3. Abby

Abby

I'd been home staring at the backyard when my sister came in from her date with some tourist. I listened to her swoon and awe about this guy who sounded almost as wonderful as Abel. But no one could be as amazing as Abel. Daddy. I rubbed the back of my neck, hoping Karol wouldn't notice the heat that hit my face.

I grabbed a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunkey Monkey while she went on and on about Dan Palmer before she headed off to bed, leaving me to my thoughts. I went outside and sat under the stars. Our backyard had a small, covered patio and some grass.

Pretty much a blank canvas and why my parents had wanted to gift us a makeover.

My cell pinged, and I looked down at it.

Abel: You didn't text me you got home safe.

I read it and blinked.

Abel Pe?a, the guy of my dreams, the man my mind believed wholeheartedly had saved me from my near-death experience, was texting me.

He'd given me my first kiss, too.

I was twenty-seven and seriously unexperienced. I thought by the time it actually happened, I would be embarrassed. But kissing Abel? It had been completely unexpected. There would have been no way I could have planned it out or seen it happening. The way his arms wrapped around me… His body heat permeating through my body and into my bones while we floated in the water had been more than worth the wait.

Me: Maybe I'm not home yet?

Then, because I couldn't help myself—somehow, Abel had brought out a bratty side I didn't know existed—I typed out another message.

Me: Maybe I decided to keep going with being a little wild and am at a biker bar?

Abel: Lying comes with punishments, baby girl. You wanna go to a biker bar, we can go. Together.

Attached to the message was a picture of my car in the driveway.

He'd been here. Or is he still here?

Without thinking about the multitude of possible consequences, I pulled up his information and called him. The phone rang, and he picked it up so quickly I didn't have time to hang up when nerves hit.

"Hi-hey!" I stuttered out without him saying a word.

"Hey, pretty girl," he murmured smoothly. His voice felt like a shot of expensive tequila. Leaving nothing but warmth behind. All from three words. I opened and shut my mouth then quickly started to freak out. I wasn't sure what to say.

What did I say?

Should I ask if he was outside my house?

"Breathe," he urged quietly, and I did as he asked. "That's my good girl Abel," mumbled when I exhaled. "Miss me?"

"Yes," I answered without a second thought. Great way to play hard to catch! Wait. Is that what I want to do? Hell no. "I mean, I was wondering if you're still here."

"Do you want me to still be there?"

"I don't know."

"Hmm… having second thoughts, princess?"

"No. I just... I don't know why I called. I mean, not that I don't want to talk. I'm just not sure what to say." Oh god! I groaned mostly to myself, "I'm terrible at this!"

"At what?" I winced, realizing I'd just said the last bit out loud.

"Flirting," I blurted, "I mean…"

"We could add that to the lessons, if you want," he offered. Whoosh! Nerves and something else swirled inside of me. Something like excitement and anticipation.

"Oh."

"You're so fucking cute." I winced at his words.

I didn't want to be cute.

I wanted to be hot and sexy.

Desired.

It was crazy. The whole thing was. He was older and so much more experienced than me. I was way out of my depth with him. The smart thing would be dropping it. Ghosting him. But I knew I wasn't going to do that. If he was offering to teach me what he knew, I'd be the best teacher's pet he'd ever had.

"What if I want you here?" I asked, letting my heart take the reins for the first time in my life.

"Open the back gate," he dared in a deep, low, gravelly tone. My eyes moved toward the darkness that led to the side of the house where the gate was. "Or don't. It's up to you. There's absolutely no pressure." His tone softened, and so did my heart.

He was giving me an out.

Trying not to push me too far out of my comfort zone. Almost like he knows you better than you think? I shook my head and stood up. My feet, with a mind of their own, made their way toward the dark creepy alley that led to the door. The lightbulb on the side of the house had burned out a week ago, and I hadn't had time to change it.

I hated the dark. It was creepy. Logically, I knew everything that was between where I stood and the back gate: two trash bins and my beach cruiser. That was it. But your head liked to play tricks on you with the darkness. Hearing his steady breathing on the other end of the line, I didn't stop to let my imagination run away from me. I took a step into the darkness. Somehow, knowing I'd find him on the other end made it easier. Less scary.

Take a chance, a soft voice whispered. It's time to live out loud. Color outside the lines. Be wild. The little peptalk replayed over and over in my head. My cell phone in one hand, the other touched the fence line until I made it to the door. I opened it and gasped softly. Not out of fear but happiness.

"You're here," I whispered.

I couldn't make out his features with the streetlight behind him, but he pulled me out and toward the light.

"You didn't use your flashlight?" He took my cell from my hand.

"I didn't think about it." I've been in too much of a hurry to see him. His lips quirked up, making him look even sexier. I liked that look on his face. Abel's big hand rose and touched my cheek. The moment his palm caressed my skin, I leaned in, loving the warmth and roughness of his calloused fingers.

"My brave girl," he praised. His words, his sentiment, washed through me like the coziest feeling ever, leaving me feeling all warm and fuzzy. "Come on." His hand dropped from my face, and he extended it for me to take. Our fingers tangled like two puzzle pieces perfectly shaped to fit the other.

"Where are we going?" I asked, and he smiled brighter.

"Trust me?"

"Yes," I answered with confidence I felt all the way down to my toes.

"Good." He grinned; it made him impossibly handsome. I had no idea how a man his size moved so fast, but he did. One moment, my feet were touching the ground, and the other, my legs were wrapped around his narrow waist, and he was carrying me to his truck like I weight nothing more than a sack of flour.

There were a million and one questions running through my head, not to mention the fact I wasn't dressed to go out in public. But I didn't think about that. I didn't think about anything but how happy I was to be with him.

I simply smiled at him and for the first time in my life just went with the moment.