Victoria: It’s seasonal, I’ll be over it when they stop making them for the year. Thank you.
Anthony: I have a surprise for you when I get in.
Victoria: Tell me!
Anthony: For a writer, you’re a little dense. Surprise means I don’t tell you, sweetheart.
Sweetheart. Since he’d called me that for a joke, he said it all the time now just to tease me. Hearing a term of endearment in his gruff New York accent that we all had in one form or another, sent a pathetic shiver up and down my spine each time.
Anthony was special: talented, humble, and beautiful. He was also closed off, but he let me in—to a point. I rambled on about my crazy family, but all I knew about him was that his mother lived in Puerto Rico, and he had an aunt and cousins he was close to who lived in Queens and the Bronx. No mention of friends or other family. I’d pried a few times, but all he’d surrender were one-word answers.
I tried to get lost in mindless tasks for the next hour until he came in. When the bell chimed above the door, signaling someone’s arrival, my heart did a sad leap in my chest.
“When is the season over? I can’t stand the smell of this much longer.”
Anthony’s full lips twisted in disgust before he came over to my desk and set down the steaming cup.
“I appreciate your suffering for my benefit.” My eyes fell on his smug half-smile before I took the first sip.
“What are friends for?” He winked and pulled one hand behind his back.
Friends. Right.
“Are we playing this game? Show me the surprise or don’t.” I narrowed my eyes but couldn’t help the pull of a smile on my lips.
Anthony’s lips curled into a devious grin, his chocolate eyes shining. As he laughed, my eyes were drawn to the way his shirt stretched across his broad chest just enough to tease the large tattoo creeping up his neck.
I never gave too much thought to getting my own tattoo, but lately, especially when I couldn’t sleep, I’d dream about visiting him at the tattoo shop asking him to mark my body in a place no one else would see.
“Since I know you’re dying, here.” He tossed a comic book on my desk.
I squinted at Anthony before picking it up. When I took a closer look, I recognized some of the dialogue he’d shown me. The ink saturated the paper as if it was freshly drawn.
“Anthony,” I gasped as I carefully opened it. “Is this?”
“Mine, yep. I just finished the last of the drawings because I figured out what was missing. That site we found on creating your own comic was helpful, but they downplayed how much of a bitch it would be.” He folded his arms as he leaned against my desk.
“You drew all of this in one week?” I hadn’t seen any pages from Anthony since he told me he was still figuring out the story, and a twinge of hurt pinched my gut that he finished without showing me. Still, I couldn’t deny how incredible his sketches were in color.
“Wow, this is…” I trailed off as I flipped through the pages “This is beautiful.” I carefully flipped through, but Anthony snatched it away before I could get to the end.
“I was thinking about entering it into that amateur contest that Comic Cave has for the holidays tonight, but,” he shrugged before taking a long glance at the cover. “I’ll just keep it for me. Personal accomplishment.”
“You have to!” I said much louder than I meant to. Anthony flinched before he pushed off my desk. “Sorry for screaming that, but this is too good to keep to yourself. And don’t they invite famous illustrators, too? This could be your chance.”
“Right, my chance to have some famous artist laugh their ass off at me?” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t need that shit.”
“Is Anthony Diaz a chicken? That can’t be right.” I crossed my arms and lifted an eyebrow. “I’d come with you. Dad said he wanted to try to close by four.”
“Really, you’d want to come and waste your time?” The smile he gave me made my chest constrict. I could tell he was trying to be aloof, but I swore I spied some hope in it.
“Whatever happens, we can make a night out of it, maybe. That awesome sushi place is across the street. Come on, Diaz.” I shoved his shoulder, trying to shake off the feeling of his hard muscle against my palm for the one split second. “We can celebrate finals being over for me and your victory, tonight.”
His chest rose as he took in a long breath. “Sure.” He exhaled a loud gust of air. “Why not? Not like it means anything, right?” His head whipped in my direction. “The contest, I mean.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was flustered.
“Right.”
We both turned to the creak of my father’s office door.
“Anthony! Thank God, you’re here early. That dude from the Shore is anxious to get his bike done by the time he comes in. Do you think you can finish it this week?”
“Sure, Josh.” He waved a hand at my father. “It’s half done. I’ll get started now.”
Anthony nodded a goodbye to me before heading into the garage next door.
Dad peered in the direction of Anthony’s departure before turning back to me. “Did I interrupt something?”
“What? No. He’s going to that Comic Cave holiday party, so we’re going to head there together. No big deal.”
Dad nodded without a word, but the way he leveled his eyes at me made the silence between us deafening. He was your typical father when it came to dating; scaring the guys he met by showing off his ink and muscles but he didn’t stop me if I wanted to date anyone. I never had the feeling he didn’t want me with someone, but by the way the vibe always shifted between us after he’d see me with Anthony, that was the impression I had.
I’d figure that out later.
From the day we met, I’d had this overwhelming attraction to Anthony. He’d lured me in without trying, but I could never read him. It was as if he was reaching out to me and pulling away at the same time.
Without meaning to, he messed with my head and my heart, but both were so focused on him, I couldn’t let go.
7
Anthony
“So, you and Baby Falco have a date, tonight?” Lou snickered behind me as I finished up the last bike of the day.
I stilled, giving him a half shrug as I stood to put away my tools.
“Victoria and I are friends heading to the same place, tonight. That’s it.”
His chest rumbled with a laugh as he came closer.
“I catch the way you look at her when you think no one sees. And she looks at you the same way.” He slapped my arm. “Go and have a good time. Just don’t hurt her, or there’ll be a line to kick your ass.”
I laughed at his raised brow.
I’d exhausted myself so much with worry over what tonight would mean, I didn’t have the energy to muster up a denial.
“I’d never hurt her. That I can promise you.”
“Ready to go? I ran home to change. Can’t go to a holiday party at a comic book store without Wonder Woman colors!”
My eyes widened at the sight of Victoria in a tight red sweater over even tighter jeans. Her lips were a matching crimson, and the urge to drive my hands into her dark hair and kiss the hell out of her rendered me speechless and stupid. I wanted to scream “what the hell are you doing with me?” but at the same time, pull her into my arms again like that day at the diner only this time, not let her go.