New York Minute

by Melinda Dozier

  Chloe chimed in. “What if he’s not really a singer and he’s an IRS agent or something? What if you’re both lying to each other?”

  Amanda stopped Chloe from bouncing up and down. “This is serious, Chloe.” Amanda held Veronica’s hand. “You have to tell him the truth. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with being you.”

  “I will. I’ll tell him tonight or something.” Veronica scrubbed at a spot on the table. “Anyway, if he loves me, it won’t really matter.”

  “Do you think he loves you?”

  She shrugged. “What we have is pretty intense.”

  Amanda clinked her glass with a fork then held it up. “Well then, here’s to honesty and romance.”

  “Aw, thanks, Amanda.” Veronica picked up the glass that sat in front of her. She sure could use it. After taking a huge gulp, she placed it to the side and pushed forward. “Now, can we have an intervention with Chloe? I mean, your delusions about love worry me. Don’t they worry you, Amanda?”

  “As a matter of fact …”

  “Wait a minute,” Chloe said. “I didn’t come here to talk about me. Well, I did want to plan our girls’ night out, but not my love life. Of course, if you have anyone in mind …”

  “What happened with Marco?”

  “Wait, Marco is Diego’s twin, right?” Amanda twirled her hand in the air.

  “Yeah,” they said together and laughed.

  Then Chloe got serious. “We weren’t meant for each other. He’s a nice enough guy—too nice—but not for me.”

  “I think there’s more to the story.” Veronica pointed at her friend. “You’re not telling me everything.”

  “Damn, I’m hungry. Where’s our food?” Chloe looked around the restaurant for the waiter.

  “You can’t avoid the talk forever. Look, I’m here and proof of it.”

  Chloe picked up her fork, concentrating on the tines. “Yeah, but today’s about you, not me.”

  Thankfully, Amanda interrupted them before they got into it. “Let’s go ahead and plan our girls’ night. Got any ideas?”

  Veronica chugged down the last of her champagne and held her hand up to a passing waiter to order another. “Let’s plan, but we’re coming back to Chloe’s intervention later.”

  “Agreed.” Amanda rubbed her hands together and searched for her phone.

  “Then you’re next, you workaholic.” Chloe brought Amanda’s hand down from her purse and all three of them laughed.

  Veronica had missed her friends, but to hell with them if they thought she needed an intervention. What she needed was more of Diego and the adventure he offered.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Diego interlocked Veronica’s fingers in his and squeezed as he pulled her closer. They lounged in her bed in her tiny apartment after several hours of exploring each other’s bodies, doing a crossword puzzle together—he had an impressive English vocabulary—and watching the latest Once Upon a Time episode. She would never get tired of this intimate connection they shared. She learned something new every day, like his love for soccer or his perseverance in solving the Rubik’s Cube. Never in her wildest dreams did she think a true connection would be with the mystery wedding sex god.

  “What’s so funny, amor?”

  She buried her head farther into Diego’s chest, feeling a few stray hairs from the center. “I can’t believe how easy it is with you.”

  He lightly fingered a loose tendril of hair on her cheek. “It is, isn’t it? I like that.”

  She closed her eyes and breathed his woodsy smell deeply. Before she could say anything more, Sachi jumped on the bed and rubbed her butt in his face.

  Diego swatted the cat’s behind, pushing her into the stuffed horse Diego gave her. “Madre, right in the face.”

  Veronica giggled and raised her head. “You’ve got another fan. Sachi likes you.” On cue, Sachi rubbed her tiny head into Diego’s bicep, purring.

  “Ah, hell.” Diego reached over and rubbed Sachi’s ear. “She is kind of cute, isn’t she?”

  Veronica beamed blissfully. Her man, her cat, and a night full of lovemaking. Couldn’t get any better. Maybe it was time to tell him the truth about her boring career—it was a part of her, what made her tick. If they were going to go further in their relationship, she needed to tell him. It was time. She took a deep breath.

  “Listen, Vero. I’ve got to tell you something.”

