Page 48 of Last First Kiss
She looked down at the bread the waiter had brought to the table and busied herself violently buttering it. “Can you look at me, please?” Rocco asked.
“Nope. I’m good. Thanks.”
He pulled the bread she was massacring out of her hand. “Annabelle . . .”
“Can we just pretend none of that happened?” Please say yes. Please say yes. How wonderful would it be if someone yelled fire right now!
With his thumb and forefinger he gripped her chin and moved her head up to meet his eyes. “No, we can’t. Look at me. Open your eyes.”
Reluctantly, she did. Slowly. One eye at a time. His soft gaze was on her and it made her heart thunder. She liked when those blue eyes were soft and full of adoration but not when those same eyes looked at her with pity. And right now he looked like he felt sorry for her, and she didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“Is it true? Are you a virgin?”
She groaned and then nodded, hating feeling insecure and unsure.
“How’s that possible? I mean, you’re twenty-seven years old, and you’re absolutely stunning. And I say that as a man with eyes, not as a man who’s hitting on you. Although, please, be aware, I’m hitting on you. I’ve been doing that since we met.”
She rolled her eyes but a smile escaped her lips. “Yeah, I’m aware.”
“Which brings me to that. I feel like a dick for the things I said to you. I shouldn’t . . . I mean, I overstepped. I’m sorry.”
Abruptly, she sat up. Ugh! Yes, it was pity on his face and she didn’t like it one bit. “See. That’s what I don’t want you to do. That’s why I’ve never said that out loud. I don’t want you totreat me differently. Don’t start walking on eggshells around me. You’re a perverted dirty old man, don’t change because you think you’ll shock my sensibilities.” Of all the things she was beginning to like about him, his candor and ability to be open was her favorite. He wore his heart on his sleeve and she didn’t want him having to measure his comments in order to protect her innocence.
He sat back and crossed his arms playfully. “Hey! I’m not an old man.”
“So you admit you’re perverted and dirty.”
“I’m only ten years older than you,” he said, avoiding the other part of the question. “You haven’t answered my question. Why are you a virgin?”
“It’s really none of your business.”
“Well, if you want me to sleep with you, it kinda is.”
“It’s a long story.”
“I have a lot of time.”
“Can we eat first?” she asked as the food arrived. She’d ordered lasagna and he’d ordered lobster ravioli.
“I’m not letting you off the hook, crazy,” he said, stabbing a ravioli and sticking it in his mouth. “So good. How did I not know this place existed?”
“Why would you? It’s a hole in the wall.”
“It’s great.”
As they dug into her food, her phone rang. Thank God. Saved by the phone. Annabelle tried to not let her relief show. “It’s Joey. I need to take this.”
“Go for it,” he said with a mouthful of food.
“What’s up, Joe?”
“False alarm. It was a bunch of articles and propaganda, mostly in Spanish, of all the great things Mendoza accomplished. It even included stats and graphs.”
“That’s it, nothing more?”
“There was a note that said: Americans not welcome.”
“Well, that’s ominous.”
