Free Tangled: A Moreno Brothers novella by Elizabeth Reyes

hundred notches. Now this? What the fuck was she doing? He grabbed
the beers without saying another word to anyone and stalked back to the table.
    The moment he sat down her hand was on his thigh. “What’s going
on?” he asked, not bothering to lower his voice.
    She squeezed his thigh, smiling as she lifted her glass to her
lips. “I’ll tell you later.” Before he could protest, she squeezed again. “Trust
me, please,” she whispered behind her glass. “I can’t say anything here.”
    “Then let’s go somewhere else.”
    No way was he waiting until later. He glared at Elliot, who
appeared to be avoiding eye contact. If that mother fucker was trying to pull a
fast one right here under his nose, holiday or not, shit was going to blow up.
    Isabel wiped her mouth and stood up. “Where you going?” Valerie
asked.
    Izzy picked up her glass and smiled. “Refresh.”
    Valerie immediately lifted her glass and downed what was left of
hers and held it out to Izzy. “Will you bring me some more wine, please?”
    Taking the glass from her, Izzy glanced around. “Anyone else?”
    “I’ll take another beer,” Aida said.
    Well shit. They were going to be there all night if Izzy took
everyone’s order. Thankfully Aida and Val were the only two takers. The moment
they were far enough away, Romero started, though he did his best to ask as
calmly as he could. “What’s with you and the professor doing all this private
talking?”
    “He was asking about one of Alex’s relatives, but he didn’t want
anyone to hear.”
    “ Why? ”
    They reached the bar that was empty now. Izzy walked around to
the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine but glanced around to make sure
no one was within hearing range. “Don’t look, okay? I don’t know her, but the
girl in the purple dress sitting at the same table with Alex’s parents is
Denver’s ballet teacher. She’s been hitting on Elliot lately and even suggested
they go out for a drink some time.”
    She concentrated on pouring the wine in the glass then closed it
and pulled out a bottle of cranberry juice, refilling her own glass.
    “So?” Romero asked without the slightest interest in turning
around to see who she was talking about.
    This was why the guy had to pull Izzy aside and talk to her
privately? To gossip about his love life? What the hell did Izzy care?
    “She’s here with her husband,” she whispered. Now Romero
turned around. “Don’t be obvious,” she whispered anxiously.
    Romero didn’t know the girl either, but she was pretty hot. And
she was hitting on Elliot? He turned around to look at Izzy suspiciously. “You
sure he’s not making that shit up?”
    Izzy practically rolled her eyes. “Why would he? And the worst
thing is I don’t know if that’s one of their cousins or one of their cousins’
wives. I don’t remember ever seeing her before. All we know is she’s wearing a
wedding band and she’s sitting next to a guy who keeps kissing her, but I don’t
recognize him either.”
    “What’s her name?” Romero asked curiously now, wondering if her
name would ring a bell.
    “Reagan.”
    Nope.
    After putting the bottle of cranberry juice back in the
refrigerator, Izzy handed him Aida’s beer and lifted the two glasses. They
started back to the table. “But you can’t say anything here. You can ask Alex
about her another time. Don’t open up a can of worms tonight.”
    Feeling a bit drained after having gotten himself worked up so
fast for the second time tonight, Romero actually exhaled now. The restraint he’d
shown tonight was impressive even to him. Izzy didn’t know the half of it. If
this had happened a few years back, he would’ve opened up a can of something
else on Elliot’s ass, and things would’ve gotten ugly real fast. Thankful now
that he’d grown up enough to keep his cool at least long enough to get the
facts straight, he caressed Izzy’s back with his free hand. She looked up at
him with a smirk.
    Without