* * *
Nydia opened the door to Lamar’s knock, her smile telling him silently that she was glad to see him. A mass of damp curls framing her face had replaced the sleek hairstyle. She stepped aside, and he walked into the suite and set his overnight bag on the floor. His hands circled her waist as he lifted her effortlessly off her feet.
It had only been two days since he last saw her, but it felt as if it had been twenty-two or even longer. He still could not believe how much she had become a part of his life so that he wanted and needed to see her every day. He loved listening to the timbre of her voice, which was a sultry contralto. He also loved her catlike eyes with pinpoints of shimmering green and gold he found mesmerizing. And since meeting Nydia he had come to curse his eidetic memory, because he was able to recall everything about her down to the tiny beauty mark on her left shoulder.
He inhaled the light floral scent on her bare skin when he buried his face against the column of her neck. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Nydia tightened her hold on his neck. “It’s only been two days since we last saw each other,” she whispered in his ear.
“It wouldn’t have been two days if I’d asked to come over Sunday night.”
“And I would’ve said no because I had work to do and didn’t need any distractions.”
He set her on her feet. “I’m a distraction?”
Nydia cradled his face between her hands. “You would’ve been, because I needed to do payroll for my accounts.”
Lamar kissed the end of her nose. “I stand corrected. There’s nothing worse than working and not getting paid.”
Walking over to the chair in the entryway, Lamar sat and unlaced his favored Doc Martens. Nydia was right about the weather. A tropical depression had stalled over the Gulf with the prediction of rain for several days. He had looked forward to touring Cajun country with Nydia; however, the weather had conspired against them. Spending time with her in her hotel suite definitely had its advantages, because it would give him the opportunity to determine whether he wanted to ask her to marry him. It was no longer about whether they were sexually compatible but whether they were like-minded and their personalities well suited to each other.
His concern whether his daughter would accept Nydia was without merit; she talked incessantly about how much she liked her and how much she enjoyed their cooking lessons.
Lamar unzipped the bag and removed a bottle each of red and white wine and a corkscrew. “I didn’t know what you ordered, so I decided to bring both.”
Nydia took the bottles from his outstretched hands and placed them on the table she had set with place settings for two. She smiled at Lamar over her shoulder. “I ordered ahi tuna tartare, sushi, and sashimi.”
Lamar’s eyes grew wide. “I told you—”
“I got you good!” Nydia said, cutting him off. “I know you’re allergic to raw fish, so I ordered roast herb chicken, smothered cabbage, sweet potatoes, and cornbread.”
“That sounds delicious and . . .” His words trailed off with a knock on the door. “I’ll get it.” Lamar opened the door, and a waiter pushed a cart with covered dishes into the suite. He stood off to the side while the young man placed the dishes on the dining area table.
“Please ring the kitchen when you’re finished, and I’ll come back and pick up everything.”
Lamar nodded and slipped him a bill. “Thank you.” Waiting until the man left and closing the door behind him, he turned and smiled at Nydia. She appeared so young and fresh with her bare face, tank top, drawstring cotton pants, and sock-covered feet. “I’m going to go and wash my hands.”
* * *
Nydia stood at the table, waiting for Lamar to return from the bathroom. When he walked in carrying a bag, the enormity of what they would share hit her like a punch to the nose. It definitely was a wakeup call as to the turn her life had taken. She was going to share a bed and her body with a man who’d come into her life like a rising fog that cloaked her in a protective cocoon from which she had nothing to fear. He’d become her protector, her knight in shining armor, and he was so different from any other man she’d met or known.
She’d discovered him to be as candid as she was—something she admired because she never had to guess what he was thinking. He was loyal to his daughter and his business partners and always cognizant of their feelings and opinions. She had checked off two of her prerequisites: he liked women and was solvent. The remaining one was their sexual compatibility. A secret smile parted her lips when she realized she wouldn’t have to wait too much longer to determine whether she could check off the last one.
Sex was important for Nydia, even though she did not think of the lack of it as the ultimate deal breaker. She knew she could continue to see Lamar without sleeping with him. She’d known some couples who had satisfying relationships where sex wasn’t a paramount factor. Love and respect for each other was. Her mother had confessed that it had taken nearly two months of marriage before she learned to enjoy making love with her husband. Unlike her mother, Nydia would not come to Lamar a virgin, but a woman who knew her body and how to use it to bring herself and her partner ultimate physical satisfaction.
Her eyes caressed his tall, toned body in a black long-sleeved tee and matching jeans. “Which wine do you want?”
He neared the table and picked up the corkscrew. “The choice is yours.”
“White.”
Lamar reached for the bottle. “White it is.”
* * *
Dinner had become a leisurely affair when Nydia had dimmed the lights in the living area and tuned a radio to a station featuring cool jazz. She kept him entertained with stories about her relatives in Puerto Rico and on the mainland. She revealed that her brother Joaquin was gay; he and his husband lived in Nebraska and had adopted two boys who’d spent most of their lives in foster homes.
“Good for him. Unfortunately there are too many children in foster care who need a forever home.”
