Lindsey’s Wolves(4)

American men never seemed quite so polite, or maybe that had been just her experience.

In any case, who cared? The man currently circling the hood of the car was so suave she wanted to lean into him and soak up his tender warmth.

And his accent was so musical; like melted caramel it oozed over her every time he spoke. Especially when he spoke in Spanish. She’d taken four years of high school Spanish and two years in college, but that barely got her by.

Maybe if she hung around Alejandro for a while, she’d actually learn something.

I hope so.

When he slid into the seat beside her, he started the engine and then reached for her hand. “You truly are bellísima this evening, cariña.”

She got the idea. “Thank you.” Lindsey was so comfortable with him. It seemed as though she’d known him a long time.

Of course, they’d spoken for about two hours last night. She felt like she truly did know him in some ways. Once they’d finally made it out of the grocery store, he’d helped her load her trunk and they’d wandered into the coffee shop conveniently located next door to the supermarket. The lattes didn’t even come close to reaching Alejandro’s coffee standards, but they still laughed and talked for so long, she’d lost track of time.

Alejandro’s large hand enveloped Lindsey’s small one. She couldn’t concentrate with his thumb rubbing circles across her palm. He was going to drive her mad. If there hadn’t been a seat belt law, she’d have slid right up next to him and laid her head on his shoulder with no concern whatsoever for how forward that would be.

Truth be told, she couldn’t wait to feel his soft lips caressing her skin again. Last night, when he’d walked her to her practical Honda Accord, he’d pressed her back into the driver’s door, wrapped her face in his palms, and kissed her to oblivion. Sure, it had started out slow and hesitant, the faint hint of coffee mingling with her own, but then he’d angled his head to one side, pressed his body against hers, and licked the seam between her lips until she opened for him on a moan.

The episode was so erotic, a book could have been written about that kiss alone. Her entire body trembling with need, she’d gripped his forearms until her nails nearly dug into the skin. After what seemed like an eternity, he’d gradually pulled away, raining kisses along her cheeks before settling his forehead against hers.

“Mañana entonces, cariña? Until tomorrow?”

Why did his words in Spanish sound so much more lyrical? Those beautiful words meant “until tomorrow?”

“Yes.” It was all she’d been able to articulate at the time, and she hadn’t improved much since then.

If only he would kiss her like that again…

And please, God, let me enjoy this without enduring flashbacks from my childhood.

She deserved it. It was time to move on.



*

Alejandro gritted his teeth all during the short drive to the restaurant. Please, if there is a God, make this evening perfect.

He’d driven over to the quaint corner location earlier in the day, seen the inside firsthand, and made a reservation. It had the appeal of home and made him anxious to get a taste of the delicious aromas floating among the lunch crowd.

Home.

He actually felt the pangs of missing his family today for the first time in months. He’d come to America in the early spring on a whim. His cousins had been begging him for years to join them in Washington. The timing couldn’t have been better. Two of his cousins, Mariam and Sean, had married in the last year and moved farther away from the farm. The family was a bit shorthanded, and their call had coincided perfectly with Alex’s recent ugly breakup. Not to mention a restless need for a change of scenery.

Alejandro was settled. Happy. Loving the change. And living in the sprawling ranch home owned by his mother’s brother had proven to shake any doubts he’d had before leaving the vineyard about living with family. The house was enormous and there was plenty of privacy. At twenty-eight, Alejandro hadn’t looked forward to the possibility that there’d be restrictions, rules, questions.

His mind was at ease. He’d slid right into Sean’s old quarters and was enjoying himself immensely.

However, he’d been completely unprepared to run literally straight into the woman he would spend the rest of his life with during a quick stop at the grocery yesterday to grab a few items for his Aunt Stacy. The poor woman hadn’t said a word when Alex had returned three hours later, empty handed, preoccupied, and begging forgiveness when he saw her face.

The awaited flour and eggs were forgotten, the “fried” chicken baked, and his aunt, without asking a single question of her normally extremely thoughtful and considerate nephew, had spent the evening biting her tongue, a sparkle in her eye that expressed her amusement at his floundering actions.