Eduardo lifted a finger silencing her. “And a nun on a Vespa
“Uhh…yeah…? How did you know that?”
“Your sister's name is Eden?” He leaned in slightly and smiled as if they shared a joke. “We are here for the same purpose. It is destiny. I knew it from the moment I first saw you.”
Little Henna in her head just snickered and called her a dumb-dumb. She really needed to start listening to her inner voice. “You're here for the wedding?”
She wasn't shocked. The last clear and rational thought that passed through her brain had been when she'd gotten out of bed that morning and remembered to turn off the hot water heater before she left the house. Simon had no hot water. Oh well. He'd figure it out eventually. Proof she still wasn't wholly with it after her journey from hell, her initiation into the mile-high club, followed up by the ride in the limo and then their conscience-altering tumble into bed. It was no wonder the obvious connections were missed.
“I am,” he said warmly. “Our meeting was clearly destiny.”
“Or maybe just a series of coincidences?” The voice in her head just chuckled then told her that maybe she should pay more attention to her inner voice in the future.
“Or destiny?” he pressed.
“Let's just say I'm a bit more pragmatic than that. You may have convinced me I can't plan for everything, but I'm not ready to buy into destiny quite yet.”
“Perhaps I can change your mind,” he said. “So you are Eden's sister. I am Romeo's father.”
“You're Romeo's father?” Henna looked at the strong lines of Eduardo's profile and at his hair that was black in the moonlight. At the most, he could be a very young-looking forty, but no way was he the father of a twenty-six-year-old lawyer working at the Colombian Embassy in Rome. She'd seen pictures of Romeo. She had chatted over the internet with Romeo. They were social networking friends. It could not be possible the man sitting across from her had a grown son. But then again, the hair, the eyes...she sighed. “You're Romeo's father.”
“Ro-may-oh.” Eduardo chuckled as he raised his finger and ordered another round with a flick of his wrist. “It is a family name. Both his grandfather and his great-grandfather were Romeos. I am Romeo also, but I've always been called Eduardo. And just so you know, my son is very much in love with Eden. You'll also be happy to know he is very firmly grounded, which is a good complement to her carefree nature. I'm very surprised he's getting married so suddenly, but he's in love and that I understand. Eden is a lovely young woman.”
“And a deadly tennis player. How did I not catch that?”
“It's been a long day.”
“How old are you?” She studied his face with its strong lines and slight wrinkles around the eyes that spoke of both wisdom and a touch of mischievousness.
“Forty-four.”
“Really?” She examined Eduardo in the gentle ambient light. “You don't look forty-four. What's your secret?”
“Sunshine, fresh air, and hard work,” he said. “My grandfather is ninety years old. Every day he still walks through the coffee groves inspecting the crops.”
“You're my sister's father-in-law.” She shook her head. It might actually be possible that cosmic forces completely out of her control were attempting to manipulate her fate. “Oh, my god. I told you about Eden and Simon!”
Eduardo laughed. “I really didn't want to know that. But never mind. It's not like my son was a virgin when they met. Not even remotely. I can say with confidence that he had his share of women before he met Eden.”
“Promise me you won't say a word.”
“I would never repeat anything you told me in confidence. What occurs between us is only between us.”
She smiled. “Good. Thank you.”
“Destiny.” Eduardo raised his glass to her before drinking.
“Destiny,” she said flatly. “I don't mean to be insulting, but you strike me as an educated man, yet you seem to think there are supernatural forces controlling the tide of your life. It just doesn't seem to fit.”
“I am educated,” he said. “I have a degree in agriculture from Universidad de Buenos Aires and an MBA from Georgetown. I also believe in destiny. Do you believe in nothing?”
“Not really,” she said.
“This is destiny, Henna. I know it. There is a
bruja
who lives on my plantation in a hut. She is very old and very wise. My father knew her to be an old woman when he was a boy. When my wife died, the
bruja
told me that I would meet a woman who was nothing and everything like me. A beautiful woman from a far off land. And here you are.”
