His to Love

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Alexa

“Mom, I got the job!” I was full of excitement as I drove to my new home.

“Congratulations, I knew you could do it,” she gushed. “How is our friend Patton doing?”

“He seems fine. He sends his regards and he told me to let you and Daddy know that he’ll watch over me for you guys.” I shivered as adrenaline rushed through me. “Ahh! I can’t believe it! I got a job—the job of my dreams!”

“I am so proud of you. Your father will be too. I’ll let him know the good news as soon as he gets home from work. Are you going to the deacon’s home now, Alejandra?”

“I am. Should you give him a call first?” I wasn’t sure how I would be able to do that, as my father had made all the arrangements with Deacon Soliz.

I heard the sound of papers rustling before she said, “I found the note your father left me. It says to punch in nine-six-nine-seven on the keypad to get into the house. You’ve got the address, right?”

“I do.” I was surprised how easy everything was going. I was so afraid I would feel out of sorts with so many changes happening at once, but all I felt was excitement and happiness.

“The note also says that both the deacon and his wife work and don’t get home until six each night. So, you’ll be alone in the house for a while. Are you okay with that? If not, I’m sure Patton will let you hang around at the resort until then.”

“I’d actually like a little time at the house by myself anyway. That’ll give me a chance to unpack my things so that when they do come home, I can spend some time with them and get to know them a bit.” Feeling incredibly optimistic about the job interview, I’d brought all of the basics I’d need for my new life with me.

I knew it would be odd to live with people I’d never met before, but it was worth it to finally have the chance to be on my own. Plus, I could always hang out with Patton if I felt too uncomfortable.

Patton and my brother had been friends forever. He’d been at our home almost every day as I grew up. I felt at ease with him and always had. He was a familiar face in a sea of unfamiliarity.

“I knew Patton would hire you. He’s always been a good boy, and now he’s a good man. I’m glad he and Luciano have kept up their friendship all these years.” She sighed heavily with nostalgia. “I’m glad my children have a man like him in their lives. I’ve always adored him.”

I had too. “Yes, Mamma, me too.” As a teenager, I’d had a pretty major crush on him—not that he or my family ever knew about it. He was ten years older than me, and I’d finally realized that my crush would only ever be just that. He’d never see me as anything but a kid. So, I stopped thinking of him in a romantic way. But the man has gotten even hotter through the years.

Growing up, he’d had the thick, dark hair of a teenage heartthrob. As a man, Patton kept it on the neater side even though the unruly waves were impossible to tame completely. The blue of his eyes was enhanced by the thick fringe of his dark eyelashes. He’d always been muscular, and it was nice to see he’d kept up with his exercises. I wondered if all his brothers had also kept in such good shape.

There was no doubt that the Nash boys had been blessed with good genes. But it was Patton’s jaw line that really set him apart from his brothers. They all had softer features, whereas Patton’s firm, square jaw made him appear tough. It was his eyes that made him approachable. His eyes told of his deep compassion and artistic nature. He was a rare man with many fascinating sides.

“I’ve just remembered that you’re driving through that horrible Austin traffic. You shouldn’t be on the phone. Call me once you’ve settled in. I love you and I’m so proud of you. I know this is the right decision for you. Bye now.” And that was that—she ended the call without letting me say a word.

But that was my mother. She wouldn’t drive in traffic. Not that she ever had to—we lived on the outskirts of Houston where there was little traffic. She’d drive to the local grocery, the library, and church but that was about it.

My father wasn’t much better with traffic. He made it to his job as a supervisor of the cleaning staff at the Conoco Building in downtown Houston. He could drive there each weekday with ease. But if he had my mother in the car with him, he got jumpy. She’d gasp, hold her chest and her breath anytime she saw another car enter the highway—it didn’t make her a very good passenger. It was too much for him.

If they wanted to go into the city, Luciano drove them, as he was able to tune out Mother’s antics. With the age difference between us, my brother was usually the one to take care of the things our parents needed as they got older.

Mom had been forty when I was born. Being a devout Catholic, she’d never taken any form of birth control. She’d married our father when she was twenty-one and it had taken eight years before she got pregnant with Luciano. Another nine passed before she got pregnant with me. And I was the last baby she had.

She could have called Luciano a miracle baby too, but for some reason she only called me that. And as a little miracle I had to be protected at all times. Sent to a Catholic school for girls, I was not only kept safe, but chaste as well.

It seemed to be their mission to make sure no male ever touched me—I was their little miracle, and they didn’t want anything to tarnish that. It had left me naïve in the ways of love. And as far as s*x went, I knew next to nothing. s*x education was not part of the curriculum at the school I’d attended.

“The destination is on your right,” the GPS informed me.

Turning into the driveway, I looked up at a nice house that was much larger than I’d anticipated. With only one child, I had expected it to be on the small side. But the deacon’s home looked like it could fit a brood of children in it.

