Page 81 of Truth or More Truth
He follows me in. “Squicks?” His forehead wrinkles. “I don’t know this word.”
“That’s because I made it up,” I explain, plopping onto a plush orange-and-turquoise couch. I wonder if the hotel sprang for this decor for him, or if he paid for it. “It means . . .” Instead of usingwords, I screw up my face into a grimace, clench my fists, and make my entire body shudder.
Diego points a finger at me. “Got it. I wouldn’t want you to squick again, so I’ll refrain from calling Bobby your lover in the future.”
I shudder again, and he laughs before holding a hand out to me.
“Up, woman. Do you not smell the deliciousness coming from the dishes on the table? Our dinner has already arrived.”
No more than five minutes after I hung up with Bobby last night, Diego called, inviting me to eat dinner with him tonight while I wait to see Bobby. I accepted the invitation after ensuring he wasn’t the one who would be cooking. I’ve heard stories of his kitchen disasters.
“You look lovely, by the way,” Diego says as he leads me to the dining table, which is loaded with multiple covered dishes.
“Why thank you,” I say with a curtsy as I glance down at my burgundy wrap dress. “I wore it especially for you.” I considered choosing something more casual, but since I anticipated heading to the hotel bar with Bobby, I didn’t want to be underdressed.
Diego laughs. “You’re a liar, but amuy bonitaone.” He pulls my chair out and then takes the seat across the teak table from me.
“What are you feeding me?”
He whips the lids off two of the dishes with a flourish. “Pollo guisado, mofongo,and a few other Dominican dishes. I made the chef here learn to cook some of my favorites from back home.” He bobs his head from side to side. “He does a decent job of it.”
“OK, I knowpollois chicken, but what’smofongo?”
“Fried plantains with yummy spices.”
“Sounds—and smells—wonderful.”
We hear a key jiggling the lock, and Diego jumps off the couch, where we’ve been hanging out and chatting since finishing the delicious dinner.
“As much as I’d love to watch how this goes down, I’ll leaveyou two to greet each other in private,” he says as he jogs toward his room.
The bedroom door snicks shut as the entry door opens. I stand as Bobby appears, his eyes scanning the room until his gaze lands on me. His handsome face lights up, and my hands are suddenly clammy, so I wipe them on my thighs.
He scans me up and down and then stalks toward me. I’m only able to take a few tentative steps toward him. Bobby comes to a stop in front of me and takes my hands in his.
“Hey, are you OK?” he asks.
I nod. “Just nervous,” I admit.
His dimple pops. “Me, too. Even so, I’m going to kiss you.”
“You’d better. And don’t tease me this time.”
Bobby chuckles as his hands cup my face and his gaze slides from my eyes down to my mouth. “I’ll save the teasing for later.” Then one warm hand slides to the nape of my neck and he brings my lips to his.
My hands fist in his shirt as he takes the kiss from tender to heated after what seems like only a few seconds but could be minutes for all I know. One of his hands glides down to the small of my back, and he pulls me flush against him. Then he backs me toward the couch as a muffled voice calls out from the other room.
“Are you done with the kissy-kissy, or should I stay in here a little longer?” Diego asks.
Bobby and I both laugh as we pull our mouths apart.
He rests his forehead against mine. “I don’t know why I thought I didn’t need my own hotel room.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “Being alone in a hotel room might’ve put some pressure on us that we don’t need quite yet.”
Bobby angles his head back and searches my eyes. “That’s exactly why I did this. Not that I don’t want to take things to the bedroom with you someday, but I don’t think today should be that day. We should probably go on a date first.”
“Might be a good idea.”
