CUBAN HIRE (CARTEL GXG)

GAMBLE OF PRIDE

A/N: must warn, this chapter contains some smut, and the next is just smut after smut, so get your holy water ready. 

Ezmeralda groaned as something wet tickled her toes, disturbing her deep sleep. With one eye cracked open, she investigated, only to jolt in surprise. "Diablo!" she gritted, yanking her foot away from Cookie's eager tongue and tucking it under the blanket. Her sharp gaze fell on the dog, who whined in response, his tail wagging with guilty innocence.

The shuffling woke Olivia, and a groggy groan escaped her lips. "What is going on?" she croaked, her voice thick with sleep as she rubbed her eyes, trying to make sense of the early morning commotion.

"Your dog is trying to eat my foot," Ezmeralda muttered accusingly, her voice still raspy and deep from sleep, though filled with indignation.

Olivia squinted, blinking her eyes open to look at Cookie, whose wide, innocent eyes stared back at her. "What?" she mumbled in disbelief, sleep clouding her mind.

"He was licking my foot!" Ezmeralda repeated with more emphasis, her exasperation growing.

Olivia let out a chuckle, slowly raising herself up and reaching out to gather Cookie into her arms. The absurdity of the situation tickled her. "Oh, come on, he's harmless."

"Don't bring him near me. He'll try to eat my face next," Ezmeralda grumbled, pulling herself back against the headboard, her lips twisting in disgust as she eyed the small dog. She watched as Olivia placed Cookie on her chest, patting his fur.

"You're being dramatic. He doesn't eat Cubans, only Londoners," Olivia teased, her giggle infectious as she smirked at Ezmeralda.

"Cállate," Ezmeralda grumbled from under the duvet, pulling it over her face, leaving only her piercing eyes visible, which glared at Olivia and the dog.

"No cussing in front of Cookie!" Olivia scolded playfully, her voice still light with laughter as she turned to face Ezmeralda.

"It's not cussing," Ezmeralda shot back from under the covers, her voice muffled by the duvet. "I'm telling you to shut up."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, her amusement growing. "Rude," she said in mock offense, leaning closer to Ezmeralda and playfully pulling the duvet down from her face. "He's just a little attention seeker, like someone else I know."

Ezmeralda grunted, her eyes softening slightly as she watched Olivia's playful expression. "You're lucky it wasn't my gun under the covers," she murmured dryly, but the corners of her mouth twitched.

"I doubt Cookie would care," Olivia teased, lifting the small dog up to her eye level. "He'd probably lick the gun too."

Ezmeralda rolled her eyes but couldn't help the faint smile tugging at her lips. She shook her head and sighed, sinking back into the pillows. "One of these days, he's going to wake up the devil in me."

"Too late," Olivia winked, leaning over to give Cookie one last pat before snuggling back down beside Ezmeralda. "The devil's already in you."

Ezmeralda let out a low chuckle. "You're insufferable."

"And yet, here you are," Olivia quipped with a soft grin, settling back down as Cookie curled up at the foot of the bed, already drifting off to sleep again.

Ezmeralda's eyes softened as she watched Olivia. "Remind me why I let you keep him?"

"Because he's adorable," Olivia whispered with a smirk, her head resting back on the pillow as the morning light peeked through the curtains, casting the room in a warm, golden glow.