#michael ariza x oc

[danzer8705]

This is adorable! I love Riz!

Reckless

Michael ‘Riz’ Ariza x OC (Mariella Reyes)

Request from @rizoldlady​: I would love to see story about him dancing with an oc female character. Baby sister to Ez and Angel. Possibly they are dating in secret and Riz blows the secret while dancing with her at a Mayan party. Tango or cha cha. I can see angel getting pissed at riz for kissing his baby sister. Please please pretty please.

Warnings: language, protective and nosey brothers

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: This was my first time writing for Riz, so please be gentle with me haha. I really loved this prompt though, and had a lot of fun with it! Hope you all enjoy it xo

(I’m a visual person so with OC’s I always have to have photos to help with the pictures in my head so here’s a little something to help if that’s how your brain works too)

Keep reading

[bullet-prooflove]

Valentine's Day Bingo: Blossom: Michael 'Riz' Ariza x Reader x OC (NSFW)

Set before the events of @the-hinky-panda story 'The Gin Blossom', when Riz and Songbird met Ginny for the first time.

Tagging: @crazy4chickennuggets @kmc1989 @withakindheartx @anime-weeb-4-life @danzer8705 @mysoulisasunflower @adaydreamaway08 @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @librarian1002 @creativitybeware @mortal--soul @buddinglinguist @msjava1972 @fleureeee @just-a-throw-away

Hitting Bingo Square - Wild Night

It isn’t the first time for you or Riz, but it is for Ginny. She whispers this into your mouth as her head tips back onto Riz’s shoulder, his lips ghosting along the curve of her throat. His palms frame her hips, holding her steady against him.

You both know what she’s really saying, it’s the first time she’s been intimate with another person since Dylan her husband died, let alone two.

“We can stop.” You say quietly, using your fingertips to tip her chin up to meet your gaze.

Communication is key in a situation like this. You like Ginny, you both do, the three of you made a connection tonight. You weren’t looking for a third person but there’s something underneath the surface, something deep, something spiritual, you know that Riz feels it too.

Ginny’s been torn apart inside; she’d hurting and the two of you want to take that away. You want to remind her that human contact doesn’t have to come with pain, that there’s beauty in the vulnerability. Her history has taught her to withdraw, to hide herself away but you’ve seen glimpses of the woman she is. You want her to embrace that, to reconnect with the world because right now she’s just existing, she isn’t actually living.

It hasn’t gone that far, not yet. Riz’s shirt is gone, his jewellery stacked neatly on the nightstand. His tattoos contrast against Ginny’s skin. She’s pretty in black, clad in a cotton bra and panties. Her nipples poke through the fabric and Riz’s palm chases up the shape of her waist, his thumb toying tracing over the dark shape lightly.

“I want this.” She tells you, her fingertips reaching out and brushing the hair away from your features. “I want this with the both of you.”

“If you change your mind we’ll stop.” Riz’s breath ghosts in her ear. “It’s only fun for us if you’re enjoying it too.”

There’s no pressure, Ginny can take as little or as much as she wants from the two of you. The purpose of this is to make her feel good, to remind her that love doesn’t have to come with a price. It can be given unconditionally, without expectation. This will never be more than a one-night thing, something to bring her back to the world because Ginny, she’s stuck right now. She needs to feel the intimacy that comes with another person, to understand what it is to be loved.

“We’re going to take such good care of you.” You whisper against her lips, your bare skin brushing against hers. Riz’s fingertips trail up along the strap of Ginny’s bra, guiding it down along her arm. He unclasps it, drawing it from her form and tossing it from the bed.

Your thumb chases along her jawline before you kiss her. It’s gentle and soft, a simple brush of the lips as your fingertip toy with the elastic of her panties. Riz’s palms stray back to her breasts, his thumbs ghosting over her nipples bringing them to attention. She moans into your mouth as your fingertips stray lower, brushing over her clit through the fabric of her panties. She’s wet already, you can feel the dampness on your fingertips as your caress that needy little nub of hers.

“Oh, she likes that, don’t you Ginny?” Riz chuckles against her skin. “You like it when my Songbird touches you like that?”

