Page 68 of Sombra
I want to tie her up more than ever. I can’t say that in front of Sergio, though, so I shrug. “It’s just another part of yourDesayuno con Diamantes.”
“What are you saying about breakfast?” asks Sergio as heignites his lighter and holds it at the end of the cigarette in her mouth. The cigarette doesn’t belong there, and she doesn’t know what she’s doing.
But.
He lights her cigarette. She inhales and dissolves into a fit of coughing.
Sergio cracks up, and I try not to, but a smile pushes the edges of my mouth up. I give her my most serious look, almost like a professor. “It’sokay to try new things and decide you don’t like them, too.”
She tries another few puffs and then stubs it out. “I think it’s not for me,” she rasps out. “It doesn’t taste good at all.”
I love her willingness. I love her honesty and her open mind. I hand her a bottle of water to drink. “It still counts as something you’ve never done before. And it counts if you don’t like it, aslong as you try it.”
“Right. No risks, no rewards. I’m just discovering myself.” She gets a far-off gaze in her eyes, then snaps to. “Well, by process of elimination, I won’t be trying that again.”
Several hours later, after drinking two more bottles of wine, several large beers, and eating a bag of crisps, Kim and I say goodbye to Sergio, who invites us back again, and decide tomosey down the hill anddar un paseoin town until it’s time to go to Trent and Dani’s. