Page 19 of Indulging Temptation (Tempting the Heart #1)

It burns down my throat, but the added coconut helps round out the taste, sparking an idea.

“I think for dessert I’m going to do an infused sorbet, and garnish it with some mint and granulated sugar, to kind of play on the tastes of a mojito.

” Lorena’s favorite drink . “Blended with the pitorro.” My favorite drink .

That way our favorite flavors can coexist together.

Truthfully, the more I think about it, it will be the perfect finishing detail to what I’ll be serving. “Thoughts?” I ask Dante.

“Sounds good to me, Mr. Everything’s Fine.

But serving a dessert inspired by you and Lorena’s favorite drinks, in the hopes that it will be the winning combination to receive one of the most prestigious awards outside of a Michelin Star in the industry?

I don’t know, doesn’t sound ‘just fine’ to me. ” Dante sounds skeptical.

I hate that he knows me so well. But he’s right, and all I can say to that is…absolutely nothing. I just shrug off his accurate assessment with a smile and make my final selections on the list, before handing it to him.

“Oh, Santino, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you,” my brother says, in all seriousness.

I rise from the barstool and grab my phone that’s been buzzing on and off since I got here.

There are multiple new messages. One is a spam text, one is from Tomás, two are from the hostess working dinner service the next few nights, and one is from Lorena, which draws an ear-to-ear grin on my face.

“I don’t know either,” I respond to Dante, getting ready to leave.

He mumbles something else, but I’m already headed towards the door, swiping eagerly at my phone to answer Lorena’s message first.

I can’t help but smile, glancing over the accidental text messages she sent about my gray sweatpants problem.

It was adorable how embarrassed she got, even if she has no reason to be. I’m the one who should be embarrassed for making her think for even a split second that I don’t want her to lower the waistband of whatever I’m wearing that separates my dick from her.

Even if we haven’t done anything, she owns my dick.

I can’t remember the last orgasm I had that she wasn’t at the forefront of my mind.

It was that way before Miami and even worse after.

It never mattered if I came from the grip of my own fist or sunk into the warmth of another woman’s hole, my mind always drifts.

Indulging me in the fantasy that is Lorena Ramos… as mine.

Lorena: I’m done here for the day

Me: Says who? =)

Lorena: Says me. I told you, if I’m going to be your media liaison, we go by my schedule, my way. Is that okay with you?

Me: Fine…only because you asked so nicely ;)

Lorena: Ew, shut up. That was a rhetorical question.

Lorena: Also, are you seriously using old school smileys? You’re a millennial. Act like it. We use emojis…lots of them

Me: This better?

Lorena: Atta boy

Fuck. Atta boy? She has to be aware of what she’s doing to me.

Me: Anyway, you decide yet what we’re tackling first on the to do list of yours?

Lorena: I already told you what the priorities are. Do you not pay attention when I speak?

Me: I do, but I get a little distracted sometimes

Lorena: Mhm Aside from what we went over today, I decided to reach out to one of my connects over at Lifestyle Now Network for a possible talk show you can be on to tease your cookbook. I’m just waiting to hear back

My stomach drops. I didn’t tell her about that. I haven’t told anyone. Damn, looks like she’s been busy organizing and snooping around my office.

Me: Forget about that. It’s just some of my favorite recipes, I’m not going to do anything with it

Three dots appear, then disappear before she replies.

Lorena: Okay… so we’ll pause on that then, but I still think the interview is good

Me: How about we focus on the livestream instead?

Lorena: Fine. I just need the password for your socials

Panic strikes me. Not because I have anything to hide, but her name and birthday is my password to my business social accounts.

Lorena: I’m waiting….

Like a bumbling fool, I accidentally drop my phone, and as I go to pick it up, I hit the call button. I’m about to hang up, but to my surprise, she answers.

“Oh, I get it, you’re afraid if you type it out someone will hack your phone. Fine, just tell me then.”

Absolutely fucking not.

“No, it’s just I’m bad with remembering my passwords, I’ll reset it and then tell you.”

She scoffs, sounding mildly annoyed. “Whatever, just don’t forget.”

“I won’t,” I reassure her. “I’d give you everything tonight, but I won’t be home until late.

Me and Dante will be in Westchester for dinner at our aunt and uncles.

And then I won’t be back in the city until tomorrow evening since me and Dante will be back in Westchester in the morning for our niece’s pre-school concert.

So maybe we can go over everything tomorrow night over dinner? ”

Hesitancy fills the phone speaker before she speaks. “Sorry, I can’t. Just text it to me or we can discuss it over the weekend.”

A twist of jealousy infiltrates my veins as I squeeze onto the phone. I know Lorena, arguably better than she knows herself. I know when she’s holding back.

“Why, what’s going on tomorrow night?”

“Nothing. I have plans.”

My stomach drops, but I play it off…or try to. “Oh yeah? What kind of plans?”

Another sigh slips past her lips, but this one doesn’t sound like it did when we were talking about the passwords. It’s hesitant, and most definitely pulling back, meaning that it’s more than likely something she doesn’t want to share with me. Something like a date.

“I just have plans, Tino.”

“A date?” I ask, my heart thrashing at this point.

“No, not a date.” Her tone lingers. I don’t like it. But before I can push the topic more, she’s already trying to end the conversation.

I need to calm down. There could be plenty of places she’s going or things she can be doing that don’t include going on a date.

I know she has a friend from NYU who lives in the city.

There’s also Gabriella, who is all of our friend, and our brother Emilio’s ex, although she’s out of the running since we’ll be with her tomorrow at Luci’s pre-school.

Still, that won’t take all day into the night, so it could be hanging with Gabriella afterwards.

There’s also her mom that she could be visiting in Scarsdale.

There’s a whole bunch of places she could be. I’m just jumping to conclusions.

“Okay, as long as it’s not a date,” I say half-relieved and half-trusting that she’s telling me the truth.

“Tino.” My name sounds so innocent coming from her, but it drives such a painful hunger through me that it takes everything in my power not to ask her to repeat it again. Just so I can let myself imagine her saying it in a different context, where she’s panting it.

“What, Lo? I can’t help it. I’m just looking out for you.”

“Whatever, you say,” she huffs, though even through the phone, I can sense the smile she’s fighting, beaming on her face.

“So, that’s a no?”

“Yes, it’s a no. It’s not a date. You don’t have to worry.”

I do a discrete fist pump, saying ‘yes’ in my head.

“I’ll talk to you later, Tino.” She hangs up, and I stare at the contact picture.

Lorena is wrong.

I do have to worry about her.

How else can I make sure that what I wish were mine, is safe?

How else will she know that I care for her more than she’ll ever realize?