She nips your lower lip, it’s a playful gesture, one that makes you laugh because there’s the girl you knew was under all that suffering. You like her, you think the three of you are going to have a lot of fun together. Your fingers trace over her clit, slow intimate circles that have her moaning into your mouth. Her fingers tangle through in your hair drawing you closer, because she needs the both of you right now.

“Oh Ginny.” Riz smiles into her shoulder as his fingers hook the waistband of her panties, drawing them down her thighs. “You want more don’t you?”

He’s intuitive your man. He’s spent a lifetime pleasuring women, becoming attuned to their needs, their wants, their desires. He knows when someone needs to get fucked, he senses it in Ginny. She needs that intimacy, that release. There’s a catharsis in it, he knows.

He looks to you, if you want to take this step, he’s game. He doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardise the relationship he has with you. You’ve never done this before, not with him. You’ve always been the third and he’s always been the one in the driver’s seat. The dynamic is different now, the two of you it’s a partnership.

“Do you want him to fuck you, Ginny?” You ask her. Your fingers thread through her hair, tugging her head back so you can look into her eyes. “I promise you; he knows exactly what he’s doing with that cock.”

She nods her head, her teeth biting down on her lower lip.

“I think we better give the lady what she wants.” You tell Riz, reaching around Ginny to help Riz remove his underwear.

He grasps the base of his cock, guiding it between her legs. Her wetness smears across his cock, soaking him as he presses against her entrance. Ginny’s breathing turns ragged, she whines as he exerts just the tiniest bit of pressure, and he chuckles into her ear.

“Trust me, I’m worth it.” He tells her.

Your fingers return to her clit, caressing it lightly as Riz enters her slowly. Her breath hitches and you use your free hand to cup her jaw guiding her mouth back to yours. He sinks into her inch by inch, filling her completely before he withdraws and starts all over again. He fucks her with long, languid strokes, his cock raking over that sweet little spot deep inside of her. You keep your grip on her jaw, keeping her grounded as you take her higher.

She’s close you can feel it. Her kisses are messy and urgent, her skin flushes that pretty shade of pink and you know you have her right on the cusp.

You feel the moment she shatters, the noise she makes it’s so raw, so primal. You know it’s a release, all of that pain, that suffering, it flows out of her in the midst of the act. It can be overwhelming; you both know that.

“We got you,” Riz tells her as he holds her close. He understands the needs for an anchor in this moment, something to keep you tethered. You cup her features in your hands, your thumbs smoothing the tears from her cheeks.

“It’s alright Ginny.” You whisper. “We’ve got you.”

Love Riz? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[oscars-wifeyyy]

Serenade - Michael “Riz” Ariza

Michael “Riz” Ariza was your boyfriend of two years and your husband for three years, but the love did not run low between the two of you. However, that did not mean that you guys didn’t have your fights and this one was a big one for the two of you. This was how it all started.

You were at home cooking dinner for your husband as if it was any normal day after you got off work. It somehow felt off, as if you were going to get really mad really soon, but you didn’t know why so you didn’t pay any mind to it until you heard the door open and Riz had come in with a bloody face. When you turned around to greet him with a kiss, you saw his face and you glared at the man you loved as he smiled sheepishly.

“Bathroom. Now,” you stomped to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit to clean his face up before putting stitches in his busted lip, “I said for you to do one thing and that was not to fight. I can’t fucking believe you right now,”

“Mi amor, I’m so-” Riz started, but you cut him off, “sorry my ass! You know what, you can finish dinner and sleep on the couch. I can’t look at your face right now,” you trashed the used supplies and went to your shared room with a door slam.

Michael winced as he heard the door slam, knowing you would hate to see him like that so he thought of the best way to apologize. He went to the kitchen and turned off the stove before rushing out to get your favorite snacks and non-alcoholic drink since you never really liked to drink on work nights unless it was a bad day. When he came back, he took out ingredients to cook your favorite dish, Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken. This took almost forty-five minutes until he was ready as he dished the food before grabbing your bluetooth speaker to stand outside your shared window and started throwing small pebbles at the window.

When he saw your shadow, he started playing the song you guys shared and used for your first dance as a married couple. Like in the movies, he held up the speakers as it played out loud and you opened the window and started glaring at the man, but it slightly softened as you took a look at him with the speaker in his hand and all your favorite snacks and drinks in a bag in the other hand.

