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A chilly breeze blew down the hill, making me shiver.
John seemed to notice at once. He shirked off his jacket and laid it over my shoulders.
“Thanks,” I said, smiling up at him. “What about you, though? Aren’t you going to be cold?”
“I’m okay,” he replied, glancing down at me with a reassuring grin.
I dipped my head to hide the blush spreading across my cheeks.
My mind went back to the moment three years ago when I first came across John and his brothers. I’d been in the car with Dad when we spotted them by the side of a road.
Danny had been injured by a man on the freeway and lay bleeding while John and Rafael desperately tried to help him.
Dad got them all in the car and to a hospital, making sure Danny was looked after.
It was only later that Dad realized they were homeless.
John begged Dad not to call on social services but to let him and his brothers stay in our home. They were all older than sixteen and willing to work for us.
Dad was always a big softie. He couldn’t bring himself to risk separating the three brothers, so he let them stay in our home and help out in the kitchen and the garden.
“Why do you look so lost?” Rafael asked. His big hand engulfed mine and squeezed gently.
“I was thinking about the day I met you guys. Can you believe it’s been three years already?”
“Are you sick of us yet?”
“What? Of course, not!”
Rafael started laughing. It was only then I realized he was teasing me. I punched him in the arm and suddenly, he was grabbing me, spinning me around so I crashed against his chest.
“Careful, Princess.” Rafael’s amber eyes glowed in the dark as he fixed me with an intense gaze.
My heart pounded with a mix of fear and anticipation. Rafael’s face drew closer to mine. His warm breath fanned my face.
I tipped my face to him, begging him to close the distance between us.
Rafael’s gaze slowly slid down to my lips. He swallowed, still intent on not breaching the distance between us.
Frustration rose inside me.
They always kept this invisible wall between us. I knew they liked me but they always kept a certain distance from me.
Were they hesitating because of our positions?
I wanted to tell them it meant nothing to me. There were plenty of kids in my school whose parents came from nothing but were richer than the families with old money.
Their present situation didn’t dictate their futures.
I didn’t have the words to explain all this to them, so I did the only thing I could.
Closing the distance between us, I pressed my lips to his.
His eyes widened at the contact and for a second, he froze completely.
My heart pounded in my chest as pure heat coursed through me, warming me to the tips of my toes. A remote part of my brain was aware of the wolf whistles and shouts erupting all around me as Danny cheered me on.
Before I could truly lean into the kiss, Rafael pulled away, staring at me with wild, gleaming eyes.
