So I wanted to get this out last week, but RL got in the way (my friend was having Thanksgiving on Friday and I had to work, then trek out there). I had too much free time and writer's block struck. Bad. I'd have a partial chapter written, feel good about it, then decide I didn't like it when I went to bed. And then I'd repeat the following day.

See the pattern? Yikes.

Thankfully, I worked through it. I wasn't getting off my computer until I finished.

I appreciated all the birthday wishes (they made me smile)! and I wanted to make the next chapter good. You guys wanted to see them dancing and I think I did pretty well with that. I worked long and hard on this chapter and I actually really like it. I hope you guys do too. And since you guys were so patient, I extended it past what I originally planned. Enjoy!

Not mine.


Carlos picked up his menu and started looking it over. I, on the other hand, took in more of the atmosphere. I could taste the aroma of food and romance on my tongue. The band played lowly in the background now that everyone was eating or getting ready to eat. A few more couples had entered the restaurant since we sat down. One couple was like us, on a first date and the other two looked like they were in love. They probably came back every year on their anniversary.

"That was a pretty big sigh I just heard." Carlos said, looking over his menu at me.

"Just thinking."

"Care to share?"

I shook my head, erasing the thoughts. The one thing my mother taught me was not to scare off potential husbands. Considering how well I did with my first, I was going to take it slow with Carlos. I liked him and I didn't want to scare him away. "There's so much to choose from on the menu. I don't know what to pick."

Wait. Did I just think Carlos and husband in the same thought? Oh jeez. I've gone off the deep end. No way was I ready for that yet. Neither of us was.

Besides, slow and steady was way more fun.

He stared at me for a moment, then gave me a few suggestions. I bit my lip and weighed my options.

"Hi, my name is Lucinda, and I'll be your waitress. What can I get you?" She asked the question specifically to Carlos, hoping that he would ask me to leave and use her as his personal plate. I snorted at the thought. Carlos caught my eye and I could see he was thinking the same thing and gave me a little smirk. Turning back to Lucinda, he gave her our order. I was shocked! It was a lot of food and all the things I was trying to decide from! What was he doing?

"I'd like a Corona to drink." He finished.

"And for your sister?"

Now I snorted out loud. Sister? Really? Did my skin color darken in the last five minutes?

Carlos looked at me. He had laugh lines crinkling around his eyes. "Babe?" He asked, caressing my hand in a very unsister-like way.

"Same for me. And a glass of water." I replied, shivering at his touch.

Lucinda frowned, but flounced away. Most guys would be looking at her backside while she did that.

But not Carlos.

His eyes were still on me.

Be still my heart.

"This way you can try everything. You don't mind sharing with me, do you?" He asked, his eyes dark.

"Not at all. Sharing is more fun."

He grinned. "I believe I have a deal to collect on." He said, standing and holding out his hand. I smiled and put my hand in his.

According to the Burg, dancing was the best way to find out how a man acted in bed. I thought this was hooey until I danced with Dickie at our wedding. He was awkward, out of sync and only interested in getting it over as fast as possible.

Dickie as a lover to a T.

So I didn't have much hope that this would be any different. I figured he was all talk and swagger with absolutely no follow through.

Oh how wrong I was.

Carlos pulled me in close and wrapped his arms tightly around me. His movements were fluid and in sync with mine. He took my left hand and moved it to his neck, leaving his hand free to caress my bare back. I shivered again and felt him smile in my hair.

"Cold?"

"Not really." In fact, I was boiling hot.

His grin widened. "Good." His right hand, which was resting on my back, pulled me in tighter. The thumb caressed my lower back.

By then, Dickie would have copped a feel. I waited for his hand to lower, but it never did.

Not in the three songs we danced to.

I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder.

"What?" He asked, sensing my unease.

"I've never been more depressed to see a plate of food in my life." I sighed.

He chuckled now. "Me either."

"I don't want to let go." I whispered to myself.

"Me either." Carlos whispered in my ear.

Reluctantly though, he let me go. My hear lifted when he kept my hand and kissed my fingers.

"How did you learn to dance so well?" I asked him when we began to dig in to our food.

"I grew up with four sisters in a Latino home. They made sure I knew how to sweep a woman off her feet."

"Mission accomplished."

He looked curious now. "Your other partners weren't good dancers?"

"I've only had one other partner and he sucked. My ex-husband."

"How long were you married?"

"About eight months."

"What happened?"

"I caught him doing the horizontal mambo with someone else. On my dining room table."

"Yikes."

I shrugged. "He lived up to his name. Dickie was a dick."

Carlos snorted into his beer. "He called himself Dickie? On purpose?"

I giggled and nodded.

"Well that explains it. The man clearly had masculinity problems."

"Says the man named Carlos?"

He frowned. "So?"

"Nothing's sexier than that name."

Now he grinned. "Good to know, Babe."

Jeez. He was going to kill me. "What about you? Ever been married?"

"Once. About ten years ago."

Now I was floored. A woman willingly separated from this man? "And…?" I asked, rolling my hand for him to continue.

"And… I was on leave one night, saw Rachel. We got too drunk and I got her pregnant. I married her for the baby and when she wanted to remarry, we got divorced."

"What about the baby?"

"Julie is ten and I don't see her very often." He looked down at his beer. "I send gifts and she initiates contact when she wants it. Ron, Rachel's second husband, is her legal father. I let him adopt her when they got married. I was in no position to fight for custody. I was barely in the country as it is and she needed two parents, not one full time and another that came and went when the army needed him."

"But you're still her father."

"Not really."

"Yes really." I grabbed his hand. "You're part of her and she's part of you. Right now, she's too little to see that you did the right thing for her, giving her a family. When she's older, I'm sure she'll thank you for it. You gave her a life that she wouldn't have had if you hadn't let her go. That's what makes you her father."

