Aced (Blocked #2) Read Free

think for myself. This decision was a big deal, and I didn’t make it lightly.” She gulped and dipped her head, seeming mired in guilt. But then she sat up. “You know what? I don’t have to explain myself to you . I’m an adult now.”
    “Then act like it,” he said.
    “I am, but you’re too busy judging me to see that. This is precisely why Matty and I don’t tell you anything, Alex. You’re such a pendejo .”
    Alejandro maintained his stoic expression, but I could see the comment stung.
    “I love you, Lucy,” he said, his voice strained. “I’m here to help.”
    “No, you’re not. I don’t need your help with his. At all . You’re here to control me. Butt out .”
    She turned away from him and stared at my feet. I could almost feel waves of fury pulsing from her. I watched Alejandro rub his hand over his face, seeming weighed down by sadness. I felt sad, too, with Lucia tense next to me and pain flitting across Alex’s face. Braxton and I had frustrated each other like this many times. There was no easy solution.
    Alejandro’s mouth opened, but no words came out. He lifted his hand like he was about to touch her shoulder, but then he dropped it. After several moments, he seemed to realize Lucia wasn’t going to speak to him. He got up with a sigh and hustled down the steps to stand near the railing overlooking the court. Brad hovered twenty feet behind him.
    I glanced at Lucia, who ran her hands through her long hair. “So, you and Dane, huh?”
    She looked down, her cheeks aflame. “I guess I’m a ho.” She rolled her eyes.
    “You know that’s not true.” I sucked in a breath. “Did Alejandro say that?”
    “No.” She sighed. “But he probably thinks it.”
    “I doubt that. And if he does, he’s wrong. I’m sure he’s just worried. He wouldn’t fly all the way here if he didn’t care about you.”
    She sniffed, and a tear slid down her cheek. Stupid brother!
    “Actually, I’m surprised you both lasted this long, horndogs,” I offered, hoping for a smile.
    Her mouth twitched. “I know, right? We waited as long as we could. But then I went to DC for Dad’s inauguration, and I missed Dane so much.” She sighed. “I pretty much attacked him when I got back.” She gestured to the court, where the muscles in Dane’s arm rippled as he high-fived a teammate. “I mean, could you stay away from that hotness?”
    I chuckled. “You didn’t commit a crime, Rez. It’s just taking the next step with the man you love.”
    “I wish my brother would see it that way.”
    I looked at Alejandro. Even angry he cut a stylish profile against the railing. He couldn’t be totally immune to female attention, could he? Seemed to me like he should be receiving plenty of it. He gripped the railing with white knuckles as he glared at the court, no doubt aiming an outraged stare at Dane…
    Oh yeah, there was still a game going on. Highbanks had a comfortable lead, so I tuned back in to the drama next to me as Frank returned holding two coffee cups.
    “ You .” Lucia pointed at him. “You told Alex. And you knew he was coming to yell at me, so you slithered away to avoid the confrontation.”
    Frank said nothing.
    “I thought we had a deal,” she fumed.
    Her embarrassment had vanished, and damn, she was mad!
    “The agreement involved me not speaking to your father,” Frank said. “We didn’t discuss your brother.”
    I watched Alejandro mutter something to himself, his mouth tight. He ran his hands through his hair like I’d just seen Lucia do—their family had the shiniest black hair—and a flash of silver on his wrist, an expensive-looking watch, caught my eye.
    “I never imagined you’d speak to my brother! His life has nothing to do with mine.” Lucia crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at Frank. “You’re up to your old tricks, then. I can’t believe you did that.”
    And I couldn’t believe Alejandro had judged his sister so easily. He’d swooped in to question