Buried (Hiding From Love #3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

touch one finger. Softly stroking the ring that circles it.
    “And your parents? How are they?”
    “Good. My mom had a heart attack a while back, but she’s doing well, and the doctors say she should be just fine.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that. Did it scare you?” I bring her hand down to the bench, holding the tips of her fingers in mine.
    “A little, but she’s tough, and I feel good about the recovery.”
    “Good.” I watch my thumb rubbing gently over her fingers as if it’s not attached to my body. Her skin is so soft that it sort of inhibits my ability to think straight. I hear a little sound from her and look up into her eyes. They’re sweet and warm, maybe a little tired.
    “Juan?” she asks quietly.
    I clear my throat, looking back down. “Yeah, linda ?” I know I need to quit touching her. I’m sure that’s what she’s about to say, but I just…can’t. I can’t. It’s been so long since someone talked to me, wasn’t a threat to me, touched me, let me touch them. I feel like I’ve died and gone to Heaven just from this one little point of contact, my thumb on her fingers.
    “I always had a thing for you. You know, a crush or whatever.”
    I chuckle, the bitter irony of it all catching me hard in the solar plexus. I waited years to hear Beth say something like this to me, and now that she finally does, it’s too late.
    “I always had a thing for you too.” I keep my head down, watching our now intertwined fingers so that she won’t see the sorrow on my face.
    “I think I might still have a thing for you,” she tells me so softly that it’s almost a whisper.
    Now I look up into her eyes. “Oh, 3 mi corazon ,” I answer sadly. “You can’t. You know that. I’m not for you, and you’re definitely not for me.” I let go of her hand and scoot back away from her.
    She doesn’t move, just watches me thoughtfully. “But you’re out now, and you can change things, can’t you?”
    I scratch my head and huff out a laugh. “Yeah, it’s not that simple, chica .”
    “I know it’ll be hard—getting a job, finding a place to live—but you can do it. I’ll help you. It’s what I do. I know people who can work with you.”
    I stand up, realizing what a mistake it was to let down, even for a few minutes. If I thought a job in a greenhouse was the shiny diamond of hope, I had no idea what talking to Beth Garcia could do. It’s like someone setting the Crown Jewels in front of me. But, of course, if I reached out, they’d be wrenched away before I ever touched them. Just like every good thing in my life has been wrenched away for the last seven years. I know better than to fall for that trick again. Fate loves to fuck with me.
    It’s time to remember who I am. An RH. Put the mask on and get back to business.
    “Hey, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I don’t need no help. Between the RH and the penal system, I got more help than I know what to do with. Really. Save it for your girls next door.”
    She blinks at me. Then her eyes narrow and her lips purse. God, when she does that, it makes me want to plunge my tongue in her mouth and fucking eat her up.
    “You keep telling yourself that, Juan. Tell yourself you don’t need us anymore— 4 tu familia . Because that’s what we are. What we’ll always be. I’ve already called David and he and Tomás want to come up and see you. They’re ready to help. My mom is sending some tamales for you, and I’ve asked Alexis and her boyfriend Gabe to come with me one of these weeks to meet you.”
    Wait. What the fuck? Panic wells up inside of me. No, no, no. This is not how it’s going down.
    “What the hell, Beth? Are you fucking crazy? 5 Madre de Dios .” I grip my hair in both hands, pulling hard to try to keep my fists from punching something. “I’m not going to hang out with your hermanos , and you shouldn’t be talking to your madre about me at all. What the fuck are you thinking?” I totally lose my cool at