Chapter 33
“Are you sure you don’t want to order in room service again?” Daniel jokes, as we stroll hand in hand to Coba, the resort’s Mexican restaurant.
“For as much as I loved you being… what did you call it?”
“Balls-Deep in Royalty.”
“Yeah, that,” I roll my eyes with a quick head shake and continue, “My royal lady parts need a breather. We have a habit of testing the royal mattress every time we’re near it.”
“What can I say? You’re Eve. Pure temptation. The fig leaf.”
“Don’t you mean the apple?”
“An apple isn’t big enough to cover my…” he trails off.
“Forbidden fruit?” I suggest.
“Serpent of Sin.”
“You’re impossible,” I scoff.
“You mispronounced irresistible,” he says, as he squeezes my hand. “I can’t help myself. I’d stay inside you all day, if you’d let me.”
I pause and turn to him, the moonlight’s warm hues illuminating our faces. His eyes never fail to draw me in. I’m ridiculously attracted to him.
I try, and fail, to muster up a stern look while ignoring my nether regions shouting naughty pleas to my brain. “Dinner first. Then…”
He interrupts me with a swift peck on my lips. “Then Tess for dessert.”
My face heats, a blush spreading across my cheeks, and I nod. “Then Tess for dessert.”
“Can I ask you something?” While nudging my churro dessert from one side of the plate to the other with my fork, I ignore the knot tightening in my stomach.
Daniel leans back in his chair, tilting his head slightly to the side. “Of course.”
There was some kind of unspoken confession that happened between us on my balcony when he read my book. At least there was for me. Was I reading it right? Does he feel the same?
“Where do you see this going?” I ask.
He furrows his brow, contemplating my question. “This?” he repeats.
“Us. What happens when we return to reality? Does this” — I wave my hand between the two of us — “end when our vacations are over?”
Every hour, every minute I spend with him, I want more. I want to be with him. And it’s not because I’m lonely or have something to prove. I like him.
Probably more than I should.
“Is that what you want?” he asks.
“No.”
A smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “Good. Neither do I.”
“I don’t want you to tell me what you think I want to hear.”
He leans forward, his eyes locking onto mine. “Have I ever told you what I think you want to hear?” he jokes.
I playfully roll my eyes. “No, to a fault.” My grip tightens on the fork as I continue, “I don’t want you to think I have any expectations when we leave here. I know how easy it is to get caught up in…”
“Have expectations,” he cuts me off. “Have a million expectations.”
“So this is real?” Relief rushes through me, as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. “All of it? We’re real?”
He meets my gaze, a genuine smile gracing his face. “As real as it gets.”
“I never imagined this would ever happen,” I tell him, the words tinged with disbelief.
“Imagined what?”
“That I’d finally stop looking back at the life I left behind.”
“The life you left behind wasn’t the life meant for you,” he assures me.
“I know that now. Thank God I lost that moron. Imagine how miserable my life would be if we stayed together.”
“Maybe you lost him…” He stretches his arm across the table, offering his hand to me, “so you could find me.”
“And maybe you lost her,” I place my hand in his, “so you could find me.”
“And what a great find you are.”
“I fell in love with the wrong guy,” I sigh, my voice resonating with both regret and a new sense of clarity.
“And now?”
“And now I think I’m falling in like with the right one.”
An easy smile plays at the corners of his mouth and he squeezes my hand. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”
He has. About a thousand times.
“No,” I lie, biting the side of my cheek to stifle a grin.
He shakes his head and chuckles. “Maybe someday I will.”
“Why don’t you tell me now?” Tilting my head to the side, my lashes flutter.
He stands, walks to my side of the table, and bends down to me. “Because my mouth is busy,” he whispers before he kisses me. A soft, perfect kiss.
“Hey Daniel,” I mutter against his lips.
“Hmm?”
“You’re beautiful.”
“I know.” He gives me a quick peck on my lips. “Let’s go to the plaza and dance.”
“I swear my feet are going to fall off.” My shoes dangle from my fingers as we walk from the bustling outdoor plaza toward our building. “Where did you learn to move like that?”
“Are we talking about sex or dancing?”
“Dancing.”
“I’m one quarter Cuban. Salsa is in my blood.”
“Is that why you speak Spanish so well?”