“Are you telling me that an old woman who lives in a hut told you we would meet?” He looked so sane. So normal. So very handsome with his perfect teeth, his cafe au lait complexion, and his deep brown eyes.
“Yes.”
“Are you insane?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Henna, I'm perfectly sane. I know about the gypsy woman who told your aunt that Eden should go to Rome. The
bruja
told Romeo he would find his true love in Rome. Destiny brought them together just as we have been brought together.”
“The
bruja
told Romeo to go to Rome.”
“Yes. She told him that he would meet a girl with golden hair and green eyes. When he met that girl, she would fall for him.”
“And Eden twisted her ankle and fell when the nun on the scooter nearly ran her over.”
“And Romeo was there to catch her. If that isn't destiny, then I don't know what is.”
She narrowed her eyes a little bit as she stared at Eduardo. Her lips pressed together as she digested Eduardo's interpretation of the story of the first time Eden and Romeo met. Arguably, it was much more romantic than her version of the story. How she told it, her dippy sister was leading a group of Japanese tourists around Rome when she nearly got ran over by a nun on a Vespa, twisted her ankle, and Romeo just happened to be there to catch her before she fell on her ass.
“You want to believe.” His fingers brushed down her jaw. “You are dying to believe. I'm going to convince you.”
“Doubtful. But if it's any consolation, you have put a dent into my skepticism.”
“Open your heart to the possibility, Henna,” Eduardo said. “What do you have to lose?”
Again she looked out at the bay and the vessels drifting past. “Nothing,” she said. “I have nothing to lose.” As the evening wound to a close, Eduardo knew what he wanted and hoped Henna wanted the same. Telling her that destiny had brought them together and that the
bruja
had predicted he would meet a woman who would make his life complete once again might have been a risk, but he had to be himself. If she had run away or found his thinking too obtuse for her liking, then he needed to know sooner rather than when it was too late. She hadn't run. She'd given him a look that let him know she thought he was a bit odd, but she had stayed.
“What now?” Henna asked after he signed the check and passed it back to the waitress. “I want to spend the night with you, but both of us have family arriving. I'm not sure I want my parents to know I hooked up with my sister's father-in-law in a bar at the Miami airport. I don't mind that they know we clicked, but maybe not immediately. What do you think?”
This was what he liked about her. One of the things. If she wanted him, she let him know. “We're across the hall from each other. We owe it to Eden and Romeo to be discreet for a few days. Besides, my parents are due to arrive sometime this evening from London.”
“So, sneaking around like a couple of teenagers? Wear a path in the carpet between our rooms?”
“Sounds like fun.” He pulled out his phone. “Give me your number just in case we need to coordinate.” He handed over his phone ready for her to enter her contact details.
“Put yours in mine.” She passed her phone to him.
As he typed in his name, a text popped up at the top of the screen. “Simon is annoyed you have no hot water. Do you live together?”
His phone was passed back to him. “He's staying at my place.” Her hand hovered over the table, waiting for her phone.
Reluctantly, he passed it back. He sat and watched as she responded to the text. Jealousy, like he hadn't felt since before Pilar had died, made another sudden reappearance. The feeling startled and amused him. It was the third time Henna had generated that feeling in him. He had no place to feel jealous. He didn't even know the circumstances behind this man being in Henna's home. But, friend or no, he didn't like the fact they were so intimate.
“Done.” Her phone was dropped in her bag. “So?” She smiled at him in anticipation. “My room or yours?”
“Yours.” He picked up her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. Without a word, he rose from the table with her hand in his. They walked in from the terrace, and immediately he spotted six people he knew very well. “Henna.” He pulled her back quickly until they were out of sight of the bar hidden behind a pillar and a few potted plants. “Your choice. Do you want to meet my parents, my brother, my daughter, Romeo, and Eden now or sneak around the front of the hotel and try to avoid them at all costs?”
She peered around the pillar and through the potted plants. “Cripes. They're all there. Let's sneak around the front of the hotel and try to avoid them at all costs. We'll have enough family to contend with starting tomorrow. Besides, there are things I want to do to you now and not after an hour of cocktails and conversation with family.”
