Page 83

between her thighs, Carmela rolled o before taking her by the wrist and relocating her hand to her hip.

“I’m not landing in your trap again. I don’t want to have cocktail nuts for dinner tonight,” Carmela said, giving her a look.

Rhiannon pouted playfully but didn’t argue. It had been her fault they’d missed their dinner reservations, and when they’d come up for air, there was nothing to eat but the overpriced contents of the minibar. There was no chance of that happening tonight.

“But it’s so much fun to be late to things,” Rhiannon complained as she ran her fingers through Carmela’s wet hair before kissing her again. The contact never stopped making Rhiannon’s chest swell and her heart race.

Carmela smiled against her lips. “We can be late all you want. All night,” she promised as she snaked her hand up Rhiannon’s white, linen shirt and over her bra. “But after we eat.”

“Who needs food when I have you?” Rhiannon asked, before moving Carmela’s hand under the fabric and against her lightly sunburnt skin. Having gone topless on the sundeck was a mistake.

Carmela groaned before taking Rhiannon’s bottom lip between her teeth. Before they could end up naked again, Rhiannon slipped out of her grasp and rolled o the bed. If she didn’t get out of arm’s reach her plans would fall apart and too many people had invested their time for that.

“You’re right,” Rhiannon said as she straightened her white pants and smoothed down her shirt. “We don’t want to miss dinner again.”

Carmela, skin flushed and eyes hungry, eyed her with open suspicion. “I thought you didn’t care about food,” she said with a quirked eyebrow.

Nervous that Carmela would catch on that she remembered her birthday after a full day of playing it cool, Rhiannon shrugged as she walked over to the balcony to close the shutters letting in the salty ocean breeze. “I’m just worried about you since we cleaned out the minibar, plus Julio told me about a great spot near that big fountain. I told him we’d check it out.”

Carmela slipped o the bed and went for her hairdryer.

She was obviously trying to conceal the smirk on her lips, but she was failing. Miserably.

Half an hour later, they were made up with little more than eye makeup and lipstick. After acquiring so much sun, neither could wear anything more without looking strange.

“You look gorgeous,” Rhiannon said as they stepped out into the cobblestone street. “I only wish your dress was a little shorter to show o those banging thighs.”

Carmela laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Thank you. You look very sexy in your Guayabera.”

“Thanks. I was pretty surprised they had a lady’s cut in that shop. I was kind of afraid to look like my dad at Easter,”

Rhiannon replied.

“Does your dad usually wear his sleeveless and with a plunging neckline?” Carmela asked as they turned the corner onto the Main Street filled with music and tourists.

“I better not give him any ideas,” she replied.

The night was warm and electric as they strolled for a few blocks and turned into an alleyway like Rhiannon had never seen. The tight cobblestone space was like stepping into a storybook. Above them, thousands of umbrellas, each a di erent color, were suspended in the air as if held there by unseen giants.

“Wow,” Carmela gasped. “How’d they do that?”

Rhiannon shook her head. She was as impressed and confused as all the other tourists snapping pictures of the

breathtaking feat. The display hadn’t been there when she scoped the place out while Carmela napped a day earlier.

At the other end of the alley, they stopped in front of a tall but narrow building. Its stucco exterior, painted a vibrant turquoise, stood in stark relief to the bone white 1700s molding surrounding the grand entrance.

“Welcome,” the hostess greeted before seeing them to a shaky little elevator, barely big enough for two, up four flights to the roof.

“I’m glad we don’t have to walk up all these steps,”

Carmela joked as she brought Rhiannon’s knuckles to her lips and kissed them lightly. The way she inhaled her perfume made her chest flutter.

“Maybe we can suggest the hotel build their own sardine can for future guests,” she replied before taking her in her arms until the doors slid open.

The rooftop, like the alley below, had a stylized quality that defied easy comprehension. Trees shot out of the cement floor and were tied together at the top to create a huge natural tent. Underneath the canopy, millions of fairy lights and clear terrarium globes suspended by invisible strings o ered the diners seated at any of the half dozen round tables an otherworldly aesthetic.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Carmela muttered as she gawked at their surroundings while being led to their table at the edge of the tent.