Way Too Close

By Elizabeth Reyes

When the self-proclaimed misanthropist and overachiever Xochitl meets her dormmate’s younger brother, there’s no way she’s falling prey to the smooth-talking little flirt. Her grumpy ass has been warned enough about his player ways to know better, and she ain’t having it.

But after being witness to his butterfly-inducing sweet side, she lets her guard down and is completely sucked in—only to be mortified when she finds out he’s exactly what she was warned about and vows never to fall for his game again.

Alex “Lex” Moreno is not used to indifference from girls. So, when he meets his sister’s surly dormmate, who seems almost annoyed by his attempts to charm her, his interest is piqued like never before. Just when he thinks he’s turned it around and manages to gain her trust, life throws a wrench in his plans and ruins everything.

When he finally gets a chance to prove he’s not who she thinks he is, he’s determined to get it right. Despite his short fuse, they get past a few near blowups. But nothing prepares them for the ultimate betrayal neither would’ve ever imagined.

Tropes: Second Chance Forced proximity, and a surprise! ;)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Reyes
• Release date: Sep 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005875992

Elizabeth Reyes

Elizabeth Reyes is the USA Today bestselling author of the Moreno Brothers, 5th Street, and Fate romance series. She lives in Southern California.

Book preview

Frumpy, short, bad teeth or skin, maybe even glasses so thick you could see into the future. Not to generalize or to be a dick, but Lex had expected to see at least one of these elements when he finally met his sister’s dormmate, Socheel. While his sister Vannah had referred to her take-no-shit roommate as lovably cantankerous on more than one occasion, and his ever-cheery sister thought it hilarious, Lex knew better. His sisters were pretty, popular, and even on the coveted cheer squad all through high school. Both the jovial identical pair were so likeable even the misfits or grumpy people, who normally would be annoyed by anyone as chirpy as his sisters, were drawn to them. Their mother called it an anomaly effect. She said, just like in romantic pairings, opposites typically made better fits because they complemented each other’s differences. But Lex had another theory about these misfits. So, he’d braced himself for meeting this bitter-for-good-reason oddball. When the door to his sister’s room finally opened and he laid eyes on her roommate, he smiled, surprised and relieved. But before he could introduce himself to the fresh-faced, so-different-than-he-expected girl at the door, she pointed at her earpiece and tapped her finger to her lips. She then pointed at what he assumed was his sister’s bedroom, as she rushed away to a table in the front room with an open laptop, leaving him standing there at the door to let himself in. Yes, I have a question, she said, before even taking a seat.

Taz! Vannah said, smiling big as she walked out of the room Socheel had pointed to.

Socheel turned to her with a frown, and Vannah winced, immediately bringing her hands over her mouth. Sorry, she whispered then turned back to Lex, motioning for him to follow her back to her room.

She hugged him the moment she was close enough. Once in her bedroom, she explained Socheel was in the middle of one of her online classes. I always forget, she said, giggling as they walked into her bedroom. Her online classmates and professor have even seen me in pajamas and with crazy bedhead on more than one occasion because I’ve walked out there, forgetting her camera was on. She reminded me about her class earlier when I told her you’d be stopping by.

Lex nodded. His trip to LA had been an unexpected, last-minute one, and he decided he’d stop by and pay his sister a surprise visit since he hadn’t seen her in months. But then he thought better of it since his friend Dave would be dropping him off and coming back for him later. Lex wanted to make sure she’d be there and he didn’t get stuck waiting outside her dorm for his ride.

Leaning against his sister’s desk, he was in the middle of explaining why he was in Los Angeles to begin with, when Socheel popped her head in the open bedroom door. I’m done.

She glanced at Lex, showing as much interest as she had when she first opened the door for him before starting to pull away from the doorway. Wait, Vannah said, standing up from her bed. You haven’t been formally introduced to my brother. Vannah turned to him, smiling big. Taz, this is my dormmate, Socheel. She turned to Socheel with the same big smile. Socheel, meet my little brother, Taz.

Lex refrained from rolling his eyes at his sister’s descriptor for him, since despite his being younger than she was, he’d towered over Vannah by almost a foot and outweighed her by at least forty pounds for years now. But to Vannah he’d always be her little brother who she’d refer to by his childhood nickname forever. He grinned at Socheel, who barely cracked a smile. Hey. Socheel nodded politely. I’ve heard a lot about you.

