Through You (The Hidalgo Brothers Book 2)

CLAUDIA

Ares is boy of very few words when he’s sober. When he drinks though, he turns into a chatterbox.

“Are you listening to me, Clauuuuuuu?” he howls while pointing at me.

“Yes, you’ve told me four times already.”

He puffs like a deflating balloon.

“I don’t know what’s happening to me. Am I going crazy?”

“Ares, it’s four in the morning. Can you go to sleep?”

He shakes his head. “I need to see her.”

“Again, it’s four o’clock in the morning. She must be in bed.

Which is where you need to be right now.”

I’m staying with him because he’s set on going to Raquel’s house. If he visits in this condition, god knows what kind of racket he’ll make.

“I just want to see her for one second. Clau, please.”

“Wait until sunrise. I’ll even go along with you to see her.

Right now, I need you to go to sleep, please.”

Ares falls back on his bed and uses his forearm to cover his eyes.

“Clau, I don’t know what to do with these feelings.”

“You’re in love, you fool,” I mutter to myself.

After a few minutes spent in silence, Ares finally settles and falls asleep. I remove his shoes and unbutton his shirt so he can rest comfortably. I cover him with a blanket, and pause for a moment to watch him sleep.

He looks terribly vulnerable and innocent with his black hair all messy, framing his face. I’m happy that he’s at last found someone who makes him feel something real, someone who’s helped him break the pattern of shallow and meaningless one-night stands. I exit his room on tiptoes.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

I try to keep my mind off what just happened between Artemis and me. My mind is still processing it. I go to bed with the memory of his lips on mine, his hands on my breasts and his finger inside me . . . argh. I bite my lip, thinking back to that exquisite orgasm.

I feel restless.

I don’t want to face this feeling I’ve fought for too long, but I can’t seem to shake it off. I’m apprehensive about seeing Artemis again. For some inexplicable reason, I don’t regret doing more than kissing; letting him touch me and use his fingers to bring me to sweet ecstasy. I just don’t know how to act around him now. I decide to go with the flow—I’ll go along with whatever happens between us. I’m tired of constantly fighting these emotions, and trying so hard to prevent what’s inevitable.

Perhaps he and I need to spend a night together to put this attraction to rest; to close this chapter and move on.

But what if we spend this one night and I want more?

This is unknown and dangerous territory for me. I wouldn’t dare try it with anyone else. But this is him. Artemis has always conveyed a sense of peace and security, and I want to believe that he won’t hurt me.

But what if I’m wrong?

Well, I’ll deal with it. I can’t keep myself stuck in this safe space my whole life. Ugh, I don’t even know what to think anymore; what happened is jumbling my thoughts.

The next morning, I’m gathering my hair into a messy bun as I make my entrance into the kitchen to prepare breakfast, and I almost die of a heart attack when I find Ares sitting at the table.

He looks like he didn’t get a wink of sleep. He’s still wearing the same clothes from last night and has huge dark circles under his eyes.

“Good morning?” I address him inquisitively because he looks asleep even though his eyes are wide open.

He offers me a quick glance and goes back to staring off into space.

“I need to eat something so I can sleep,” he says.

“Were you awake the whole time? I thought when I left you hours ago you were sleeping.”

“I woke up at the crack of dawn.” He fesses up. “As soon as the sun rose, I went to see her.”

I can tell by his expression that the expedition didn’t go well.

“Is everything okay?”

He lets out a deep sigh. “Clau, to be honest, I don’t understand her. She . . . I just don’t get her.”

“Did you tell her how you feel?”

He nods.

“And?” I feel terrible for questioning him but I want to know what happened. The curiosity is killing me.

He grimaces. “She laughed.”

Ouch.

I sense he doesn’t want to talk about it. I know him well, and he’ll share when he feels ready, so I busy myself preparing breakfast.

I serve him and watch him eat absentmindedly. His thoughts are elsewhere. Before he leaves, he hugs me and kisses the side of my head.

“Clau, thanks for looking after me.”

“You’re welcome.” I smile as I watch him leave. “Ares, please get some rest.”

After I take breakfast to my mother, I return to the rest of my duties in the kitchen. There isn’t too much to do, except for preparing breakfast for Mr. or Mrs. Hidalgo, in case they choose to eat at home on a Sunday. Occasionally, my eyes dart to the door, expecting Artemis to show up, since he’s usually one of the first to come down for breakfast on weekends. I want to see him so I can get over these nerves. I turn on the coffee machine and prepare an espresso. On cue, Artemis makes his entrance, just when I least expect it. He’s shirtless again, slightly sweaty and wearing shorts.

I gather he just finished his workout. I freeze right in front of the coffee machine, and look at him out of the corner of my eye.

Artemis sits across the table, and he has his eyes squarely on me. “Good morning, sexy.”

I manage to contain a smile from spreading across my lips, and turn around. “Good morning, sir.” I tease him.

Artemis shoots me a charming grin that makes my heart race. His eyes have a mischievous twinkle that I’ve never seen before.

“What would you like to eat for breakfast?” I ask in a friendly tone.

He arches a brow. “Are you on the menu?”

I become short of breath. And the sexual tension is back on, as intense or more so than before.

“I don’t believe so.”

He sighs deeply. “That’s a pity.”

Artemis gets up and comes around the table. I’m rooted to the spot and watch him move, like prey watching a predator approach.

As he stands in front of me, I can see clearly every muscle and ripple defining his arms, chest, and abs.

“Last night you left me in a terrible state, Claudia.”

