Copper Heart (Coco Cruz x OC Fanfic)

Chapter 9

"You want a water or anything?" Coco asked as Pea shuffled awkwardly in her place on his sofa. She nodded, a tight smile on her face. "Water is fine thank you." He turned and disappeared into his kitchen. Pea was nervous. She rarely left her house, only to venture in to Santo Padre when necessary. When Coco had called her and asked if she wanted to come and spend the afternoon at his house she eagerly agreed, wanting to spend as much time as she could with him. But as she drove further into town and closer to his house her heart beat had quickened and her throat seemed tighter. She nearly drove directly past his house to turn around and head straight back home, but he had been waiting for her. Her nerves settled somewhat when she had seen him, but then he pulled her into him and nuzzled his face into her neck and she had nearly lost her composure all over again.

Her hands fiddled in her lap as she looked around. It wasn't a huge house, but it still seemed homely. There was evidence that someone else lived there too. A girl by the looks of things. Pea pushed any evasive thoughts to the back of her mind. Surely if there was another woman in his life, he wouldn't be stringing her along like this and be inviting her over. Although did she even know him that well? She snapped out of her thoughts as we walked back into the loungeroom, a glass of water in one hand and an ashtray in the other. He sat next to her and sank back into the couch, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it before offering it to Pea. She accepted and inhaled deeply, watching him light up his own. They smoked in silence for a while, avoiding each other's eyes. Pea so desperately wanted to not be awkward around him. But she couldn't help it – the spell he had over her turned her into a puddle of mush.

Coco cleared his throat and stubbed his cigarette out, turning to face Pea. "I don't wanna step over any lines or anything... I know what we're doing here is pretty casual," Pea felt her heart drop a little. Of course, she knew this was casual. Coco didn't exactly give her married with a mortgage vibe. But the way he had been so sweet and soft with her, not pressuring her into sleeping with him even if it is all he wanted eventually, should couldn't help the small spark of hope that this might one day flourish into something more. Coco continued speaking. "This has kinda been on my mind though." Pea steeled herself for what was to come next. "I've heard you call Taza tio a few times. Is he your actual tio? Or is it just a term of endearment?" Pea swallowed dryly and looked down at her cigarette. "I'm sorry, I'm just... curious, I guess. You've never spoken about any of your family." Pea nodded and turned herself to face him. "Yeah, Taza is my uncle," Coco pursed his lips and nodded, signalling for her to continue. Pea sighed and ran a hand down her face. "He's my mom's brother. Haven't really spoken to him in a while. Years really. When you guys turned up last month... that was the first time I had seen him in ages."

She paused and looked at Coco, gauging his reaction. Pea drew her mouth into a tight line and looked down. She decided if there was any time to open up it was now, and if there was anyone she really wanted to open up to it was probably Coco. "My parents... they stored guns for the MC. Drugs too." Coco's eyes widened slightly but he didn't say anything. "There was some sort of conflict, with an organisation outside of the MC. They found out about the guns. Ambushed my parent's property," Pea inhaled shakily and felt Coco shuffle beside her, moving close enough that their knees were touching. His way of comforting her. She smiled at him. "They shot my parents. Killed them. While my brother and I hid." Coco reached out then, his hand snaking down her forearm before he laced his fingers with hers. Pea blinked as her eyes began to water, her throat tightening as she recounted the night her life was torn to pieces. "We stayed hidden for hours. Until the morning. We were terrified they would come back. Check if they missed anything. Taza and Tranq found us. We were only teenagers." A tear slipped down her cheek as she looked into her lap.

Coco pulled their entwined hands up towards his face, placing a series of gentle kisses against the back of Pea's hand. While he had been affectionate with her since they had started doing whatever it was they were doing, she knew it was sometimes hard for him to show it. She smiled at him gratefully and huffed out a laugh, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. "Sorry, you asked a simple question and I gave you a full play by play." Coco laughed, the sound grumbling through his chest. "I don't mind querida. I'm glad you felt like you could tell me that." Pea nodded and leant towards him, her eyes glancing at his lips. He smirked and gently placed his hand on the back of her neck, guiding her face towards his. Their lips finally met. Pea felt every inch of her begin to set alight as she melted into Coco's embrace. His kiss always intoxicated her, filling her body with warmth from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. He moves his hands to grasp at her hips, his fingers digging in ever so slightly.

She tangles her fingers in his curly black locks, tugging ever so slightly, eliciting a groan from Coco. Their kissing slowed a little, becoming more tender and leaving little room for thought – only feeling and wanting. Suddenly, Pea's ringtone blasted through the room, causing them to jump apart. They both laughed, a little out of breath as she reached for the phone, Coco taking the moment to straighten his shirt and gather his thoughts. He saw Pea's face scrunch up as she read the caller ID, before she declined the call and put the phone back on the side table. "Everything okay?" he asked, leaning forward and gently brushing his finger over her cheek, smiling to himself as she became bashful under his touch and gaze. "Oh... unknown number. I'm sure they'll call back if it's important." Coco took her word for it and leaned back into the couch, draping his arm over her shoulders.

He kept his gaze on her face as she looked around the room once more. He watched as she focused on something, a questioning look passing over her face so quickly he would have missed it if he hadn't of been staring at her. He followed her line of sight until he realised. One of Letty's jumpers was thrown over the arm of the chair sat in the corner. He breathed out and sat forward once again. If she could share with him, he could share with her. "I uh... got my kid living here," he muttered. Pea sat forward to look him in the face, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I have a daughter... well 3 kids actually... but I don't have much to do with the other 2. But Leticia... she lives here with me," he turned to Pea, gauging her reaction. She only nodded and smiled, the warmth in her eyes making Coco's stomach clench into a knot. Fuck. This girl had him good.

"That's cool." It was a simple answer, and Coco didn't know why it knocked the wind out of him. She just seemed to constantly be surprising him. Suddenly, she gently patted him on the knee. "I should be going... got to feed the cat and all," Coco nodded and stood, walking with her to the door. He led her down the driveway, slowly linking his pinky with hers as they reached her car. They turned to each other. "I think I have a security shift out at yours tomorrow..." Coco mentioned, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can see if I can stay to do the night shift if you would like?" Pea began to feel her skin warm at Coco's words. Not that he had necessarily implied that they would be sleeping together, but Pea didn't exactly know if she would be able to keep her hands to herself. Anytime they began to make out Pea felt herself wanting to give more and more to Coco but they always seemed to be interrupted. She swallowed thickly and nodded, trying not to give away just how much the idea made her giddy. "Sounds good Coco. I'll text you later?" He smiled and lent in, pressing a sweet, tentative kiss to her lips before he nodded, opening her door for her. "Yeah querida, sounds good."

Penelope raced down the dirt road that lead to her house. Her skin had been prickling with goose bumps since her afternoon with Coco and her face was nearly split with the amount she had been smiling. They hadn't exactly spent a lot of time together, and the time they did spend together was brief, but she could really feel her feelings beginning to evolve for the elusive Mayan. She knew this was probably only going to end in her heart being broken, but she couldn't help but soak up the way she was feeling now. And the fact that Coco had felt comfortable enough to tell her about his daughter made her heart swell. She pulled her car into her makeshift carport and exited, walking quickly over to fill Echo's water trough and feed bin before she walked to her front door. She put her key into the door, ready to unlock it, when her ringtone chimed through the silence. She pulled her phone from her pocket, her anxiety peaking as she read the number on the flashing on the screen. Pressing the answer button, she pulled the phone to her ear with shaking hands. "What do you want Nestor?"