All good I’m sure, Lex teased as he took her in with a playful smirk now that he had a longer chance.

She was no runway model, but as far as he could, tell she was no oddball either. Her hazel eyes were bigger than most, and her lips were the kind he’d always had a hard time keeping his eyes off when talking to girls: perfectly plump and very kissable, despite how little he’d seen them smile so far. Even though he’d first deemed her just doable, she was what he’d always considered his kryptonite when it came to girls—voluptuous in all the right places.

His eyes were immediately on hers when he heard her clear her throat, and he realized he’d been caught ogling like an idiot. Those big but unamused eyes went from him to Vannah, and any sign of a smile was completely gone now. I got that paper I told you I need to tweak, she said, ignoring Lex’s comment altogether. But feel free to watch the TV or use the kitchen if you need to. I’ll still be working out on the front table, but I’ll have my headphones on.

He gave you a chance to fix it? Vannah asked, wide-eyed.

For the first time since he’d met Socheel, she indulged him with a breathtaking smile, so contradictory to what he’d seen earlier, given the stern first impression she’d made so far. Yes, and you know this professor is known for being a hard ass. But I only have until three to turn it in, so I don’t wanna blow my second chance.

Okay, okay. Vannah nodded, smiling big, clearly happy for her friend. We’ll keep it down.

No, that’s fine. Socheel shook her head. Like I said, I’ll have my headphones on.

Without even looking at him again, Socheel walked away. Before Vannah could follow her out, Lex touched his sister’s arm, confused and strangely intrigued. Did I miss something? He motioned toward the door. What’d you tell her about me?

Oh. Vannah shrugged. I probably brag way too much about all my siblings. She chuckled. I told you her patience can run a little thin, and I seriously go overboard when gushing about you, Gordo, and Nena.

Without further comment, they walked out into the kitchen where Vannah proceeded to chat cheerfully away about all things school related: the campus, the heavy homework load, and to his surprise, the new guy she’d started seeing. For the first time since their introduction, Socheel sort of acknowledged him in more than the obligatory way she’d done when Vannah introduced them. She’d pulled out one of the earbuds since they’d walked out there. Lex knew this because, the whole time Vannah had been chatting away, he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes from wandering onto her completely aloof roommate. Vannah mentioned something about a prank their sister was trying to talk her into playing on the guy she was seeing now, and Lex called it ballsy.

Too ballsy if you ask me, Socheel said, and while technically she was following up on Lex’s comment, she addressed Vannah, so it still felt like he was being dismissed as she’d done more than once already. Any boyfriend would be mad, and understandably so, but as intense as Byron is, this can’t end well.

Vannah argued that it was just a prank; though she did seem nervous about it. For a moment, Socheel seemed to be taking a break from her paper. She got up and walked over to the fridge, and while it was hard not to take in all her curves, Lex was mindful not to get caught ogling again. This wouldn’t be the first time ever that he hadn’t immediately won over a girl’s attention. He got that she was a college girl, and he was still a high school senior, not to mention her good friend’s brother. But this total lack of interest from any girl—a friend of his sister or not—was new to him. He was sure it was just the lack of experience when it came to this kind of reaction from girls that had his ego feeling a little bruised. But never one to pass up a challenge, he decided to take advantage of the moment to tackle it.

Even better, the phone rang in Vannah’s room, and she smiled brightly. That’s probably Byron. I’ll be back.

Well, that was fast, he said, leaning against the counter as Socheel pulled out the orange juice from the fridge, a glass from the cupboard, and poured herself some. "When Vannah left for school a few months ago, she was adamant about not getting caught up in any kind of romance, and now I hear you calling this guy her boyfriend?"

She turned to him with a shrug, and for once, he was treated to a genuine full smile, not that piddly crack of a smile she’d offered when they’d been introduced. And boy was it something else. How could she go from being just doable to suddenly someone whose smile could involuntarily having him smiling like a goofball, in just over an hour? Though he only noticed because, oddly, her smile waned immediately when her eyes fell to his smiling lips.

You can’t plan when, how, and who you fall in love with. She turned back to the fridge to put the orange juice back in, but then seemed to catch herself and stopped to look back at him. You want some?