“We were meant for each other.” He kissed her quickly on the cheek. “You can deny the existence of destiny all you want, but I know the truth.”
“How do we get out of here?”
He took her hand and started to walk back the way they had come. They walked down a flight of stairs to a pathway along the beach. They were in the clear. “I truly hope you don't think less of me because I don't want to see my family at this moment.”
“Not at all.” Her hand gave his a squeeze. “We're having a perfect night. Let's not tempt fate.”
“Tempt fate?”
“Did I really just say that? You are clearly having an effect on me.”
He stopped her with a tug of her hand then spun her towards him. He bent and kissed her as his free hand grasped her bare upper arm. “Am I having an effect on you?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me what you want. Don't be shy. Release that control you seem to love. Just tell me what you want without fear.”
Henna closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. He could feel the internal struggle in her energy as she fought against her natural instinct to keep him at a safe distance and to protect her secret self. “You promise you won't laugh at me?” She looked up at him with her large eyes.
“Never.”
“I want to just surrender,” she said. “I don't know how to explain. I don't want to be passive. I just want more of what you gave me earlier. It was like...” She looked away from him and out at the sea. “I didn't feel the pressure to have to simultaneously be a slut, porn-star, virgin, sex-kitten, and dominatrix when we were together.”
“That's a lot of pressure,” he agreed. “You don't have to be any of those things. Unless you want to of course, and personally, I'd prefer just one at a time. Dominatrix sounds interesting, but not tonight. Although sex-kitten-slut might be fun together. Tonight, we can just be ourselves. You can relax let me make love to you. No pressure to perform.”
“That's it,” she said. “The pressure to perform. How can I possibly enjoy sex if I feel like I'm being graded on my enthusiasm, energy, flexibility, and creativity?”
“Henna...” He laughed as he put his arm around her and pulled her near. They began walking along the beach again, alone in their own private world. “In a way, I'm very happy you had a life full of selfish and immature lovers up to this point. If nothing else, I will never suffer from performance anxiety, trying to live up to previous expectations.”
The room was quiet and dark, except for the lights from the bay and the moonlight coming through the still open balcony doors when they entered together. Eduardo wondered if Henna felt as comfortable and at ease as he did, moving together through the moments of the day like it was perfectly normal for them to return to a single room at the end of an evening. Going to his room would have felt awkward and strange. Although he'd dropped his bags in the room across the hall, it didn't feel like his room.
Henna moved around, adjusting curtains, turning on lights, turning off lights, and pulling down the covers on the bed that had been freshly made after they'd left the room. She took the chocolates off the pillows and slipped one into her mouth. He envied the chocolate. Her actions didn't have the fussy, nervous energy they'd had the first time she'd inspected the room. He knew she was being her true self as she made the room just as she liked it before bed.
He made a mental note of the fact the room had no flowers. “Do you like flowers?”
“Of course I like flowers,” she said. “I'm taking your chocolate.” She popped his chocolate into her mouth on her way past him.
He reached for her arm, tugged her to him, bent her back, and placed his mouth against hers. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and captured what remained of his chocolate. He set her back on her feet. “I happen to be very fond of chocolate.” He gave her ass a smack. “And don't tolerate thievery.”
Henna yelped as she laughed. “Ouch!” She held her hands to her bottom.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked quickly. He'd given her a good swat, but he didn't think it had been too hard.
“No. Yes. But...” She gave him a wink. “That doesn't mean I deserve it. Too bad you don't have any more chocolate I can steal from you.”
He added large quantities of chocolate to the mental list of things the room was lacking.
His trousers were uncomfortably tight as he bent over her and pressed his mouth to hers. Her tongue sought his as her strong arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. Taking her hand in his, he pressed it against his aching cock through the fabric of his trousers. She took the initiative and started to explore. Since they'd left the room before dinner, he'd wanted her again. His balls ached and his cock throbbed. Her touch tortured him.
“Get your clothes off,” she told him. Her hand touched his face for a brief moment then trailed off as she moved away. “I'll be back in a moment.”