I’m sorry,” I told her, my voice barely above a whisper.
Carla gave me a small smile. “It’s alright.”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s not. And frankly, if my mother knew how I was acting, she’d probably kick my ass.”
Carla laughed. It was the first genuine one that I’d heard from her. The sound of it made me smile in return. “Your mom doesn’t really put up with bullshit,” she said.
This time I chuckled. “Considering my father and brother, she can’t afford to.”
“Matteo is kind of a handful. He’s got a reputation even in summer school.”
I snorted. Not shocked at all. “Matteo should probably be there with you,” I muttered. It was a miracle that my brother had even passed. We all suspected that one of his many girlfriends had helped. I knew Sophia had the year before, and my brother had screwed her over.
“I’ve got to say that I’m the most popular girl there,” Carla snickered.
My brow rose. “Oh?”
I shouldn’t be surprised. Carla was gorgeous. Her golden skin glowed even in the darkness of the bedroom, and her warm hair reminded me of sunshine. When she was happy, her blue eyes sparkled like jewels. It was only now that I realized Carla was rarely happy.
“Everyone wants to know what it’s like living with the Blanchi boys.”
The grimace on my face was immediate, and once more, Carla cackled. “If I’d told Matteo that, he would have preened.”
“You aren’t wrong, but I’m not like my brother.”
Her blue eyes bore into me, and I tried not to react. It felt like Carla was pulling back parts of the mask that I had hammered in place over the years.
“No,” she said. “You aren’t.”
Silence stretched out between us, and it made me feel uncomfortable. If I hadn’t been trained not to react, I would have been squirming. I wondered briefly how involved Carla had been in her father’s organization. Her stoicism would have been an asset.
“Do you want to take a drive?” I asked as I turned to look back at the painting. The sight of the room spurred an idea.
Carla looked back at the small digital clock my mom had placed on her bedside table. “It’s one in the morning.”
“I’m not going to be able to go back to sleep,” I told her, walking toward the door. Something told me that Carla would follow. Her curiosity was not going to allow her to ignore the mystery I’d laid out.
“Ugh,” she called out. “Fine. Let me change.”
I turned, leaning against the doorjamb. My next words I blamed on the odd easiness that had developed almost out of nowhere between the two of us. “I don’t mind what you’ve got on.”
My eyes roamed over her body. The tiny white t-shirt hid nothing, and I watched as her nipples peeked through the material. They were small and round, and the sight of them made my mouth water. A soft flush crept up Carla’s cheeks, and I tried not to smirk as she shifted. I was dying to ask her if my words made her wet. I was sure that in her little silk shorts, I would be able to see the stain of her desire.