Not really, but at this point, he’d do anything to keep her from her laptop at least a little longer. Sure, I’ll take some.

She placed the juice jug on the counter and pointed at the cupboard. Cups and glasses are in there. Have at it.

Alright, so she wasn’t going to pour it for him. Why didn’t this surprise him? He reached for the cupboard door and pulled out a small glass but turned to her before she could head back to her laptop. What about you?

She peered at him over her glass, with those big eyes that got even prettier the more he got lost in them, as she took a sip of her juice. What about me?

He kept his eyes on her even as he poured his juice. You looking to find love anytime soon?

Without even attempting to hide the quick roll of her eyes, she shook her head. I just told you I don’t believe you can plan that stuff.

She did, didn’t she? Idiot.

Feeling stupid now, as he finished pouring the juice, he walked it over to the fridge, getting a whiff of whatever subtle but sweet fragrance she wore in the process. I just meant are you open to it, should it present itself?

Immediately, he was distracted when she finished taking another sip of her juice and she licked those full lips. Any particular reason why you’re asking?

Just like those eyes, that scent, and those curves, her licking those lips completely pulled him out of his train of thought, and he almost forgot what he’d asked.

Huh? He glanced up, only to be met with that same unamused expression she’d given him when she’d caught him ogling earlier.

He shook his head, exasperated by what an ass he was making of himself. This never happened to him; though by the look on her face he was sure she’d never believe that. Clearing his throat, he attempted to do some damage control and brought out the big guns. He knew girls were suckers for his and his brother’s dimples. So, he smiled, big leaning back against the counter. Maybe there is.

For a second there, he thought it worked. She seemed stunned as their eyes locked for an instant. But it was fleeting. In the next second, she turned and started to her laptop. Then no, I’m not.

Vannah walked back into the kitchen, as usual smiling big. What’d I miss?

Lex’s phone buzzed in his pocket as Socheel took the seat in front of her laptop and once again openly rolled her eyes. Your brother here is asking if I’m looking for love.

Vannah immediately laughed, turning to Lex. Oh, my God, Taz, you’ll never change.

He glanced down at his text, frowning when he saw it was from his ride telling him he was outside waiting for him. Not like how it sounds, though, he said, trying to backpedal and still reeling from Socheel’s blatant and unapologetic rejection. I was just asking because—

No, no need to apologize, Vannah quipped, hooking her arm into his, and leaned against his shoulder. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love my charming little brothers just as they are. Haven’t met a girl yet who they couldn’t make swoon.

Socheel raised her hand, staring straight at the screen, but said nothing, and it only made Vannah laugh even more. Don’t be mean. You’re different and you know it. His sister turned up to look at Lex. Don’t mind her. She’s a hard one to crack, she whispered. But I’m sure if you really wanted to—

What was that? Socheel turned to look at them now with a soured expression, and even that was sexy as shit. Damn it.

Vannah overdid the teasing grin. I said how ’bout I make us lunch?

Can’t, Lex said, shooting off the text letting Dave know he’d be right out. My ride’s here. I gotta go.

Already? Vannah whined. You just got here.

Yeah, but he works tonight, so we gotta get going.

I’ll walk you out then, she said with a pout. They started out as Vannah turned to Socheel. Be nice and say bye to my little brother. You know you’re probably already secretly in love with him.

The perpetual eyeroll wasn’t missed, and Lex forced a smirk, trying to be a good sport about how things went down here today. With him living two hours away, what were the odds of him having to be around his sister’s dormmate again anytime soon, anyway? You can’t win them all, and clearly this was full proof of that.

Safe travels, Socheel said as Vannah walked out before him.

Lex turned one last time to Socheel as she smiled that genuinely beautiful smile she’d only extended to him one other time that day. Their eyes locked in a solid breathtaking moment, before she put her headphones on again, turned back to her laptop, and just like that, dismissed his ass—again.

What the hell?

