“But I’m not.”
I shook my head. “As much as I would like for you to be, you’re not.”
AJ’s brow creased in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Even though I could’ve avoided the question, I wanted to be real for him. “You being decent will just make it harder for me in the end.”
He stared intently into my eyes, searching them for the answers I wasn’t ready to give him. It would take a pretty strong blast of dynamite to get past the walls I’d erected around me to protect from the pain previous men had inflicted.
When AJ abruptly pulled away, I felt bereft of his comforting embrace. “What—”
He held out his hand. “Dance with me.”
I started to protest, but at the insistent gleam burning in his eyes, I thought better of it. Instead, I rose up and put my hand in his. He then led me across the restaurant to the dance floor. We sidestepped through the other couples, edging over to the bandstand.
As the music grew louder around us, I teased, “Do you wanna be deaf by the end of the night?”
He glanced over his shoulder and winked at me. As the last chords of the song wound down, applause and whistles rang throughout the room. The elderly couple smiled and waved before starting to make their way off the dance floor. The guys shuffled their music, preparing to play something else when AJ called, “Play it again, boys.” At Vince’s surprised look, AJ added, “Please.”
Vince must’ve met AJ before because a wide grin stretched on his face. “You heard him boys. Anema e Core it is,”
As the opening chords started up, AJ quirked his brows at me. “You wanna show-off what you learned tonight?”
I grinned up at him. “I’m not sure everything we did back at the dance studio is appropriate.”
AJ returned my grin. “That’s true.” His arms snaked around my waist, drawing me flush against him. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck. One of his hands splayed across my back, his thumb rubbing back and forth across the exposed skin above my dress. I shivered under his touch, causing him to tighten his arms around me. “How about we try this instead?” he questioned, his breath fanning across my cheek.
I fought to catch my breath. When I could finally speak, I replied, “I think…this is nice.”
He snorted. “You and your usage of nice.”
Pressed tightly together, we swayed as the passionate words of the love song echoed through the room. I closed my eyes and rested my head against AJ’s chest. Tuning out the sounds around me, I focused on the gentle beat of his heart, thrumming through his shirt. “I can see why your grandparents liked this so much,” AJ said, breaking the silence.
“Really?” I murmured.
“Yeah, it really speaks to the beauty of true love. Kinda reminds me of one of the first songs I learned to play on the drums, Amorcito Mio. My Tio Diego he’s the one who got me started playing music. He used to have a band back in Guadalajara. His song with my Tia Anita was Amorcito Mio, and he used to play it all the time.”
“That means, ‘my love’, in Spanish right?”
AJ nodded. “Yeah, but sorta more affectionate like ‘my baby’ kinda usage, too.” He stared down at me. “Like I would want to call you, amorcito mio.”
“You would?” I questioned softly.
“Yeah, I would.” He then brought his lips to mine. In that moment, I didn’t care we were on display in front of the entire restaurant. All I wanted in that moment was AJ’s lips on mine and his hands on my body. Wanting him to deepen the kiss, I opened my mouth. He obliged me by flicking his tongue against mine. I moaned as I slid my hand up to tangle in his hair. I got so lost in him and what we were doing I didn’t realize the song had ended. It wasn’t until a more upbeat tune blared around us that I jerked away.
“Fuck me, that was intense,” AJ murmured.
I couldn’t help laughing. “You have such a way with words.”
He grinned. “I try. Now come on, let’s show these stiffs how it’s done.”
Widening my eyes in horror, I shook my head furiously. “But I don’t know what to do.”
“Just follow my lead.”
“Easier said than done,” I shouted, over the music.
“Piece of cake.” AJ then quick-stepped me over the floor while several times spinning me back and then out. When the music came to a close, he dipped me. My chest rose and fell in harsh pants as I tried catching my breath.
“Wanna go again?”
“Um, maybe?”
AJ laughed and drew me back up. Once again, the music was fast paced, and I fought to keep up with AJ’s manic movements. When the song ended, I tugged his arm. “I need something to drink.”
“Yes, I should be plying you with more wine, shouldn’t I?”
I giggled. “I think you do just fine without it.”
Just before we got back to our booth, my dad stepped into our path. “Emiliana, what a surprise.” He grabbed me in his muscular arms and hugged me tight against his broad chest. For a man pushing sixty, he was in great shape. With his salt and pepper hair, bright smile, and rugged good looks, he was quite the prize around these parts. Of course, after one marriage before my mom and one brief one after, he was quite content as a confirmed bachelor.
“Hi Daddy.” I leaned back to kiss his cheek.
His eyes, that were the same onyx color as mine, glittered with excitement. “You should have told me you were coming out tonight, and I would have had dinner with you and your…” He glanced between me and AJ before his mouth gaped open. “Drummer Boy? Don’t tell me you’re here with my little Mia?”
AJ grinned before he and my dad hugged and smacked backs. “Yes sir. Of course, I didn’t know she was your daughter until after I’d made the reservation.”
Daddy smiled. “I kept telling you I had a daughter you should meet.”
“Oh please, tell me you didn’t,” I moaned.
AJ laughed. “Actually, he did.”
“You didn’t tell me that earlier.”
“Well, you were freaked out enough about this being your family’s place. I didn’t think adding in that little tidbit would help.”
Daddy cleared his throat. “You know what Mama Sofia would say about this?”
“What?” AJ asked.
“She would say it was truly meant to be because fate and destiny decided to intercede.” Daddy took my hand to plant a kiss on it. “I think I would have to agree, mia cara.”
“We’ll have to see about that,” I replied, nervously shifting on my feet. My head spun in a dizzying flurry at the mere fact that AJ and my dad not only knew each other, but apparently liked each other. A lot. It had taken Daddy weeks to come around about Dev. Now he seemed like he was practically ready to marry AJ and me off. Of course, his words about Mama Sofia and fate sent me tail-spinning even further.
Eyeing our table, Daddy said, “You weren’t about to leave, were you?”
“Not until we finish our wine.”
“I’ll send over another bottle along with some dessert.”
“No, you don’t need to do that.”
Daddy smiled. “Of course, I do.” He turned to AJ. “Have you ever sampled some of Mia’s Mousse?”
I held my breath, hoping to God and all that was holy that AJ would refrain from making any smart ass innuendo remarks or getting that sexy little smirk on his face.
Thankfully, he behaved. “I’ve had some of the gelato and the tiramisu, but not any of the mousse.” A look of revelation flickered on his face. “Wait, is that the one spelled like the animal, moose, on the menu?”
With a chuckle, Daddy replied, “My father named it for Mia. She loved being in the kitchen with my parents when they were cooking. One day when my mother mentioned using a new recipe for the chocolate mousse, Mia got all excited because she thought there was going to be a real moose in the kitchen. Pop and Ma loved it, so they introduced the new mousse as ‘Mia’s Moose’, and it’s been that way on the menu ever since.”