Hey, book bae!
Here’s one final sneak peek for In The Lonely Hour before it goes live tomorrow! If you’d like to do so, you can preorder it here.
Layla
Dior’s eyes lit up at the sight of the gift basket Andres had waiting for her. It was her first evening at the center working with his team and they had welcomed them both in with warm, open arms.
“This is what I asked for!” Dior rocked back and forth before jumping up and down as she hugged the large stuffed turtle he’d gotten her. There was also a single yellow rose in her basket, and he’d gotten Layla a bouquet of red roses.
“What do you say, Dior?” Layla guided with a smile.
“Thank you?” She looked from one to the other to make sure she was correct, making Layla chuckle.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You’re welcome, Dior,” Andres replied. “I want you to have a good time, okay? If anyone or anything makes you uncomfortable what are you supposed to do?”
“Call you or mom.”
“Right.”
He lifted his hand and she gave him a high five before hugging Layla and following behind his team without any further guidance needed.
“Whew.” Layla released a long breath, eyes never leaving Dior until the door closed behind them. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Andres chuckled. “You have three hours to yourself and you didn’t make any plans?”
Her head shook. “Well, I planned to sit outside the door, but I figured you wouldn’t let me do that.”
His laugh was a little louder this time. “You damn right.” After looking around, Andres added, “Come with me.”
Placing her hand inside of his, Layla followed his lead. It was always naturally easy to do that. Standing next to him, she brushed her arm against his, inhaling a deep whiff of his scent. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Layla had been thoroughly enjoying their time together. There was something about the effortless calm of his presence that was a welcomed relief from what she was used to with Carlos.
“Are you hungry?” he checked as they headed outside of the center.
“Not just yet. We ate about an hour ago. I’m sure we’ll grab something on the way in when we head out.”
“Cool.”
Once they were at his sand colored Land Rover Discovery, Andres opened the door for her and helped her inside.
“Are you kidnapping me, sir?” she asked before he could close the door, getting a smile out of him.
“It appears so.” Andres winked and closed the door, making her heart skip a beat.
As they headed out of the parking lot, Andres gave her permission to link her phone to the car so she could play what she wanted to listen to. She began her Samoht playlist but lowered the volume, wanting some adult conversation more than anything else.
“So tell me about yourself,” she requested, taking in his handsome side profile. Honestly, Layla didn’t know what part of his face and skin she liked most. There was so much to take pleasure in. From the shade of his skin to his freckles and how his round glasses drew attention to them and his curly, long lashes.
“What would you like to know?”
“Everything.”
Andres’ low, deep chuckle made Layla clench her thighs. “Everything?” he repeated, looking over at her briefly.
“Everything.”
“I’m thirty-five. You know what I do for a living. My parents are still alive and married. They are the founders of the Martin Community Center and Foundation. That’s my last name.”
“Wait. Your family created the center and foundation?” He nodded. “That’s amazing, Andres. Do you mind me asking if there was a reason behind it?”
“My sister was autistic.” He cleared his throat. “There weren’t really any resources or any kind of help in our community when my siblings and I were growing up. They offered to enroll her in some fucking special ed classes, but she was smart as hell. That had never been her struggle. She used to get bullied for her differences, and it didn’t matter how many kids I beat up, I could only protect her from so much, you know?” Andres paused. Swallowed hard. “Emily ended up becoming friends with Zasha and she was troubled in her own ways. She convinced Emily to join a suicide pact with her. It was about ten girls total. They all were supposed to drown themselves in a river in our old neighborhood.”
Layla’s eyes watered as she covered her opened mouth.
“One of them recorded it and it was clear she didn’t want to do it, but they ended up convincing her to anyway. Out of the ten of them, only four actually killed themselves, Emily included.”
“I’m so, so sorry, Andres. Jesus. What happened with the other girls? Did they face any kind of charges?”
Andres released a shaky breath as Layla held his free hand. “Yeah, we were able to have Zasha and the girl who was recording charged with second degree involuntary manslaughter because they were the ones forcing her to stay under the water even though she was crying to get out.” His head shook and he pulled his hand from hers to brush his nose and wipe his eye quickly.
“They were sentenced to ten years, so they should be out by now.”
“Teenagers can be so fucking cruel. I guess that’s another reason I’ve sheltered Dior so much. I know she’s capable of more and I’ve babied her, but I’m just… so scared of this hateful world. If something like that were to happen to her…”
“It won’t,” Andres assured quickly. “That’s why me and my brother came up with the idea for the foundation. When my parents came on board, it took off from there. I know we can’t keep every child with Autism from being bullied, neglected, abused, or taken advantage of, but we’re damn sure going to try. Trevor, my brother, mostly works with kids who suffer from those things though. It’s best for me to work with those who want to develop more socially because it keeps me from living in the moment of losing Emily.”
“I hate I even asked.”
“It’s cool. It helps to talk about her sometimes, and I know people often wonder how I started with this. It’s just the idea of dealing with that on a daily basis… it would be too triggering.”
“I understand. Are you and Trevor close?”
“Yeah. We’re all pretty close. I think if we didn’t have the foundation, we probably wouldn’t spend as much time together as we do, though. It’s what keeps us together.”
