Page 23 of Taco Daddy

But why?

You know why.Don’t play dumb.

Yes, she knew why but was just afraid she might fall for it and end up getting hurt again.Lose her fantasy again.Made a fool of again.

“Can I talk to you?”The expression on his face was unreadable, his dark eyes fathomless.

Rita couldn’t find her voice.

The screech of chairs behind her made her jump.

“Here, you can have my seat.Come on, Bree, let’s go check out the bar real quick.”

Eden was going to pay for this.

“We’ll be back!”

Yup, so was Bree.They were both going to pay for this.

Rita turned around to face the table as Andres took Eden’s empty chair.Folding his hands on the table in front of him, his intense gaze bored into her.

“I owe you an apology,” he said seriously, jumping right to the heart of the matter, which Rita had to admire.He didn’t break eye contact with her once.“I overhead you yesterday at lunch, talking about the tacos from my food truck, and I was… less than thrilled about your reaction.However, I also want you to know that I was checking you out even before that.I was attracted to you.And when I saw you at the Outlands, it felt like fate.”

Rita bit her lip.Everything about him, from his tone to the look in his eyes to the remorse in his expression, seemed completely sincere.

She wanted to believe him so badly.

“I should have told you about the first time I saw you, but… as we talked, and definitely once the scene started, it didn’t feel like it mattered anymore.What mattered to me was what was happening at that moment.I didn’t see you as anything other than a wonderful, beautiful woman, and I wanted nothing more than to explore the connection between us.”

Damn, he was good.

“So, why didn’t you tell me about seeing me earlier in the day?Why didn’t you tell me you’d heard me insulting your tacos?”She still felt embarrassed, knowing he’d heard her.

Oh.Crap.Shefelt embarrassed.Because she’d been caught out speaking badly about his food, not because he’d done anything to embarrass her.

“Well… I don’t know.I didn’t really want to.At first, I didn’t want to lose the chance to give you a… well…” He glanced around them, looking to see if anyone could overhear them.

She knew exactly what he’d been going to say.He’d wanted to give her a spanking for insulting his tacos.All things considered, it was kind of hard to blame him since she felt like she’d deserved one.Andres reached out his hand across the table, placing it palm up, offering it to her.

“Then it didn’t matter.I didn’t care what you’d said.I only cared about what was happening between us.”

Rita’s mouth was dry.Every fiber of her being was screaming to reach out and take his hand, but she couldn’t make herself move.Not yet.

“What was happening between us?”she whispered.

“A connection.A spark.A beginning.Whatever you want to call it.I want it to be more.I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.I think, deep down, I was afraid you would do exactly what you ended up doing.”His fingers curled slightly as though he was encouraging her to take them.“I was attracted to you from the moment I saw you.Actually, being with you was more than I ever would have imagined.So, what do you think, Taco Girl?Will you take a chance on me?”

It only took her a heartbeat to make her decision, despite everything.

Lifting her hand, Rita took his, feeling the calluses on his palms as he closed his fingers around hers.

“Okay, Taco Daddy.”

10

Two WeeksLater

Rita