“That’s my grandmother’s doing. She didn’t want the younger generation to lose the language.”
“I wish I knew Spanish better than high school level.”
“When we get back home, I’ll teach you.”
He’s making plans. With me. Outside of Mexico.
“Really?” I want to believe him. I want to believe him so badly.
“Sure,” he answers hesitantly, his voice lacking conviction. There is a discernible difference in the way he sounds, a subtle change in his demeanor. Something’s off.
“Hey,” I say, my voice laced with concern. “Is something wrong?”
He clears his throat, his voice slightly strained. “I, err… I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something.”
A nervous laugh escapes me. “What are you…breaking up with me already?” I joke, trying to lighten the tension.
There’s a brief pause, and he shakes his head slowly.
“Oh my God. You’ve been lying this whole time.” I gasp, placing my trembling hand over my racing heart. “You’re married.”
“What?” he exclaims in disbelief. “Where the hell did that come from?”
“You’ve wormed your way into my life. Oh God, you’ve even texted my mother.”
“In all fairness, she texted me first,” he says dryly.
“You’ve turned me into an affair partner.” That throat-punchy feeling I had when I first met him returns. “Buddy, if I’m going to whore hell because of this, I’m dragging you down with me.”
He laughs and shakes his head again.
“This isn’t funny,” my voice trembles. “I trusted you. I told you everything about my past. How could you do this?”
“You’re crazy. But damn… you’re beautiful when you’re angry.”
“Don’t patronize me,” I warn defiantly, placing two fists on my hips.
“Will you stop and listen to me for a minute?”
“I had sex with you,” I ramble, my mind racing with various murder scenarios.
“I know. I was there.”
“You saw me naked.”
He closes his eyes with a smirk. “Mmm, yeah.”
“What are you doing?”
“Picturing you naked.”
“Stop it,” I demand, my cheeks burning with a mix of embarrassment and anger as I cross my arms over my chest. “Scrub that from your memory.”
The bastard laughs again.
“Where’s your wedding ring?” I ask.
“I don’t have one.” He lets out a frustrated sigh. “I know this is a touchy subject for you, but I promise—I’m not cheating on anyone with you.”
“So, what haven’t you told me?”
“Tonight’s my last night in Mexico,” he says in a serious tone. “I fly out early tomorrow.”
His news hits me like a ton of bricks. My fingers lose their grip, and my shoes fall to the ground with a dull thud. I feel the color drain from my face, a mixture of shock and heartbreak washing over me.
“But… But that’s before I leave,” I mutter, utterly crushed.
“I’m sorry.” He glides a knuckle gently down my cheek. “I was only supposed to be here for four days. I extended it as long as I could.”
“You extended your stay? Why?”
His eyes meet mine. “You know why.”
“For me?” I ask in surprise.
“For us.”
“Then why are you going?” My heart is crumbling right in front of him.
“There’s a gala in New York tomorrow night. I’m the photographer. It’s work, Tess. It pays the bills. I have to be there.”
“You’re leaving me?” I ask, my voice barely audible.
“I’m leaving Mexico,” he says, his gaze never wavering. “I’ll see you when you get back to the States.”
A surge of pain runs through me. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I’m sorry.” His eyes soften, filled with regret. “There never seemed to be a right time. I wanted us to enjoy our time together without this hanging over us.”
“Can you stay here and be married instead?”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Let’s get going. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
“Okay. Sorry about all that.” I wave my hand dismissively in the air, like I just dispersed my crazy away.
“I should have told you sooner,” he says, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and placing a tender kiss on the top of my head.
I collect my shoes, and we resume our walk towards my hotel room. The faint scent of blooming flowers and grass mingles with the salty sea breeze. I can still hear the distant sound of music coming from the plaza. It’s hard to appreciate the physical reminders of this paradise around us, when the emotional one was just ripped away.
No. I need to stay focused on the present. Tonight, I’ll enjoy his company and embrace whatever it is we are.
I’ll have tomorrow to miss him.
“So…” Daniel interrupts my wandering thoughts. “Whore hell?”
Cringing, I avert my gaze towards the ground. “You heard that, huh?”
“Sounds like a fun place. Want to tell me more about it?”
My cheeks flush with embarrassment, and I shake my head. “Nope. Not even a little.”