Page 57 of Scars of the Sun

Just like I thought, she immediately shoveled down her food, and after watching her awhile in appreciation, I started on my matching meal. It was hot as shit out, but this kind of weather never bothered me none. My Jaguar loved the heat, and I’d grown up in the South. How I’d lasted this long this far up north was beyond me.

After about ten minutes, Ramona and I finished our meals, just before Brody who scarfed down his pancakes and eggs a minute or so after us. Alex and Jess ate much more slowly, talking and laughing in between bites while Tyler just sipped and chipped in here and there. He was a little like Ramona in that way. He’d scowl and sneer, but he neverreallykicked us out. Always opened up his fancy house for us to practice. I wondered if he was… lonely.

The six of us stayed outside for a few hours, talking about a bunch of nothing, but the company more than made up for it. After we threw our trash out, Ramona and I switched to sitting on the edge of the pool with our feet in the water. Her cute little toes were painted the same shade as my Iceman, and even though it was probably a coincidence, I decided to take it that she thought of me as much as I thought of her.

“So, what’s your story, Río’s Girl?” Brody had returned to swimming in the water, and he turned the conversation to zero right in on Ramona. She’d been fairly at ease beside me, splashing the blue water. Instead of trying to splash Alex who was treading a few feet away.

But I could tell that she wasn’t one to enjoy an entire group’s attention. She cleared her throat, “What do you mean?”

Brody shrugged, “Dunno. Did you grow up here? Didn’t remember seeing you around.”

“Oh. No, I moved here back in May to stay with my brother and his family. I grew up in New York.”

He whistled like he was impressed. “City girl, all right. Who’s your brother? Maybe I know him.”

Ramona picked at the frayed edge of her shorts, so I moved my leg just a little to nudge her toes with mine. My nails were painted black, and our feet looked good together.

She wiggled her toes against mine. “Orion Gealach. He’s a professor at the college. His m-wife is Sylvie Williams.”

“Huh, weird last name you guys have.” I flung a splash of water at him for being rude.

But Ramona didn’t shoot back. “That’s his. Mine is Wells.” When she’d first told me her last name when I’d asked, I’d experimented with funny nicknames for her in my contacts. Welly Belly stuck for a little bit. At least, until she saw it in my phone and demanded I change it. She’d still grumbled when I reset it to ‘Princess’ but didn’t outright protest.

Jess flipped up her sunglasses and leaned forward to squint at Ramona. “Wait, that name sounds familiar. Are you famous or something?”

Thatgot my princess stiffening. She glanced at me, just for a split second as if she was going to ask for reinforcements, but then she blanked out her face and arched a brow at Jess. “No.” What was going on?

“No, no,” Jess waved her sunglasses at her, “youaren’t famous, but is your dad Sean Wells by chance? My dad and I watch football every Sunday,” she rolled her eyes like it was a stupid tradition, “and you look like his kid.”

“Fuck,” Ramona mumbled before sending an almost apologetic smile my way. She turned back to Jess. “You got me.” I took her in, my princess who I’d sussed out as a rich kid from the moment I saw her. I didn’t watch sports at all, but my uncle had kept it on every weekend before he died when I was ten. Back then, Sean Wells played for the Giants, if I wasn’t mistaken.

Jess laughed like she’d discovered some great secret. “Holy shit, I gotta tell my old man about this. You know, your dad’s his favorite commentator to this day. Wait—could you get us tickets?”

“How presumptuous of you, Jessica.” Tyler drawled, but it didn’t deter her. She was looking at Ramona with hope and excitement lighting up her face.

I rubbed a hand on Ramona’s back, willing the tension in her spine to ease. Obviously, she didn’t want to talk about her family, but Jess was a weirdly avid football fan. Soccer was a better sport, in my opinion, but the two of us had already gotten into it enough about it.

“Uh, we’re not really… close. Sorry.”

“Oh,” Jess deflated, “well that’s okay.” I tightened my mouth and caught her eye before cutting mine to Ramona and back. Jess blinked a few moments, not understanding what I was trying to indicate until at least ten awkward seconds had passed. “Are you coming to our next show?”

Ramona exhaled and leaned a little into my side. I grabbed her waist and scooted myself the rest of the way. My Jaguar tossed and turned with the need to purr, but I couldn’t exactly do that here, so I settled for scenting her all over. Running my face up the side of hers, sniffing in her hair. It was a fucking shame I had to go to work soon because I could already feel myself ramping up for more rounds with my princess. And just alone time, listening to her talk and taking care of her.

“Damn, man, let the girl breathe. You’re like a damn cat.” Brody shouted before losing himself in a round of deep belly laughs.

I shot him the finger and gave Ramona’s face a hearty lick for good measure. The humans groaned in disgust, but Ty’s dark chuckle made me grin with the inside joke.

The rest of the hour passed far too quickly, and how I ended up being the only one who had to work that day, I didn’t know. It was fucking unfair, but I had to tear Ramona and I away from the hang that looked like it was going to continue for hours more. She’d started adding to the conversation by the end, and I felt like a jerk for taking her away. But when I declared that I had to head to Vinny’s, she said her goodbyes and followed me inside to grab our stuff and back out to the driveway.

I was already cutting it too close to run to my place and drop off my guitar, so I opted to keep it at Ty’s. No way in hell was I leaving her in my truck.

Ramona opened the door of her brother’s black SUV and turned to face me. I palmed her ass and pulled until our hips connected. Fuck, how was I supposed to get through the next eight hours without her? Especially after the night we had.

She had her fists balled and rested against my chest, but her fingers were nervous as she pulled at the fabric of my t-shirt. “I’m… um, sorry I didn’t tell you. About my family.”

I squeezed her cheeks and kissed her hairline. “Aw, don’t worry about it. I knew you were a princess from the first time I laid eyes on you. Makes a lot more sense now.”

Her expression didn’t settle like I’d hoped it would. She kept on picking at my shirt. “And. I.” She breathed out, back in, then out, as if that was going to calm the galloping in her chest. My own heart rate quickened in sympathy, and I worried for a second what she was about to tell me. “I… really—like you. Río.”