“Mi amor, lo siento. Please forgive me as I serenade you like in all those movies you make me watch. I made you your favorite food in the kitchen and I will know you forgive me if you come down in ten minutes with that dress you love so much,” Riz yelled over the speaker as you broke your facade and giggled.

“Riz, get inside! You’re going to wake the neighbors up!” You tried to start.

“Not until you forgive me and join me at the dinner table,” Riz grinned.

“Oh my, God,” you muttered as you shook your head, “yes! Fine, just get inside and I’ll be down in ten,”

Riz smiled as he went back inside and stood next to the table, waiting for you to come down and enjoy a nice night with him.

[bullet-prooflove]

What I've Been Working On This Week: 12/11/23

LongDistance!Series Part One: Melina - Manny x Reader - Manny's daughter asks if she can meet you.

LongDistance!Series Part Two: Club Business (feat: Hank Loza) - Manny x Reader - Manny decides it's time to come clean to Hank about your relationship.

LongDistance!Series Part Three: Home - Manny x Reader - Manny discovers something about you that makes you rethink your previous patterns.

Breaking The Rules - Manny x Reader - Manny breaks every single one of his rules when it comes to you.

Mount Shasta - Taza Romero x OC: Ben Harrison - Ben surprises Taza with a trip to Mount Shasta. (NSFW) - Holiday Bingo: Blizzard/Snowed In.

Snow - Bishop x Reader - Bishop discusses something that's been on his mind. BINGO SQUARE: PLAYING IN THE SNOW

Saint Michael - Frank Castle x Reader - Frank returns something important to you. HOLIDAY BINGO: GIFT GIVING

Ophelia! Series Part One: Casino Royale - Charlie 1 x Reader - Charlie runs into you again at an underground casino.

Ophelia!Series - Part Two: Taken - Charlie 1 x Reader - Charlie recieves a disturbing phone call.

Ophelia!Series - Part Three: Ohana - Charlie 1 x Reader - Charlie returns home in the midst of a crisis.

Ophelia!Series - Part Four: PSYOPS - Charlie 1 x Reader - Charlie gets boots on the ground in Mexico.

Ophelia!Series - Part Five: Tokyo - Charlie 1 x Reader - Charlie and you finally talk about what happened in Tokyo.

Stockton!Series Part Seven: Graveside - Nestor Oceteva x Reader (feat: Marcus Alvarez) - You and Marcus meet at your mother's graveside.

Stockton!Series Part Eight: Canvas - Nestor Oceteva x Reader - Nestor reflects on the damage caused by the home invasion.

The Comeback! Series Part Two: Good Morning - Michael 'Riz' Ariza x Reader - Riz and you spend the morning together in your new home. (NSFW)

Underneath The Stars - Bottles x Reader - Bottles wants to give you one last night underneath the stars. (NSFW)

[bullet-prooflove]

🌹

“We’re going to take such good care of you.” You whisper against her lips, your bare skin brushing against hers. Riz’s fingertips trail up along the strap of Ginny’s bra, guiding it down along her arm. He unclasps it, drawing it from her form and tossing it from the bed.

Your thumb chases along her jawline before you kiss her. It’s gentle and soft, a simple brush of the lips as your fingertip toy with the elastic of her panties. Riz’s palms stray back to her breasts, his thumbs ghosting over her nipples bringing them to attention. She moans into your mouth as your fingertips stray lower, brushing over her clit through the fabric of her panties. She’s wet already, you can feel the dampness on your fingertips as your caress that needy little nub of hers.

“Oh, she likes that, don’t you Ginny?” Riz chuckles against her skin. “You like it when my Songbird touches you like that?”

Blossom - Michael 'Riz' Ariza x Reader x OC - 12th Jan

 @crazy4chickennuggets  @kmc1989  @withakindheartx @anime-weeb-4-life @danzer8705 @mysoulisasunflower @adaydreamaway08 @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @librarian1002 @creativitybeware @mortal--soul @buddinglinguist

[drabbles-mc]

Drabbles-MC Masterlist

Because of the link limit, each character now has their own link on this post that leads to a separate post. But this is still where to go to find all of my fics!