He just stared at me for a moment. "I've never told anyone about her. My family and Tank know, but that's it."

"It's just between you and me."

His thumb caressed my hand. "Thank you."

"How is everything?" Lucinda asked. Jeez. She had unbuttoned her blouse and added another swipe of mascara.

Carlos didn't bat an eye or look up. He just stared at me. "We're great."

Triumph covered my face as she pouted and slinked away. Carlos grinned. "Babe."

"What? She was acting like a big 'ho."

"Sure, but you're the most beautiful thing in the room. Why would I look anywhere else?"

My heart stopped. Jeez. He is going to kill me.


Carlos's POV

"I had a really great time." Stephanie said, when I dropped her off.

After the deep talk we had about my daughter, I was pulling out all the stops.

Jeez, I was even walking her to her door. The wind had picked up. I, being the gentleman that I was, gave her my coat. As a gust of wind blew by us, she tugged it tighter.

Lucky coat.

"Me too." I replied, smiling at her.

Honestly, it was the best date I'd ever had. She was funny, sweet and one hell of a dancer. I never wanted the night to end.

"Do you want to come in for coffee?" She asked, looking at her keys.

I smiled. She was nervous. I could see the blush creeping up her neck. This was new. We both knew she wasn't talking about coffee, but she was embarrassed to ask about it. Usually women are jumping me, begging me to fuck them.

Unsurprisingly, I liked my blushing Babe better.

"I can't." I said. Having sex with her right now, would really cramp my wooing.

"Oh. Okay." Now she was avoiding my eyes.

Damn. My fist clenched. After we talked about Julie, she told me about the argument she had with Dickie before he left. He told her that she was a complete ice queen in bed, which was why he had to cheat. Even though this smart, sexy, funny woman was full of confidence, that remark was going to follow her around until someone proved him wrong.

And I was going to do that.

Just not tonight.

I cupped her chin and did the next best thing.

It was going to be an innocent kiss, something that would remind her that I was very interested without going too far.

And then our lips met.

I was on fire.

Stephanie tasted like chocolate, limes, and something uniquely Stephanie. Her lips were soft and supple, just waiting to be kissed. At first, she was stiff, but after a few moments, Steph melted into my embrace. I licked her lips. She gasped and my tongue surged in. The taste of her was more intoxicating as I teased her tongue. It stayed motionless for a second, and as the kiss deepened, her confidence surged.

Her tongue barreled into my mouth. She moaned at what she found, making me instantly hard again. I had never known food to be orgasmic until Stephanie; she moaned her way through every bite she ate. It was a small miracle that I didn't explode in my pants.

I pushed her back into her door and my mind shut off. All I wanted to do was get inside her house, find the nearest flat surface, push her dress up to her hips and get inside her.

Thankfully, my brain stopped me. What about wooing her? You want to treat her like one of your regular fucks?

No. She was better than that.

I pulled my mouth away from hers. We gasped in sync, air flooding our bodies again. Stephanie's eyes were glassy; her lips looked bee stung and hung open. They begged to be kissed again.

But I couldn't. I wasn't going to stop next time.

"God knows I want your coffee, Babe." I said, grinding myself into her hip. She gasped and moaned. "Just not tonight. Waiting will make it that much better."

"Okay."

"I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay."

I grinned. "Is that all you can say?"

"Yep."

I kissed her chastely on the cheek. "Sleep tight, Babe. Dream of me."

"Unavoidable."

I chuckled now. She talked out loud the more flustered she was. Good to know. I let her go and she stumbled inside.

Yes, I had a feeling that Stephanie Plum was going to be worth the wait and just as delicious as her name.

Until then, my cold shower was going to be my best friend.


Stephanie's POV

Wow.

Wow.

WOW.

The date with Carlos was better than I had expected. He took my high standards and blew them out of the water.

And we hadn't even had sex yet.

I groaned and sat down on my couch. My breasts, belly, thighs and places in between tingled at the thought. He was going to be magic in bed.

Jeez. I was getting hot again. I looked down at myself. "Shit." I muttered. I was still wearing his coat.

I pulled out my phone and texted him. You forgot your coat. I sent.

Maybe he would come back personally and get his coat. Maybe I should change into something more comfortable and he can finish what he started. Then I could invite him in and…

My phone beeped. Keep it. I'll get it from you the next time I see you. I love the thought of you still wearing my coat.

I was disappointed that he wasn't coming over, but the possibility of another date and the fact that he was thinking of me more than made up for that.

I sent, come and get it whenever you want.

Is that an open invitation for anything I want?

Maybe it was the beer I had with dinner that was making me brazen. It's the only reason I could come up with for the text I sent back. Anytime. Anywhere.

Jesus, Babe. I'm driving. You can kill a man with that kind of imagery.

Sorry.

Liar.

I sent just a smiley face. He was right. I wasn't sorry.

Reliving the date, I sighed with pleasure. No man had ever opened up to me like he did tonight. The hot and steamy end we had may have been fantastic, but talking was my favorite part.

I didn't want the date to end and I felt he didn't either. I wanted to know him on every level and when he said no, it cut me down a little. I hadn't had a lover since I divorced Dickie. I wasn't interested in another man telling me I was an ice queen, but for some reason, I felt safe with Carlos. When he said no, I thought I might have misjudged the attraction.

Then he kissed me.

I shivered at the thought of him being pressed against me. He felt larger than any man I'd ever had. All doubt flew out of my mind.

That man wanted me.

I'd follow his time table for now, but until he made love to me, I had a feeling I was going to put my shower massager to work.