  Crap. Where did that come from? It was like he read her mind, but in reverse. This couldn’t be good. He sounded so serious.

  “Okay.” She sat up, pulling the covers around her body, and laid her head against her wrought-iron headboard. “What is it?” Sachi pranced over, kicked the Hello Kitty stuffed animal from the toy store out of the way, and lay in her lap.

  Diego sat up next to her and ran a jerky hand through his hair. He stared at his hands, picking a cuticle off his thumb.

  “What is it?” She bit her lip and rubbed Sachi’s back harder, which made Sachi purr louder. Something was bothering Diego, no doubt about it. Maybe right now wasn’t the time to tell him about being boring.

  Diego looked at her from the corner of his eye, rubbing one of his eyebrows with his fingers. “I, uh …”

  “Diego, whatever it is, I’m here to listen.”

  He pulled himself up higher with his elbows and swayed his foot back and forth. “I’m heading to Miami again this weekend … I have another show.”

  Okay. It wasn’t as bad as she predicted. He traveled and he was nervous since she got upset last time. She half-laughed a sigh. “People in Miami really like you, huh?”

  “Yeah, actually. There are a lot of people in Miami who like my stuff. There are some special people there.” Diego pursed his lips.

  After a few seconds of silence and a deep breath from Diego, he turned and ran his fingers in her hair. “One day, I hope you can go there with me.”

  “One day?” His pained expression made her melt. She wanted to see more about his life, learn who he was. Producing records in Miami was a big part of him. “I’d like that. I have to plan ahead, so could you let me know at least two weeks in advance? My job requires notice, you know.” Her accounting job, that was, but he didn’t know that small fact, yet.

  Diego bent his head slightly forward, his fingers curling a strand of her hair. “I want you to come and meet my people down there.”

  “You know I love to hear you play.” Veronica let her hand graze his chest, the hardness pressing into her palm. “I’ve never been to Miami.” What would it feel like to travel with Diego? The beach, the sunsets, the sand. She’d never had anyone with whom to share those types of moments. Her mom had planned trips to the Hamptons a few times with her friends and their sons, but there was never a spark of romance. This time there would be.

  Diego sat up, facing her dresser. “Yeah, uh, this trip is only for the weekend. I’ll be back Sunday night.”

  “No fighting about it this time. I think I can be without you for a few days.” She winked at him and snuggled closer.

  He rubbed her knee, his eyes dancing in front of her, a small grin playing on his lips. Oh, God how she loved his naughty grin. “You probably have some fancy fashion show to go to or something.” He laid back, his hands behind his head. “Sometimes I imagine you going to those shows, modeling lingerie, or buying sexy, hot numbers.”

  She froze. He fantasized about her buying job? “Buyers don’t model, Diego. And, well, yeah, I do have a fashion show.” She mentally winced and wanted to slap her forehead with her fist. “I mean, I keep busy with buying and all that.” Shut your mouth, Veronica. Stop while you’re ahead—or behind.

  He laughed. “You get all tongue-tied when you talk about your job. Why is that?”

  She shrugged and looked away, petting Sachi even more, poor cat. “I just—” How could she change the topic? The conversation had to change—and fast.

  “When are you going to invite me to one of those fancy shows? How about Victoria’s Secret?” He waggled
his eyebrows. “That’d be fun, and then later you can model your bras for me. The lacy ones.”

  “What is it with men and Victoria’s Secret?” She bit her lip and stole a glance at him. “One day I’ll take you. For now, let’s talk about your trip. I’ll miss you.” She could put on some charm. That’d persuade him to talk about something else. A little quiver of anticipation rocked through her as she ran her fingers over his hard chest. “Miss this body.”

  He rolled to his side, resting his gorgeous head in his hand. “We can always Skype a feel.”

  She loved how his eyes crinkled at the corner with his laugh. Her finger traced a path from his neck to his belly button. “Oh, I like the sound of that. For now, I want to feel a feel for real.”

  He laughed, his head tilting to the side as he thrust his leg in between hers, lowering her below him. “Get over here.”