(You can also go HERE to find me on AO3)

Fic-list under the cut!

👀 = smut, 💔 = angst

Mayans MC Characters:

- EZ Reyes Fics

- Angel Reyes Fics

- Bishop Losa Fics

- Coco Cruz Fics

- Nestor Oceteva Fics

- Neron “Creeper” Vargas Fics

- Hank Loza Fics

- Gilly Lopez Fics

- Marcus Alvarez Fics

- Che "Taza" Romero Fics

Michael “Riz” Ariza Fics:

- Reckless

- Wipeout

Miguel Galindo Fics:

- Business Trip

- Withered 💔

Guero Fics:

- Always Here Anyway

Canche Fics:

- Trustfall

Sons of Anarchy Characters:

- Herman Kozik Fics

- Opie Winston Fics

- Filip “Chibs” Telford Fics

- Jax Teller Fics

- Juice Ortiz Fics

- Happy Lowman Fics

- David Hale Fics

- Alexander “Tig” Trager Fics

- SOA/Mayans MC Headcanons

Narcos/Narcos: Mexico Characters:

- Javier Peña Fics

- Horacio Carrillo Fics

- Steve Murphy Fics

- Walt Breslin Fics

- Amado Carrillo Fuentes Fics

- Isabella Bautista Fics

- The Diegoverse Fics: A Series of OG Narcos OC Universes

- Hugo Martinez Fics

- Chepe Santacruz Fics

María Elvira Fics:

- Favors Owed 👀

Danilo Garza:

- Things Like That 👀

Amat Palacios Fics:

- Just A Bad Feeling 💔

Officer Trujillo Fics:

- Looking On

Andrea Nuñez Fics:

- At Your Service

Sal Orozco Fics:

- Cómo Puedo Ayudar?

Enedina Arellano Félix Fics:

- Adamant

Jorge Salcedo Fics:

- Debts Paid

Other Fandoms:

- MCU Fics

- The Bear Fics

- The Bikeriders Fics

- Top Gun Maverick Fics

- Suicide Squad Fics

- Kingsman Fics

- John Wick Fics

- Altered Carbon Fics

- Outer Banks Fics

- Stranger Things Fics

- Silent Night Fics:

- Speaking Volumes (Brian Godlock x F!Reader)

- Better Call Saul Fics:

- Should’ve Seen It Coming (Nacho Varga x F!Reader) 💔

- Fresh Start (Gabriela Castillo x Nacho Varga) [Crossover]

- House MD Fics:

- Not to Spoil the Ending (Robert Chase x Greg House)

- At Least (Greg House x James Wilson)

- Bullet Train Fics:

- Pretty and Unscathed (Carver x Ladybug)

- Emily the Criminal Fics:

- Waking Hours (Youcef Haddad x GN!Reader)

- Law & Order: SVU Fics:

- Stomping Grounds (Mike Duarte x F!Reader)

- On the Ledge (Mike Duarte x GN!Reader)

- Our Flag Means Death Fics:

- Retelling the Story (Stede Bonnet x Edward Teach)

- Here We Are (Stede Bonnet x Edward Teach)

- F.R.I.E.N.D.S Fics

- The One Where It’s The Right Time (Joey Tribbiani x Rachel Green)

[drabbles-mc]

Fanfic WIP Game

rules: post the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and I’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it! and then tag as many people as you have wips

Thanks for the tag, @twistnet! This is forcing me to reckon with just how many wips I have, and oof it’s a lot lmao. Not posting the titles of ones that I’ve already started posting on here, but you guys all get to see the shame of the rest of my wips that haven’t yet seen the light of day 😅

Brick by Brick (Opie x OC fic)

They Were Roommates (Nestor x OC, Angel x OC fic)

From the Start (Opie x Chris Teller fic)

Better Than That (Coco Cruz x Reader fic)

For Everything (Happy Lowman x Natalie Teller fic)

Pieces Into Place (EZ Reyes x OC fic)

Diego Scenes (OC Diego Ramirez x Reader drabbles)

Boxing AU (Mayans x OC fic)

Chaos at the Lakehouse (SOA x OCs fic)

Still Alive (Angel Reyes x Reader fic)

On Your Mind (Horacio Carrillo x OC fic)