There were no cars in the driveway but there was a two-car garage. I tried to avoid blocking it, as I was sure that’s where the deacon and his wife would park once they got home.

After I took my luggage out of the trunk, I rolled it up the cement walkway before entering the code into the front door’s keypad. I heard it click open and went inside.

The foyer was well-lit by the window at the very top of the—at least—fifteen-foot-high wall. A desk along the far wall had a vase of fresh flowers and a note with my name at the top of it.

Alejandra,

We are pleased that you got the job and happy to have you staying with us. Please make yourself at home, there are drinks in the fridge and feel free to eat anything you want. We’re not hard to get along with. Just clean up after yourself and things will be fine.

See you around six,

Deacon and Mrs. Soliz

“So, you got the job then?” a man’s voice echoed around me.

Jumping, I gasped, “What?”

Hands shoved into the pockets of his blue jeans, a tall, muscular guy about my age came around the corner. Golden eyes shone brightly as he looked me up and down.

My body went hot as embarrassment filled me. But he seemed to be unaware of my discomfort. “Alejandra, right?” My name rolled off his tongue in a deep, slightly accented purr.

Remembering my manners, I extended my hand. “I am Alejandra De Le Cruz. And, yes, I got the job.”

He took my hand but didn’t shake it. Instead he turned it over and kissed the top of it as he tugged me closer to him. “I am Alejandro Soliz. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alejandra.”

“People call me Alexa.” I pulled my hand out of his as I felt my palm begin to sweat.

“May I call you Alejandra? It’s such a beautiful name, after all.” He smiled charmingly as he took a step back. “Allow me to show you around your new home.”

I wasn’t sure how to take the young man who wasn’t supposed to be home. At least, that’s what my father had said. “Aren’t you going to college at UCLA?”

“I am.” He turned, stopping to wait for me to come up next to him. “I’ve come home for a brief visit. My father’s birthday was the day before yesterday, and I came home for the week to be with him.”

“How considerate of you.” He seemed nice. “You must be very close with your family.” Keeping close with family was important to me.

“I am very close to them. I’m their only child, you know.” His hand moved to rest on the small of my back and goosebumps pimpled my flesh. “Let me show you to your bedroom so you can put the luggage away.”

“Your home is much larger than I thought it would be.” I felt lucky he was there to show me around. “I don’t think I would’ve been able to figure out which room is mine if no one was here to tell me.”

“Happy to be of service to you, Alejandra.” Steering me down a long hallway, he stopped at the last door on the left. “This is my room.” He then turned me to the right. “And yours is here, right across the hall.”

Something about that made my stomach tighten and I felt as if I were about to break out in a sweat. There were four other doors along the passage, but our rooms were at the very end. It felt a little far away from the main areas of the house to me.

Reaching across my body, he opened the door and moved me inside the large bedroom. Elegantly furnished, the room had two doors, one on the right side and one on the left. “And those doors go where?”

Pointing at the one on the right, he said, “That is your private bathroom and the other one is your walk-in closet.” He gestured to the queen-sized bed. “And that is your bed. Would you like to test it out?”

I had no idea what he meant by that, but I wasn’t about to go lie down on it in front of him. “That’s okay, I trust it’s comfortable. This is a lovely home.”

He nodded as he took my luggage out of my hand, grazing his fingers along my fingers as he did so. “And large.” Rolling my bag toward the closet, he opened the door then put it inside. “Come, I’ll show you the rest of the house. My parents’ bedroom is all the way across the house.” He came back to me as I stood frozen in place.

I had no idea why his words evoked such a reaction in me, but I felt odd. There was a sense of danger mixed with curiosity, and a fair amount of anticipation laced with anxiety swirling inside of me. “So, it’s just me and you way down this hallway then?”

“Just the two of us.” His hand slid across my side then settled on the small of my back again. “Come.”

My feet moved but my mind was telling me to stay put, to lock him out of the bedroom and wait for his parents to come home before daring to come out. But there I went anyway.

I didn’t want to come off as some shy virgin. That’s exactly what I was, but I didn’t want him to know that.

I’d never been completely alone with a man in my life—certainly not one my own age. I didn’t know how to act. And for some reason, I had this feeling that this man wanted to have s*x with me.

I knew that was preposterous since we were complete strangers, but the feeling just kept building as he continued moving me through the house, talking with his romantic Spanish accent. “The kitchen.” He stopped to open the stainless steel refrigerator. “Care for a drink? A glass of wine?”

“I really shouldn’t.” I’d been allowed a glass of wine only on special occasions. Drinking alcohol with a man present—one who seemed to be highly attracted to me—seemed like a bad idea.

I’d never had anyone be attracted to me. This entire experience was foreign to me. It was a little scary, but also sort of exciting.