“Oh, is that so?” I play dumb, pretending I don’t understand.

He licks his lips.

“You were on my mind for the rest of the goddamn night.”

He takes one step closer to me. Then he entraps me by bringing his arms forward on either side of my waist and placing his hands on the edge of the counter. Earlier, I had decided to let things between us flow. At this very moment, with him this close, I lose my courage and start to reconsider my decision. I’m fighting the urge to flee

“I’ll forgive you under one condition,” he suggests, while ever so slightly rubbing my bottom lip. “Kiss me.”

I hesitate briefly, but his intense gaze makes all doubt on my part vanish. My hands encircle his neck and pull him into a kiss.

Our lips meet. And just like last time, a delicious host of sensations erupts between us. The kiss starts slowly, our lips slightly grazing. It grows passionate when our mouths begin to press with force and move in sync. I could easily get lost in his kisses.

He certainly knows what he is doing, and there’s no doubt in my mind he has a lot of experience. No other guy I’ve been with has kissed me so well. Artemis knows how to move his lips and his tongue; he even knows when to bite my lips to get my pulse racing. I take my hands off his neck and use them to caress his chest and abdomen, tracing every line and muscle with my fingertips.

I need to pull away before this escalates. It’s one thing to get carried away in the middle of the night, and another to let this continue in the light of day. We could get in big trouble if his parents or one of his brothers enters the kitchen and finds us this way. Our breathing is labored as I manage to free myself from his arms.

“I need air.”

He gives me a cocky smile and grabs my wrist.

“Should we move this to my bedroom?”

I understand what he’s implying, and I’m not offended one bit. We’re both adults, and the attraction between us is undeniable.

I release myself from his grip. “Oh my, someone is impatient.”

He laughs and raises both hands in the air. He looks like a spokesmodel.

“The offer stands till whenever you wish to accept it.”

“Hmm, Artemis Hidalgo making things easier for a change.

This will ruin the reputation of the unreachable iceberg.”

He raises a brow. “Iceberg?”

“Yes. Cold as an iceberg.”

“Last night you left me hard like an iceberg.”

Heat rushes through me and turns my cheeks red. I give him my back, pretending I’m looking for something in the fridge.

“What would you like for breakfast?”

“Since you’re not on the menu,” he says, “the usual—fruit salad. Please.”

I bring out the fruit and start preparing it. Artemis has positioned himself behind me, his breath caressing my neck. He brings his hands on either side of my waist and places them on top of my hands.

“How can you look so sexy while doing something so mundane?”

I can feel every part of his body plastered against my back.

The flimsy shorts he’s wearing are not much of a barrier, and I can feel all of him.

His lips make contact with my earlobe. “Come to my bedroom, sexy.”

His hands leave mine and move up to slowly caress my breasts over the uniform I’m wearing. My chest is heaving. He definitely knows how to make a girl melt with the way he touches and licks.

“You know that you won’t regret it. What happened last night was a preview of how I can make you feel.”

I clear my throat. “Stop it, someone might come in.” My voice sounds hoarser than usual.

His tongue makes its way down my neck. My legs are trembling.

Artemis comes back up to my ear and whispers, “I bet you’re already wet.”

This man is going to kill me with his touch, his tongue, and his words. I don’t want to lose control but I’m one lick away from racing upstairs with him and letting him do with me as he pleases.

I remove his hands from my chest and turn to face him, hoping to put some distance between us.

“That is enough,” I reply breathlessly.

Artemis looks at me with a wicked grin, and raises his hands as if to surrender.

“Fine,” he replies, before moving to sit on the other side of the table.

I finish cutting the fruit, and give my breathing time to settle back to normal. I present him with a plate. “You used to hate fruit.”

He grabs a slice of banana. “It’s healthy. In university I didn’t have much time to cook full meals.”

“I don’t believe you can cook, even if you had the time.”

He frowns. “And what do you mean by that?”

“That you cannot cook. Even if your life depended on it.”

He chuckles. “Is that what you believe?”

“I know so.” I fold my arms over my chest.

“For your information, I took a cooking class in university as one of my options and got the highest grade. There is nothing this brain of mine can’t assimilate.”

His arrogance doesn’t bother me. It’s one of the Hidalgo traits I’ve grown accustomed to.

“Oh really? You could never beat me playing video games.”

The arrogant smile vanishes from his face. “Video games are insignificant.”

“Sure, sure,” I concede, amused. “You could never beat me at board games either.”

Artemis shifts his gaze to me.

“Again, they are games, all trivial.”

“I had to help you with biology in school because you hated Mendel’s laws.” He opens his mouth and is about to say something.

“Or are the laws of inheritance also insignificant and trivial?”

Artemis remains quiet and picks up another piece of fruit. I smile victoriously. Mrs. Hidalgo enters the kitchen, and my smile disappears in an instant.

“Good morning, son.” She walks past Artemis while he continues to eat in silence.

I hurry to serve her breakfast the way she likes it, and give her the newspaper.

“Thank you,” she responds before turning her gaze on Artemis. “I’ve told you that I don’t like it when you walk around the house shirtless. It’s in bad taste.”

“I only do it on weekends right after my workout.”

“I understand that you and your brothers think of Claudia as a sister, but she is still a woman. You can’t go around looking like this in front of women. You’ll make them feel uncomfortable.”

I squeeze my lips to suppress a laugh.

Oh, lady, if you only knew.

“It’s all right, Mother, I’ll be more careful.” Artemis finishes what’s on his plate, then shoots me a playful smile before stepping out of the kitchen. “I need to go shower.”