There and Back (Nestor Oceteva x Erin Thomas fic)

How We Got Here (Coco Cruz x Daniela Reyes fic)

Tryst (Kozik x Tawnie Trager fic)

Recovery (Juice Ortiz x Reader fic)

Coming to Terms (Rafe Cameron x OC fic)

Against All Odds (Juice Ortiz x Chris Teller fic)

5 Times (Jax Teller x Diedra Lowman fic)

Honest With Me (Juice Ortiz x OC fic)

Beautician AU (Letty Cruz & OC’s fic)

Favorite Place (Michael ‘Riz’ Ariza x Reader fic)

Tragic (Angel Reyes x OC fic)

Figuring It Out (Happy Lowman x OC fic)

I would love to talk or answer questions about any and all of these, so please don’t hesitate to send stuff in! Maybe it’ll get some of them to eventually move out of my WIP folder lmao

Because I am a wip-creating monster there is no way I’m gonna tag someone for each of these titles. 😂

Tagging: @withmyteeth @crowfootwrites @obsessedasusual @garbinge @awildcur @the-anonymous-pen @narcolini @ashlingnarcos and anyone else who wants to do this! xo

[drabbles-mc]

Reckless

Michael ‘Riz’ Ariza x OC (Mariella Reyes)

Request from @rizoldlady​: I would love to see story about him dancing with an oc female character. Baby sister to Ez and Angel. Possibly they are dating in secret and Riz blows the secret while dancing with her at a Mayan party. Tango or cha cha. I can see angel getting pissed at riz for kissing his baby sister. Please please pretty please.

Warnings: language, protective and nosey brothers

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: This was my first time writing for Riz, so please be gentle with me haha. I really loved this prompt though, and had a lot of fun with it! Hope you all enjoy it xo

(I’m a visual person so with OC’s I always have to have photos to help with the pictures in my head so here’s a little something to help if that’s how your brain works too)

There was a knock at the front door. She smiled into the mirror as she put her earrings in and shouted, “It’s open!”

She heard the sound of boots on the floor and moments later she caught Riz’s reflection in her mirror as he poked his head around the doorframe into her bedroom. She smiled at him through the reflection, shaking her head slowly.

“We’re gonna see each other in less than an hour,” she turned to face him, grin still plastered on her face.

He walked up, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his forehead against hers. He placed a kiss on her nose, “I couldn’t wait. Besides,” his hands slid lower, dipping into her back pockets, “I don’t get to do this once we’re there.”

She laughed, shaking her head slightly, “I know, I know. Lo siento, mi amor,” she cupped his face and kissed him on the lips, “I’ll tell them soon, I promise.”

“Better be soon,” he said with a smirk, “Don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep my hands off of you.”

“Michael,” she laughed, her head falling back slightly as she did.

“Mariella,” he chuckled, taking the opportunity to kiss her exposed skin of her neck.

She ran her fingers through his hair, letting them come to rest on the back of his neck. He slid his hands up underneath the fabric of her top, fingertips pressing slightly into her back to keep her pressed flush against him. She let out a small, content sigh as she let him melt into her.

They’d started seeing each other a few months ago, and truthfully, she didn’t see it coming. Riz had always been a flirt, just like every other guy in the club. But eventually the playful flirting turned into real conversations, and then those real conversations turned into late nights at her place after parties. And now here they were. The secrecy wasn’t too much of an issue at first when everything was still new and they were figuring it all out, but now it was getting harder to keep it under wraps. The two of them had had more than one close call with her brothers popping in to visit and check on her.

She didn’t know how they were actually going to respond when they found out that she and Riz were dating, but her mind was instantly jumping to the worst possible scenarios and outcomes. Angel and EZ really never asked her for much, but they had asked her, very nicely, not to date anyone in the club. She partially understood it—they knew things about all the guys that she never would and that made them wary. But they were all adults now, and they could only pull the, “You’re our baby sister,” card so many times before it started to lose its effectiveness.

Riz pulled back and cupped her face gently in his hands. He traces his thumbs along her cheekbones as he looked at her eyes, and the freckles that were scattered along the bridge of her nose. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, his heart warming as he felt her smile.

“I have to finish getting ready, cariño,” she placed her hands over his.