“I feel you. When’s your birthday?” Andres looked over at her for a few seconds with a smile. “What?”
“Is this how you usually have conversations?”
“What do you mean?”
“Asking questions and not giving any details in return. That might be why your daughter converses the way she does too.”
Layla laughed softly as she looked out of the window. It was beautiful out even though the sun hadn’t begun to set, which was her favorite time of day.
“I think I talk like this now because of her. If I don’t ask her stuff, she won’t want to talk about anything except what she wants to talk about. It’s a hard habit to break.”
“February twentieth. I’m a Pisces if you’re into that shit.”
“I’m a Cancer, which is funny because based on our birthdays we would definitely be a good fit.”
“Aw yeah?” She nodded. “How so?”
“Well… I’m emotional, big hearted, and sensitive, and I think Pisces are too. We’re usually the strong ones and nurturers in our relationships. Selfless. We could bring out the best in one another and finally be with someone who can give the energy they receive from us.”
Andres nodded. “I can agree with all of that.”
Silence found them for a while, and Layla grinned the entire time she looked out of the window. Andres shifted the conversation, asking her about herself and her past. She told him the basics about her… that she was thirty-four and the oldest of two daughters. She went to school for hospital administration but dropped out to have Dior. Her parents too were still alive and married.
As they talked about their hobbies and interests, they realized they had a couple in common. They both loved to read… just different genres… and they both loved comfort food. While Layla was into gardening and old TV shows, Andres preferred action movies, any kind of sport, and spending time with family. Admittedly, Layla couldn’t remember the last time she’d spent time with her family outside of the holidays. Her separation had her hiding from her loved ones out of shame. Now that they were working with Andres, Layla wanted to fix her relationship with her family as well.
When they arrived at the botanic garden, Layla’s eyes lit up just like Dior’s did at the sight of the turtle. It was funny because she’d lived in Memphis all her life, loved flowers, and had never gone to the botanic garden before. For some reason, she never had the courage to go alone, even though she knew it would be an amazing experience.
“Is this cool?” Andres checked, cutting his SUV off.
“It’s… perfect. Can you believe I’ve never been here before?”
His head tilted as his eyes widened slightly while he smiled. “No, I can’t believe that at all. I’m honored to be the one you experience this with for the first time, though.”
“I am too.”
Their eyes remained locked for a few seconds more before he got out and opened the door for her. After Andres purchased their tickets, they looked over the map to see what garden they wanted to start with first. Layla couldn’t resist wanting to go to the rose garden, so they started there. She could practically contain herself, feeling her frequency rise the more time they spent around the flower of love. Roses were said to have the highest vibration of all, and Layla definitely felt her spirit lift the longer she was in their presence.
“You should take a picture here,” Andres suggested as they rounded the largest part of the garden by the fountain.
“I don’t know…” Her head shook softly as she looked down at the red maxi dress she was wearing.
“You’re a beautiful woman in a beautiful environment. You should capture this.”
“Okay, but you have to take one with me too.”
“Aight, I will.” Layla tried to hand him her phone but he declined. “Nah. I want to take it on my phone so I can have it. I’ll text it to you.”
As she blushed, he snapped. “Wait! I wasn’t ready.”
Andres smiled with a shake of his head. “That’s what made it perfect.”
He walked over to her and showed her the three pictures he took, and Layla had to admit that they came out really good. Standing next to each other, she also had to admit how her body reacted to him—hardened nipples, palpitating heart, goosebumps over her arms. Andres looked down at her for a few seconds, mouth just a couple of inches away from hers.
“You ready?”
Unable to speak, she nodded.
Layla looked at the camera and smiled, but he continued to look at her. And that was what their first picture was composed of. The second was of her looking back at him. And the third… was of their lips pressed together.
Powerless to resist, Layla returned Andres’ kiss. Raw, wild need passed between them with each peck of their lips. He kissed her slowly, drugingly, with an intensity that was nothing like she’d ever experienced before. His tongue warred with hers, invading her mouth and keeping her captive so passionately she didn’t want to be free.
But… As much as Layla enjoyed the feel of his lips against hers, she pulled away. A sinking feeling filled the pit of her stomach as she ran her hands through her hair. Technically, she was separated, but her vows still felt permanent—no matter what Carlos was doing. It felt like she was cheating, and Layla had never been a cheater. Stepping away from him, she turned and began to pace.
“My fault,” Andres muttered. “I didn’t mean to get that deep. Just… can’t seem to stop wanting you.”
A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth before she confessed quietly, “I want you too.” Layla sniffled quickly. “But my situation… it’s messy. Carlos and I… we’re still technically married. Separated and soon to be divorced but… it hasn’t been finalized.”
“How fucked up is it that that’s the least of my concerns?” Layla turned to face him. “I don’t have to know the details of your marriage to know he doesn’t deserve you. Or Dior.” He took a step in her direction. “If I felt like you wanted me to… I swear to God I’d take you.” He took another step, causing Layla to inhale a sharp breath. “But if you want me to fall back, I can do that too.”
“Honestly… I don’t know what I want you to do.”
“Then I’ll fall back until you figure it out. Promise me you’ll let me know when you do.”
Layla smiled as she nodded. After placing a kiss to his cheek, she assured him, “I will. I promise.”