Summer Nights
“Not
even a window unit?”
    “Nah. That’s a luxury on the island.”
He focused on the road as I returned to Stella.
    “Wow. Sorry, girl. Why don’t you go
back to the hotel?”
    “I was trying to give you some time
with stud muffin over there, but I guess we can head that way. What
are your plans for the day?”
    “Cruz is taking me to breakfast then
the beach.”
    “Woah! You’re gonna let him see you in
a bathing suit? Boy really has won you back.”
    “He has already seen me naked, so I
don’t think a bathing suit is a big deal at this point.”
    “And you have a damn sexy naked body
too,” Cruz purred, twining our fingers together across the console.
I felt myself blush as he brushed his lips across the back of my
hand.
    “Ooh, girl. I can’t handle any more
heat right now. I swear I’ve sweat off at least twenty pounds in
the past hour.”
    “Take a cold shower!” I heard Ramon
yell from a distance.
    “I already have,” she
snapped. I burst into a fit of laughter. Stella didn’t have
long-term plans for her and Ramon, but they already sounded like a
married couple. “Ugh. He has all the windows open, but that isn’t
doing a damn thing. I swear. I don’t know how certain people live like this.” Her
implication of Ramon was loud and clear.
    “Hold on a sec.” I pressed my cell
phone to my shoulder, using my free hand to cover the mouthpiece.
“Do you mind if Stella and Ramon join us at the beach?”
    “Whatever makes you
happy, mi reina .”
He squeezed our conjoined hands.
    “Want to meet me and Cruz at the beach
later?”
    “As long as the ocean doesn’t feel like
a damn hot tub.” She conversed with Ramon for a moment. “Meet you
around noon?”
    “Is noon okay?” I checked with Cruz. He
nodded. “Sounds good. Don’t melt before then, Stel.”
    “When we get home, I’m turning my air
conditioner down to sixty. My fat is going to be melted Jell-O by
the time we touch ground in Atlanta.”
    I scrunched my nose at the visual.
“Okay. You can stop there. I get it. Trust me. I feel like a fat,
sweaty sock walking around here too. No need to
explain.”
    “We are never traveling South again
during the summer.” I heard commotion in the background. “Now what
the hell do you think that inky-dinky little fan is gonna do for
me? Summer, help a sister out. This fool is trying to cool me off
with an itty-bitty desk fan. It would take at least ten of them to
make a dent in my crankiness right about now.”
    “Stop working yourself up over it.
You’re only raising your temperature and driving me insane,” Ramon
pleaded.
    “You? You’re a twig walking around on
chicken legs that would cool off with a paper fan in two seconds.
Me? I’m a big beautiful woman who has girth and needs more than a
fan the size of an apple to cool off her excess
sexiness.”
    “You are very sexy. You are
my sexy chocolate -“
Ramon’s voice was getting closer, as if he was leaning into Stella.
His tone was seductive and had a heady rasp that I knew had Stella
squirming. But I didn’t want to hear anymore.
    “Okay! I’m going to go now, Stella. You
and Ramon have fun cooling each other down. I’ll see you
later.”
    She giggled flirtatiously. Ramon had
clearly distracted her from his lack of an efficient cooling system
in his house. “See you later, Summer.” I heard a moan right as she
hung up her phone.
    “Um, I think things are going good with
them.” I felt the heat painting my cheeks. They were definitely a
good match; I just hoped Stella kept an open mind.
    “I’m glad things are going good with
us,” Cruz said. I swallowed hard, his eyes raking over me. My womb
warmed under the heat of his gaze, my heartbeat picking up pace. I
stared back at him, unable to gather my wits to respond.
    When he faced the road, I exhaled
softly, trying to reign in my reaction to him and his words. I
tucked my phone inside my purse right as Cruz pulled along the curb
in front of a bakery in Old San

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