He smiled, “Uno más,” and before she could say anything else, he pressed his lips against hers again.

She laughed, leaning into the kiss. The urge to show up late to the party so they could have a little extra time together was tempting, but she knew that she’d blow their cover and she would never hear the end of it from her brothers. She finally managed to pull herself away from him, keeping her fingers interlocked with his as she stepped back.

“I’ll see you soon, okay?” she knew that if it was up to him, they’d never leave.

“Kicking me out, hermosa?” he pressed one hand over his heart with a pained look on his face.

She laughed, nodding, “Just for now. You can come over later.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise,” she gave him another quick peck on the lips before nudging him back towards the door to her room, “Now go and let me finish getting ready.”

He walked towards the door, pausing for a moment and taking one last look at her before exiting her bedroom. She heard the front door open and shut, followed shortly by the sound of his bike roaring to life. She chuckled to herself and shook her head—he certainly kept her on her toes.

By the time she showed up to the party, there were already a good amount of people there. She managed to weave her way through the crowd to find her brothers. Angel’s height made him one of the easiest to find in a crowd, and she was forever thankful for it because it seemed as though their parents ran out of good height genes by the time they had her.

He wrapped her in a hug, “Mari,” he kissed the top of her head, “I was starting to think that you weren’t going to make it.”

“And miss the chance to embarrass my brothers at a club function? No way,” she laughed, “Where’s EZ at, anyway?”

He scanned the room, “Over at the bar,” he nudged her in that direction, “Go tell him he owes us both a beer.”

She chuckled as she weaved through the small clusters of people and found EZ, clapping him on the back as she settled in next to him at the bar. He smiled and draped his arm around her shoulders, “Glad you made it.”

“Angel says you owe us each a beer.”

He rolled his eyes, “Of course he does,” he asked the bartender for two more bottles before turning back to his sister, “Your man was looking for you earlier.”

She froze for a moment, “Wh-what? Who?”

He laughed, “Tranq. I swear he asks about you more than Pops does.”

“That’s because Pops knows he doesn’t have to worry about me,” she grabbed her beer bottle and took a sip, “I’ll find him eventually. Thanks for the beers, mano,” she smirked as she grabbed the bottle for Angel and took off into the crowd again.

As the night wore on, she found herself sitting by the fire pit outside with her brothers, Bishop, and Tranq. The five of them sat around chatting and watching the chaos unfold around them. Mariella was usually able to stay on the outskirts of it all, content to watch everyone else get themselves into trouble. It was extra rewarding if the people getting into trouble were her brothers.

She felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder and she looked up to see Riz smiling down at her. “Sorry to interrupt,” he crouched down so he was eye-level with her, “can I steal you for a couple minutes?”

She smiled, trying to keep her composure so no one would think that anything was going on, “Sure, everything alright?”

He stood up, pulling her from the chair, “Yea. Got time for a dance, querida?”

She smiled but she couldn’t pretend that it didn’t send a jolt of fear down her spine, “Michael, don’t get reckless.”

“It’s one dance,” he tugged her towards where everyone was dancing, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

At first, the guys didn’t pay much mind to the fact that she had gotten swept away by Riz. She was friends with all of them and had long since progressed past the need to have one of her brothers with her all the time. They were wrapped up in their own conversations, bouncing back and forth between talking business and talking shit.

Bishop was the first one to notice the two of them getting a little cozier than usual on the dancefloor. He smirked to himself and decided not to comment on it as he took a swig of his beer and returned to the conversation at hand. If Riz and Mari wanted to dig themselves into that hole, it wasn’t really his place to say anything about it. That wasn’t a club matter.

Tranq, on the other hand, was not as subtle. Once he clocked it, he instantly nudged Angel and nodded in their direction, “You know anything about that?”

Angel and EZ both turned their heads to see what he was talking about. They saw the way Riz was holding their sister close, hands set on her waist. They saw the way that she leaned in so he could whisper into her ear, whatever he said causing her to laugh. Her hands toyed with his hair for a moment before they came to rest gently on the back of his neck. They were dancing a little too close, a little too lost in their own world despite the noise and crowds around them, for anyone to think that it was just platonic. Riz stepped back and spun her around, and the look of pure joy on her face as she twirled right back into his arms and against his chest was enough to make anyone believe in love again.