  She could never get enough from this man. It was as if she were sex-deprived, when, in all actuality, she was far from it. Breathing like a lunatic already, she used all her force to swing over him so she was splayed out on top of him.

  His hardness pushed into her thigh through his pants, and it brought shivers up and down her body. “I feel your feel.” Veronica’s voice didn’t sound like her own. She couldn’t help herself.

  “Es tuyo.” He lifted his head to kiss her lips softly. “It’s yours.”

  “Hmm, I’ve never owned something so priceless before.”

  Again his laughter rang around her bedroom. Sachi pulled up her tail and scowled at them, then jumped off the bed to leap onto the windowsill.

  Veronica’s legs rested on either side of him, and she took a deep breath, wrapped her arms around his neck, and melted into the planes of his hard body. Nestling her head in the crook of his neck, she moaned a sigh of contentment.

  “You drive me crazy.” His lips drew near hers, and his eyes searched hers. He nipped her lower lip and she parted for him, all while he traced her spine with his fingertips, making her skin crawl—in a good way.

  “Kiss me already.” She whimpered, needy and pushy.

  Without hesitation, he brushed his lips across hers. His hands traveled down, grabbing each of her cheeks, and rocked up into her, his erection pushing into her.

  His lips continued to peruse her and her mouth opened to him completely—every inch of her tongue, her teeth, and her lips were his. She lost herself in that moment, as he devoured her mouth, feeling her body with his large hands, his body molding into hers.

  He pulled back and ran his palms through her hair, pushing it out of her face and behind her ears. “I love this.”

  “What?”

  “Just being with you, not doing anything elaborate.”

  She smirked at him while her heart grew. “I think that’s a compliment?”

  “Shit, yeah. I don’t get to be just me around people. A musician’s life is full of acting.”

  “I like how you are with me.”

  “It’s me, cariño, that’s why I like it, too. You’re you and I’m me.” He licked his lips. “And you.” He sucked her ear. “Drive.” He nipped her neck. “Me.” His hand wound around her and pulled her pelvis to his. “Crazy.”

  She stopped breathing. He whipped her around so he was on top of her, his eyes roaming her up and down. “We’ve got to do something about all these clothes.”

  Veronica chuckled since she only wore a tiny T-shirt and a thong. He moved his head down and kissed her belly, and she took the initiative to tear her own top off and throw it across the room.

  As she wiggled against the mattress, because Diego inched lower to her more sensitive locations, his big hands held her hips to calm her. “Let’s get these off.”

  He delicately roamed his hands over her stomach, down to tease her core, and moved to her hips where the strings sank into her skin. He had slowed down, his eyes roaming every part of her, even her toes. With a few yanks, he had her lacy underwear off.

  “God, I love this underwear.” He held them up in his large palm and stuffed them in his pocket.

  She giggled. “What are you going to do with them?”

  “Tie you up,” he said without a second thought.

  “With my panties?”

  He looked at her, his hands roaming down her legs. “The sky’s the limit, cariño.”

  Then he leaned in and tortured her with his lips, his tongue, in the perfect spot that only Diego knew. When she gasped out his name and ran her hands through his hair, he pressed harder, working faster to a point where she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

  Wrapping one leg around his back, she screamed in ecstasy as the orgasm flittered through her body, from head to toe. She pressed against the bed, letting the bliss run its course as she let her breathing catch up to her.

  Before she could open her eyes, Diego bent into her and placed both hands on the side of her face. “You’re fucking beautiful when you come.”

  She opened her eyes and stared at him. A full five seconds of speaking with her eyes, and it was perfect. He was perfect.

  She was still lost in his unspoken words when he ripped his jeans off and entered her with one hard stroke. Her head thumped the headboard behind her as her body instinctively pushed hers forward. But the force was hot—exactly what she needed. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. Oh, God, it did.

  When she opened her eyes, he was watching her, and it was so powerful. She slid her hands up his chest and around his neck, pulling him closer as they moved together.

