Alex had only met Isabel a few times. She was much taller than Valerie and attractive in an exotic, yet inhibited way, but a bit too uptight for his taste.
Romero took one look at her. “Not my type.”
Eric laughed. “Since when do you have standards?”
“I’m a businessman now, Eric. I have a reputation to uphold.” Romero glanced back in Isabel’s direction. “Plus she looks soft. I need a woman who can handle all this.”
Romero pointed to himself with both hands from the top of his head to his feet and smugly smiled.
“You wouldn’t be able to handle her. Trust me.” Alex said, still staring at Valerie.
He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, not that he was putting any effort into it. He watched as she and Sarah laughed about something. Angel left the girls and walked toward Alex.
“Shots all around,” Romero pulled out a bottle of tequila and four shot glasses.
Angel laughed. “Are you crazy? It’s not even three.”
Alex finally unglued his eyes from Valerie. “None for me.”
“Nah,” Romero shook his head and continued to pour the shots. “This is horseshit. I had an entire weekend of Vegas planned. At least give me this.”
Alex rolled his eyes. The moment Angel told those two knuckleheads that he wanted them to be his best men, they started planning the bachelor party. A week later Angel announced he didn’t want a bachelor party and flat out refused to talk about why. Just said it wasn’t happening, period. Romero was still bent about it.
“Dude, Angel has to be presentable at least for a few hours.” Eric said.
Eric had always been the level headed one of Angel’s two childhood best friends. A good thing, too, because he was now attached to Alex’s little sister, Sofia. Not that anyone would ever be good enough for his younger sister. Still, he was glad that between the two friends Eric was the one Sofia had fallen for. It would’ve driven Alex crazy had it been crude and outspoken Romero.
Alex’s dad stopped by making his rounds. Alex clapped him on the shoulder. His dad saw the shot glasses. “One more,” He ordered.
Romero smiled. “Help me out here, Mr. Moreno, these two don’t want any.”
Alex’s dad glanced at both Alex and Angel who were now both gazing in the girls’ direction again. “Grow a pair!”
Romero and Eric both laughed. Alex and Angel exchanged discomfited glances. They were going to have to take at least one shot. Whatever their old man wanted, he got.
They all held their shot glasses up and toasted to Sarah and Angel. Alex grimaced, sucking on a lime slice, and turned just in time to see the girls walking toward them. Valerie looked so unbelievably good to him, it almost felt like he was watching her move in slow motion. She never once even glanced in his direction. Sofia was the first to address them. “Are you guys having fun?” She hugged her dad and he kissed her on the forehead.
“Keep your brothers in line, Sofie.” Her dad walked away and immediately started a conversation with the group at the table nearest to the bar.
“What? My brothers are not behaving?” Sofia teased.
Alex could hardly concentrate. His eyes again roamed every inch of Valerie.
“Your brothers are being wusses.” Romero stated, already setting up more shots.
“I’ll take one,” Valerie said.
Even her voice sounded more womanly than he remembered, sultrier.
“Valerie, no,” Isabel warned.
Romero frowned. “Who brought the nark?”
“Pardon me?” Isabel glared at Romero.
Romero stopped pouring, backed up and did an elaborate bow bringing his arm
over his head and down to his feet. “Pardon me?”
Normally Alex would have laughed along with everyone else but he was too distracted trying to figure out why Valerie was still avoiding his eyes.
Romero brought out another shot glass. “You in, Nark?”
Alex took his eyes off Valerie just long enough to glance at Isabel who seemed to be as annoyed as only Romero could annoy women. “Easy, Ramon.”
Valerie smiled. “Yes, please pour her one.”
Alex squeezed the edge of the bar. He had to get a hold of himself. This was the same Valerie he’d known all along. The Valerie with whom he’d carried on and laughed with such ease for years. The one he’d had earth shattering sex with many, many times. He gulped hard. His Valerie.
Romero looked pleased and pulled out another shot glass. “Coming right up.”
Alex was determined to not take his eyes off her until she looked at him and then the mariachis walked in. Everyone turned to watch the ensemble stroll in, playing loud and proud.
For a moment, his eyes met Valerie’s and he thought he saw something in them. Maybe he was searching too hard, but for a split second, he thought he saw alarm in her big dark eyes. Just when he’d not only finally made eye contact but was getting some kind of emotion out of her, she turned away to face the musicians.
*
Valerie concentrated hard on not wavering and stared at the mariachi band. She could feel Alex’s eyes on her and her body heated. Her heart hadn’t stopped hammering from the moment she walked in and spotted him. She’d expected some excitement when she saw him but this was a bit much. She’d been happy he was busy with the guys at the bar because she couldn’t bear to even make eye contact. She thought the shot of tequila might help settle her nerves. It hadn’t.
How was it that every time she saw him he seemed even bigger than the last? He was without a doubt the most devastating man she’d ever met. What he did to her without so much as saying a word, even after all this, time was absurd. She wasn’t even facing him now, and she could still feel his incredible presence weighing heavily on her back.