One: Faking It

Xochitl

Xochitl should’ve known when she’d met her beautiful ex-dormmate Vannah last year, and then infuriatingly hot brother, that the rest of her family would be equally attractive. But she hadn’t anticipated such unbelievably, knee-weakening dimples on most of Vannah’s family members. It was so unfair. Thankfully, with Vannah being the oldest of all the grandkids in her family, her brothers, and all her other hot cousins, were younger than she was. Typically, Xochitl would be nervous about having to be around so many hot guys. While Xochitl now could embrace the curves she once upon a time considered a hindrance, she’d be the first to admit one thing. With her schedule and focus on school, she had neither the time nor the inclination to work on her game when it game to impressing guys. She just hated times like this when she might be forced to try. It’s why she’d considered bringing a friend with her to all these wedding events. She even asked her mom if she could come with her, but as usual her parents, who owned and ran a youth mathletes summer camp and were workaholics, were busy twenty-four seven all summer. They’d already warned her they probably wouldn’t even make it to the wedding. With her bestie, Vannah, being the bride-to-be, she and her fiancé would be whisked in every direction with little time to stay and be social with just one person,. especially considering how big Vannah’s family was. Xochitl knew she’d be doing a lot of sitting around having polite conversation with Vannah’s family members, who’d she’d only ever met a handful of times.

She glanced around, sipping her diet soda as she sat there by herself, trying to decide her next move. She’d been sitting with Vannah’s twin, Nena, until she, too, was whisked away a few minutes ago to help her mom with something. Now she sat there by herself, but she didn’t want anyone labeling her anti-social.

Turning forward again, Xochitl flinched when Vannah’s brother Taz startled her, as he plopped down on the seat next to her suddenly. I need a favor, he said, leaning over, rested his elbows on his knees without looking up, and tapped away at his phone screen. Act like you’re my girl.

Her face instantly heated. "What?" Okay, maybe she should’ve put a little more effort into working on her game. This was Vannah’s younger brother for crying out loud. She’d long ago been informed, or rather warned by his sisters on more than one occasion, of what players both their brothers were, despite being younger than her.

Taz is especially incorrigible when it comes to flirting with our friends, Vannah had quipped more than once then seemed to blame it on something else each time. "Some girls these days have just made it too easy on my charmingly handsome brothers. Easing through puberty and crossing over to adulthood, when it comes to girls and sex, has been anything but formidable for them. They’ve enjoyed owning it from the day they figured out they could."

When Xochitl met Taz last year, for the very first time, that dimpled smile had nearly sucked the life out of her. But mercifully, having been forewarned, she refused to get sucked into his nonsense and had managed to stand her ground. Then the handful of times she’d been around him since, she’d avoided being alone with the little flirt. She would not get caught up with him. Even if this very recent, high school graduate was nearly a foot taller than her and all muscle. He sat up straight and leaned into her a little. That gorgeous smile, coupled with the smoldering gaze, had her swallowing hard. "You don’t have to say you’re my girl. In fact, you can’t. I don’t want Nena or Vannah asking questions. He glanced around as if to look for his sisters, and thankfully so, because Xochitl took the moment to draw in a much-needed deep breath. Then just like that, he was back to gazing in her eyes with that same unbelievable smile. Just act so, that if anyone were to be observing us, they might get the idea that maybe we’re hiding something juicy. He licked his lips, glancing down at hers before bringing his eyes back to him. A very naughty secret between just the two of us."

She gulped hard, but as usual Xochitl did what she always did even when faced with the most uncomfortable of moments. She kept her cool and reminded herself how young he was. Because of Vannah, she knew the guy had very recently just turned eighteen—obviously—since he was asking her to help him do something so immature. Yet somehow, she felt overwhelmingly flattered. Despite him being younger than her, she would’ve never thought a guy like him, would ever consider her someone he could make another girl jealous with. If in fact that was what this was about. "W-why?"

She started to glance away, but his hand on her leg made her freeze. No, don’t look around. I don’t want her to think I’m telling you anything about her.

Who? Jesus, was that all she could come up with? Uneasy, sputtered-out, one-worded questions? She was better than this, damn it.

Angela. She’s my sisters’ good friend since high school. He glanced down at his phone again, allowing Xochitl to exhale subtly. Act like I’m showing you something here. She rolled her eyes, very obviously because she’d always objected to these stupid kinds of games. He glanced up just in time to catch the tail end of her disapproving expression and smiled. Her eyes instantly zoomed onto those dimples making her breath catch. Come on. He motioned down to his phone. It’s not totally fake. I really do have something you might wanna check out.

