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Lori laughed too hard and nearly tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, but Quinn’s big strong arm kept her steady. She held tight to his fingers, and glanced over his tall body. No suit jacket today, just a pale pink shirt, the sleeves rolled up to show his tanned forearms.
“What are you thinking about, Lori Love?”
The way he said her name made something deep inside her melt.Loreluv.All run together like one soft, precious word. An endearment instead of a name. Lori shook off her shivers and lied. “I was thinking that Jane is very pretty.”
“Jane?”
“Yeah, don’t you think so?”
“Jane?” he repeated. “I guess.”
“Um…Haven’t you known her a long time?”
“Sure. She keeps my world running. I couldn’t live without her.”
“You couldn’t live without her and you’ve never noticed that she’spretty?”
“No. She’s like a sister to me. And, frankly, I’m fairly sure she thinks of me as a hopeless little brother. So, no I’ve never noticed whether or not she’s hot.”
She smiled at the slight horror in his tone. He really did think of Jane as a sister. “Well, she is hot. She’s so reserved and professional, I didn’t notice it before. The woman is a force to be reckoned with.”
“Yeah, she could probably execute a bloodless coup of a midsize country without ever leaving the office. She’s priceless. We’re here,” he added, and gestured toward a nondescript door. Above the pale wooden door, a small canopy displayed the wordAndalucia.
“What is this place?”
Quinn swept open the door and guided her in with a hand on the small of her back. Spice swirled around her. “A little taste of Córdoba,” he whispered against her hair.
“What?” The alcove swallowed them up in darkness.
“I can’t take you to Córdoba, but this is pretty close. The owner is from Málaga, another part of Andalucia. The food’s amazing.”
“Oh.” Lori’s heart squeezed too hard, hurting itself. Just then, a burgundy curtain at the other end of the alcove flipped open and let in the light.
“Mr. Jennings!” exclaimed a slender man with a thick accent. “It’s been too long!”
“Stefan!” Quinn answered, then launched into a stream of gorgeous Spanish.Gorgeous.He even slurred hisS’s in that sexy Spanish way. The man just got hotter all the time.
Stefan laughed at whatever Quinn had said and gestured toward Lori.
“Lori Love,” offered Quinn, “meet Stefan Arroyo.”
A flurry of Spanish words followed as Stefan ushered them into a large room aglow with evening light. The first thing Lori noticed were the trees. There seemed to be hundreds of potted trees scattered among the small, dark tables. Orange trees and…well, other trees that didn’t have little oranges hanging from them. The illusion of a garden was furthered by the ceiling of skylights that had been opened to the breeze.
“Wow,” she breathed as they followed Stefan through the nearly deserted room. He led them straight across to a row of French doors, then out onto a large brick patio. Tables ringed a wooden square set into the bricks, and the chairs here were full of customers. Classical guitar music flowed over her on the warm evening air.
“It’s so beautiful!”
“Gracias,Señorita Love. Though not nearly as beautiful as you are,mi cara.”
Quinn’s hand settled on her arm. “Very true, but I’ll thank you not to dwell on it, Stefan.”
Stefan laughed as he seated them at a small corner table, not leaving until he’d placed a napkin onto Lori’s lap with an elaborate flourish and a wink.
“This place is amazing,” Lori breathed.
“Will you trust me to order for us?”
“Sure.” She didn’t think tacos and enchiladas were part of the menu in Spain, and her knowledge didn’t extend any further.