Except for Angel, who was halfway out of his chair before EZ threw his arm out to stop him, “Leave it, Angel. Don’t make a scene.”

“You fuckin’ serious?” he looked down at his brother in disbelief, “You gonna let him be all up on our baby sister like that?”

EZ chuckled, “She doesn’t seem too upset about it. They’re both adults, you know.”

Angel collapsed back down into his seat, “Fuckin’ unbelievable. He didn’t say shit to us.”

“Neither did she,” EZ chimed in, “and why do you think that is?” he gave his brother a pointed look.

“Don’t look at me like that, little brother. You told Mari the same as me not to date anybody in the club.”

EZ chuckled, “Yea, when she was seventeen and stupid. You gotta stop treating her like she’s still a teenager, man. She’s gonna deck you one of these days.”

Riz and Mariella were wrapped up in the music, and each other, for a while before they finally left the dance floor and headed for the bar. She was giggling the whole way, Riz keeping his hand lightly pressed against the small of her back as they walked.

She sat down on a stool at the bar, “You and I have very different definitions of ‘one dance’, Michael,” she laughed.

His heart sped up a little every time she called him by his actual name, “Can’t help it,” he rested his hand on her leg, “And I’m not sorry about it, either.”

She laughed and shook her head as she grabbed the beer the bartender handed her, “Didn’t think that you would be.”

Riz reached forward to grab his beer off the surface of the bar, stealing a quick kiss from the young woman in front of him as he did. Mari’s face got hot and she tried her best to bite back the smile that wanted to spread across her face. He was always a little reckless but she adored that about him.

The smile dropped from her face when Angel’s hands came clapping down on Riz’s shoulders. He cleared his throat and Riz’s entire body tensed up for a moment. He shut his eyes for a moment, accepting defeat before he even turned around to face the man behind him. EZ was standing behind his brother, there solely to play referee if needed. He personally wasn’t that upset about the situation, but he knew that trying to talk Angel down was futile.

“What the fuck, Riz?”

“Angel,” Mariella stood up and wedged herself between the two men, placing one hand on Angel’s chest, “don’t be an asshole about this.”

“You ever gonna get around to sayin’ something about this?” he looked back and forth between his sister and Riz.

“Michael wanted to,” Mariella spoke up before Riz could, “but I told him not to. Because for some reason I thought it might not go over well and I didn’t wanna ruin a good thing before it even got started.” EZ tried and failed to stifle a laugh, reveling in the fact that he was right. Mariella gave him a knowing smile before continuing, “I’m not a kid anymore, Angel, and you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do.”

Despite the fact that he had just over a foot of height on his sister, she still stood and tried to get face-to-face with him as best she could. Her size had never been an issue when she carried herself with all the confidence in the world. She and Angel locked eyes for a few moments before his body finally untensed.

He pulled her into a hug with a sigh, “Don’t fuckin’ lie to me anymore, alright?”

She nodded with a smile, “Don’t be a fuckin’ drama queen anymore, alright?”

He laughed and gave her a quick squeeze before letting her go. He turned his attention to Riz, who was still processing what he had just witnessed between his girlfriend and her brother. Angel stepped in close to him, “One wrong step and you’re dead fuckin’ meat, got it?”

Riz nodded, holding his hands up in mock surrender, “Got it, mano.”

Angel walked away, shaking his head as he strode off. EZ just offered up a laugh as he clapped Riz on the back before following Angel’s trail back outside. Riz and Mariella were left the way they started—just the two of them sitting at the bar.

He looked at her with a smirk, “Could’ve gone worse, hermosa.”

She shook her head and gave him a playful shove, “Told you not to get reckless.”

He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, letting it linger this time knowing they didn’t have to hide it anymore. She smiled, placing one hand on the back of his neck and pulling him closer to her. He chuckled as he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

“Do I still get to come over later?”

She nodded, a giggle escaping past her lips, “Yea, I guess so. How can I say no to this face?” she rested one hand on his cheek.

He pressed a kiss into her palm, “Remember that you said that.”

She leaned back, taking a sip of her beer with a smile on her face, “I’m regretting it already.”