Everybody seemed to hold their breath.

“We could go together.” Sarah finally broke through the tension. “It’ll be fun.”

To Sofia’s complete disbelief, Alex lifted a shoulder. “If Angel’s gonna be with you guys all night. I’m okay with that.”

Sofia could hardly contain herself. All Angel had to say was okay and they were home free. He finally looked away from Eric and glanced back at Sarah. Sarah gave him a pleading look, and Sofia knew it was done deal.

Angel shook his head, but smiled at Sarah. “Yeah, we can do that.”

Sofia jumped off her bar stool, hugged Angel then Sarah. Next, she rushed over to Alex and squeezed him.

“All right, all right,” he said, sounding as annoyed as she expected him to.

Just so she’d be able to get away with hugging Eric, and she wanted to so badly, she hugged Romero. Sarah laughed. Finally, she came back around to Eric, who gave her a warning look, but she hugged him anyway. “Yay, I get to go to prom!”

She knew her parents wouldn’t have a problem with it, either. They loved Eric.

***

The Prom was Eric’s first chance to make a statement about his and Sofia’s relationship. If there was ever any doubt that Sofia was off-limits, Eric made things crystal-clear now. He’d seen enough eyebrows lift as they walked around, holding hands, to know people would be talking even after prom.

Angel and Sarah being elected prom queen and king should’ve been a good thing. Except an ex-flame of Angel’s, Dana, had had a few too many, and she and the rest of her cheerleader girlfriends decided to protest and demand a recount. It started to get ugly when all of Sarah and Sofia’s friends from the track team came to Sarah’s defense.

Dana and a few of her friends were actually escorted out during Sarah and Angels dance. Sofia was livid. More than once, Eric had to hold her back. The Moreno in her was alive and well and ready to kick some ass.

The only mistake Angel made was giving Dana a moment when she begged for it just outside the banquet hall. Eric suspected the tears streaming down her face had a lot to do with Angel giving in—big mistake. Sarah walked away, with Sofia going after her.

Angel only spoke to Dana for a moment before going after Sarah, but he had his hands full. Sarah insisted he take her straight home. Of course, Angel wasn’t having it. He asked Eric if he could just hang out with Sofia for an hour or so, then meet up with them later at the beach. Eric wished Angel good luck, and was off and running.

As usual, Sofia en [ualof her joyed tormenting Eric. There was a small hidden cove they’d discovered just weeks ago at the beach. The massive boulders and lush bushes that surrounded it rendered them virtually invisible to the rest of the world.

With a blanket and a few beers in hand, they entered their secret cove. Eric’s heart beat more erratically than it normally did when he knew he’d have Sofia in his arms soon. Each time with her had become harder to resist doing what they both yearned for, but knew they shouldn’t—couldn’t.

No sooner was the blanket down than they were on it, kissing frantically. He loved the way Sofia was always just as crazed as he felt when they were together. She drove him insane, yet she did nothing to hide her need for him.

Her hands were at his zipper. “Sof, baby, no, not here.”

“Why? No one can see us.”

“What if your brother shows up?”

Sofia frowned. “Are you kidding? Sarah is so pissed, and I don’t blame her. That bitch, Dana, nearly started a riot. Angel should’ve told her to go to hell. They’ll be here, but it’s going to be a while before he convinces Sarah.”

Eric gulped as Sofia continued to unzip him. With that crazed teasing look in her eye, she smirked and began to straddle him. Eric sat up with one hand on the blanket to support himself, and the other on her leg. “Babe, we can’t.”

“Just once,” she whispered, “don’t you wanna feel it, just one time?”

Was she crazy? He wanted to feel it over and over with her, but this was insanity. “I don’t have any protection.”

“We’ll stop before anything happens.”

Eric laughed nervously. “That’s something I’m supposed to be saying, not you.”

Biting her beautiful lip, she gave him her signature smoldering stare. The stare she knew he couldn’t resist. He was a goner, and he let his head fall back, every ounce of rationality smothered by something much more powerful.

Her dress covered him from seeing what was going on underneath, but he gasped when he felt her warm and soft on him. She went very slowly, her awestruck eyes on him the whole time. She closed her eyes, pinching her brows, in obvious discomfort. “You okay?”

She nodded, but didn’t answer and kept going. This wasn’t how he wanted their first time to be, but no amount of resistance could stop this from happening now. He was so far gone, his heart nearly punched out of his chest.

“You sure?” He managed to get the words out, but even breathing became a struggle.

She nodded, her eyes blinking very slowly. And then—her eyes widened and she smiled. “We did it,” she whispered.

Eric’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he breathed in deeply. He should tell her to get off—that was it—he was ready to explode already. But the ecstasy of it all dazed him. Then she did the worst thing she could at that second—move. Desperately trying to hold back, he begged, “Sofie, get off.”