Knowing him in the span of the few days that I have, sexy could mean a lot of different things. The man could be unpredictable at times. Jumping off boats, going parasailing and hang gliding in the same day. Yes, that was the second part of our adventure yesterday after we got off the boat. There was another guide just waiting to drive us about thirty minutes away where we could hang glide. I put up more of a fight about that than I had over parasailing, but in the end, Emanuel won, assuring me that it was safe and he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. Earlier today we hiked the canyon I’d had on my list, and of course once we reached the waterfall, Emanuel was one of the first to take the leap over. After something like a hundred assurances from him and the tour guide that it was safe, I jumped as well. Most exhilarating thing I’d ever done. And worth it when Emanuel wrapped his arms around me, once I broke the surface of the water, telling me he was proud of me.
In spite of his seemingly unpredictable nature, I trusted him when he promised to keep me safe. So far, I haven’t been let down.
“First, we need to get some food in you so you can keep up the rest of the night,” he replies, as we pass through the double doors of the front lobby, stepping out into the warm night air. “Your dress is perfect by the way,” he says in a low voice behind me, his warm breath caressing the back of my neck.
Swallowing, I turn my head to look up at him over my shoulder. My knees weaken a little when I find his eyes searching the length of my body.
The sleeveless, long, red dress is classy enough to make me feel comfortable in it, but with the high split that shows off a huge portion of my thigh, along with the deep, plunging neckline and backless nature, it’s my definition of sexy. Particularly when paired with the same gold, strappy heels I donned that first night I went out with the women and danced with Emanuel.
“Thank you.”
He moves to my side and pulls open the door of the awaiting taxi, allowing me to get in first. Once he’s inside, he gives the driver the name of the restaurant we’re headed to, in perfect Spanish … or at least it sounds perfect to my untrained ears.
The driver, noting Emanuel’s Spanish, kicks up a conversation with him. I pick up some of the words in the exchange thanks to the few classes I took back in college.
Emanuel suddenly turns to me, asking, “Did you have fun today?”
“I don’t know. It depends on how hard it’s going to be getting the sand and dirt out of my hair,” I tease.
He grins. “Won’t be too bad.”
I shake my head. “I can’t believe you took me hang gliding. I would’ve never thought to do something like that here.”
“It’s a good thing I was here to save you.”
I cover my mouth, giggling only because I don’t want to admit out loud that I’m glad he’s here as well. I’m certain my vacation would’ve turned out much differently if he hadn’t. I likely would’ve had fun but not nearly as much fun without him. It’s been a long time since I let my hair down, so to speak.
“What are you thinking?” Though his voice is low, the deep richness of his tone pulls me back to the present.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I hesitate. “Tomorrow,” I eventually respond. I hate to even bring it up, but my flight back home is scheduled for the next morning. We haven’t even mentioned seeing one another beyond this night. Hell, I hadn’t even given him my real name, a decision I regretted more and more as the hours passed. The first day it would’ve been fine to clear it up, telling him I had given him a fake name because I didn’t trust him. But as the day wore on, I felt more and more silly about it, and then the next day, and then the next. Now, we are three days in, I’m leaving in the morning and he doesn’t even know my real name.
“Don’t think about tomorrow. We still have a full night ahead of us.”
I find his words comforting. The questions of tomorrow remain but fall to the background as I realize what is in front of me right now. A smile grows across my face.
“And you better feed me something delicious on my final night,” I tease.
“I’ve definitely got that covered,” he says smoothly, and I get the distinct impression he’s not just talking about food.
Thankfully, I’d opted to wear the new adhesive bra I purchased on a whim prior to my trip. Otherwise, I’m certain my nipples would be poking through the thin material of this dress.
Minutes later, we pull up to a seafood restaurant. As soon as I exit the car, with Emanuel’s assistance I am hit by the smells of the food cooking inside. My stomach begins doing tumbles of excitement. When Emanuel slides his hand down the bare skin of my back to reach my covered lower back, my belly begins vibrating with a very different type of excitement. Both hungers, but for disparate things.
We are immediately shown to a table by the window, thanks to Emanuel making a reservation. Throughout the night I can’t help but feel cared for by the big and little things. The fact that he showed so much care by planning ahead, requesting a window table because he knows I like looking outside as I eat, the fact that he remembered how much I enjoy seafood. To someone else those things may not matter much, but getting this kind of attention from a man that I’ve only known a few days feels almost like a dream. I’d been with someone for years who never put this much thought behind taking me out. Not often, anyway.
“Caught you thinking again,” he says as he escorts us out of the restaurant and into the night air.
I sigh. “You did.” I pause, waiting for him to respond or ask what I was thinking about as he’d done earlier, but he remains silently watching me, as we continue down the street. His silence strangely makes me want to tell him exactly what’s on my mind.
“You can be with someone for years and never really know them. Or they, you.” I sigh.
Emanuel stops and comes to stand directly in front of me, not seeming to care that we are in the middle of a busy sidewalk. Passersby are forced to walk around us but his sole focus remains on me. His hands raise to cup my face.
“If someone had you and never got to know the real you, then they didn’t deserve you to begin with.”
I try to ingest his words, to decipher their meaning. However, when his head dips, allowing his lips to clash with mine, my brain short circuits. There is no room left for thinking, just feeling. And what a great feeling it is. His lips are soft yet demanding. When the tip of his tongue scrapes along the roof of my mouth, it feels as if he’s trying to pull my very soul from out of my body. I moan into his mouth before pulling back.
In my peripheral, I see people walking past us, and even notice a few stares. “Emanuel?” I whisper.