  Before she could hold herself back, she tightened around him and he moved faster, his hand maneuvering down to stroke her swollen flesh. She was so gone—so far gone in every way. But she wasn’t alone, because Diego buried his head in the nook of her neck and came with her.

  They didn’t move for a long time, but when the room stopped spinning and her heart stopped racing, she opened her eyes. Diego was staring at her again with those fierce eyes. He pulled out of her but didn’t move away. Their chests still touched and his hand came up to raise her chin to look at him.

  She was scared. Scared of feeling so much. Scared of being hurt. Scared of him knowing who she really was. Most of all, she was scared that she was falling so quickly.

  “That was intense,” he mumbled. He seemed to be having trouble recuperating, too.

  She nodded, not able to squeak an answer.

  Diego pulled her head back with both his hands and stared in her eyes. “I’m going to miss you, Vero. I don’t ever want to lose you.”

  “You have me, Diego. In every way.”

  As they lay together recuperating from their exertion, her finger traced a new tattoo she’d discovered earlier that evening. A tiny footprint on his underside of his arm.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Veronica worked at her desk on Saturday night, typing her accounting report due in five days. Nothing wrong with being early. It demonstrated professionalism. She relished being early with her work ninety percent of the time.

  She glanced at her computer clock and sighed. She could lie all she wanted, but boredom played out loud and clear.

  No Diego. No excitement.

  He’d left for Miami two days before and work had occupied her, since there was nothing else. She could only do so many Sudoku puzzles before she went crazy. Amanda worked nonstop since she’d earned the promotion, and Chloe dated left and right. Nothing to do and no one to do anything with.

  Now that she had time to sit and think, it was clear how much Diego filled her life. When he was in New York, they spent many hours together, cocooned in their sensual world—laughing, touching, and loving. Her adventure had turned into so much more. When he was gone, it was like she was missing an arm. Her sex god must have flaws, but she couldn’t easily identify them. Sure, he snored a little when he slept on his side, but that wasn’t much of an imperfection. She found it endearing. The worst part of their relationship was the traveling—she missed him.

  “Veronica, where are you?”
Exactly what she wondered herself. Leave it to Chloe to come and save the day. Her friend bounded around the corner of her cubicle.

  Whatever Chloe had in mind had to be better than sulking in her workspace … but she wouldn’t go on another date.

  She swiveled her chair around and crossed her arms over her chest. “How did you get in?”

  “I have my ways,” she singsonged.

  Veronica wrinkled her nose, imagining Chloe sweet-talking Herb, the guard, downstairs. No one ever got through the front doors this late.

  “Herbie and I are good friends now.” Chloe laughed then grabbed Veronica’s arm. “Come on. Marco invited us to a show.”

  Veronica’s eyes lit up. “Marco, as in Diego’s brother? I thought you didn’t like him.”

  Chloe pulled Veronica up by her hand and leaned over to grab her purse. “We’re not seeing each other. We kissed a little and then realized we’re not compatible that way. Just friends.”

  Chloe never did the only-friends thing with a guy.

  “Uh-huh. Right.” She needed to get out and do something, to prove she didn’t need Diego to have a drink and enjoy the evening with friends. Sure, she loved—yes, loved—being wild and crazy with Diego, in every way, but she needed to prove to herself she didn’t need him in that capacity always. She could be exciting by herself—or with Chloe. Tonight she had something to prove.

  She gave a halfhearted shrug and shut down her computer. “You’re lucky I actually finished my work.”

  Chloe placed her arm around Veronica’s waist and wiggled her around. “You should’ve seen your eyes light up when I mentioned Marco’s name. You really dig Diego, don’t you?”

  She bit her lip and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered, “but don’t you dare say anything to Marco.”

  “Never.” Chloe averted her gaze and dug through her purse.

  “You said something, didn’t you? I’m going to kill you.” Veronica’s cheeks burned. “Seriously, Chloe. You need to keep your mouth shut. What did you say?”

  “Nothing much. I only told Marco that you really like Diego and he pointed out the same. Marco says you’re Diego’s motivation for writing.”