Despite her disapproval of this dumb game in general, curiosity got the best of her. She leaned over to look at his phone screen, inhaling the scent of his intoxicating cologne in the process. It smelled so damn good it nearly had her lashes fluttering. But she concentrated on watching him tap his phone screen, chastising herself for even thinking of her friend’s brother in that way. Focusing on the photos he slid across his phone screen, Xochitl was surprised that she was in a few of them. They were photos of the day last year she’d driven out here to La Jolla with Vannah and Byron to drop the bomb on her family that she was getting married at such a young age and she wasn’t even pregnant. In most of them, she, Vannah, and Nena were engrossed in conversation, obviously unaware he was taking the photos.

She and I messed around a few times. She glanced up at Taz, not even sure what he was talking about now. He glanced up for a moment and met her eyes, once again indulging her with that smile. Angela. My sisters’ friend but they don’t know it. She didn’t want them to. He shrugged pointing at his screen as if he were really showing her what he was talking about. Xochitl froze at the sight of a photo of herself—by herself. She was sitting in his parents’ backyard smiling big as she pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear. He glanced up to meet her eyes and smiled again, only not quite as smugly as he had earlier and cleared his throat. My mom likes when I take candid photos. Says people never smile that naturally when they know they’re being photographed. This is one of my favorites. Their eyes met again, this time minus the smile. Instead, he searched her eyes as if waiting for her to comment on this. For the first time in like ever, Xochitl was speechless. She was still trying to decide if she should be flattered or crept out that this guy—albeit hotter than she cared to admit—had taken pictures of her last year. Pictures that were completely unbeknownst to her. Ones he was still looking at and now making sure she knew it. When she didn’t immediately respond, he shrugged. I guess I didn’t want my sisters to know about me and Angela either. I knew it wouldn’t work out from the beginning, and my sisters might be miffed about me messing with their good friend. He glanced up at her, those dimples making yet another appearance now that the smug smile was back. But no sense in passing up a good time, right?

The smolder in his eyes was back. She now knew the whole act was for the sake of this Angela chick and no other reason. Yet, her already thudding heart sped up. Swallowing hard again, she watched as he brought up his contact list on his phone, not saying anything for a moment. Okay, this wasn’t that big a deal. So, her friends’ hot brother took photos of her without her knowledge and said one of them was his favorite. She’d already been warned of what smooth flirts her brothers could be. But Xochitl was confident she could sit there and have an adult conversation without falling for any of the nonsense. And she wasn’t about to sit there and make a total ass of herself over something he may very likely have planned and was expecting her to react like all the other girls did to him. She was determined to keep her dignity here. Ask something other than her piddly one-worded questions. Clearing her throat, she lifted her chin a bit, deciding not to comment on the photos he’d taken of her. So, if you knew it wouldn’t work out, then it must not have meant much to you. Why do you want her to think you’re with someone now? What’s the point?

He glanced up at her again and smiled, unnerving her to no end when he dropped his eyes to her lips for a second, before meeting her eyes again. "Not just someone, he practically murmured, and annoyingly it had Xochitl struggling not to react. My sister’s college friend." Thankfully, before she could blurt out another stupid why, he went on. "I blew her off, and she was none too pleased about it. But she was beginning to get clingy and hinting that maybe we should let my sisters in on it. Like maybe she thought it might turn into more. So, the last few times she’s been around, she’s been a little hostile. Kind of a bitch. Made a few comments about being into men, not little boys. Said most girls aren’t. That kind of shit. I shot back that it’s why I’d blown her off, because I wasn’t into desperate older girls looking to tie me down. Now she’s here with a dude who’s obviously older than me, and I’m sure she did it on purpose."

Glancing down when he motioned to his phone again, Xochitl could see he’d brought up a new contact screen. She read the name he typed in.

Socheel

Feeling her heart speed up, she did the stupid clearing of her throat again. Is that supposed to be my name?

Yeah. He turned to her. Isn’t that how you spell it?

She shook her head. No, it’s spelled completely different than how it’s pronounced.

He cleared what he’d written. "So how do you spell it?"

As expected, the moment she said X, he jerked his head back to look at her, brows fully raised. For the first time since he’d sat down next to her, Xochitl felt at ease enough to smile.

"No way."

Yes, she nodded, smiling even bigger. My parents chose Aztec names for both me and my brother. But at least his sounds exactly how it’s spelled, Izel.

She gave him the rest of the spelling. His eyes grew wider with each letter, and he shook his head when she was done. Your parents are fucked up.

This time Xochitl all-out laughed. I’d take offense, but trust me it’s not the first time I’ve heard that. And yeah, imagine me as a five-year-old trying for the life of me to make sense of why my name started with an X, and then me trying to learn to spell it.

That must’ve sucked ass. He shook his head. I would’ve picked up a nickname or something.

I like my name, though, she protested. I remember the kids that the teachers had to call out as Juan B, and Juan R, and so forth, because there were multiple in the class. I never had to worry about that.

"Well, yeah, for good reason. He pointed at his phone screen. Who else would wanna go by this?"

"Oh, yeah? What about Taz?" she teased, thankful that she was feeling more like her normal self finally. Vannah said it’s short for Tasmanian Devil, like the cartoon, because you were such a handful as a kid. But you’re, what? Seventeen now—?

"Eighteen," he said with conviction and sat up a little straighter.

Xochitl couldn’t help smirk. She’d purposely thrown out seventeen, knowing he was eighteen now. Clearly, he had a chip on his shoulder about being called a little boy by Angela, even if he looked anything but. If it wasn’t because she knew he was Vannah’s younger brother, Xochitl might’ve thought him older than his sisters. He sure as hell was bigger than them, and Vannah had mentioned more than once that both her charming brothers were gym rats. With his height and impressive muscle, he could easily pass for at least twenty-one. You see that’s even worse. She raised a brow. You’re practically a full-fledged, grown ass man, and you’re still going by your childhood nickname. At least I had no say in my name. I would’ve outgrown my silly nickname by now.

He smirked now, like he knew she was purposely razzing him. It’s mostly just the family that calls me that now, he clarified. I’m named after my dad, Alex. So, to avoid confusion at home and my family’s restaurant, I’m either Taz or Lex.

Lex. Xochitl smiled. "I like that. I so would’ve lost Taz by now." He stared at her with a smirk for a moment that went on a little too long. She’d noticed that about him since she’d first met him last year, even though they’d barely spoken the few times she’d been around before today. Most people avoided eye contact. Not Lex. He seemed to persistently search her eyes, like he was doing again now. Something she knew was a trait of someone completely, maybe even overly, self-confident. Thankfully, he glanced away then back at her just as quick, leaning a little closer again. It irritated Xochitl that she could so easily get utterly unnerved—and by someone younger—no less. So, she stood her ground and didn’t flinch back the way she was so tempted to.

This bitch thinks I care, he murmured in her face, through a smile Xochitl knew was fake but was still too damn breathtaking. "She’s laying it on thick that she’s got a man now, with all the touchy-feely shit she’s doing over there. Too bad I can’t touch you like that. The intense way his eyes bore into hers waned a bit as his fingers played with a strand of her hair. He glanced down at his phone, as Xochitl’s grateful heart raced, but as always, her tenacity to keep her composure won. My sisters would ask too many questions. Little boy, he scoffed, stopping to gaze in her eyes once again. Some of the things I did to her were not little boy things. It’s why she’s probably pissed that she came here today thinking she’d be showing me up, only to find out I can be into older girls and might even be willing . . . His eyes dropped down to her lips. So willing to get tied up by the right one. It was just Angela who didn’t do it for me. Before Xochitl could even think of how to respond to that, their eyes met again as he cleared his throat. Isn’t this some crazy shit though? He glanced around the room and shook his head. My sister’s not even old enough to drink legally, and she’s committing to marriage."

As happy as Xochitl was for her bestie, she had to agree. I was pretty shocked when she told me too. But they seem so in love and happy.

Yeah, but for how long? He glanced out to where Vannah and Byron were chatting with some of the guests. I mean I don’t doubt they’re in love. The guy seems crazy about her, but that’s too fucking young. He shrugged, glancing down at his phone again. To each his own, and I hope it works out, I guess. I just think it’s insane. He was back to tapping on his phone screen. What’s your phone number? Turning back to her, their eyes met, and no surprise, he looked completely unfazed as he waited.

Xochitl on the other hand, did the throat clearing again, but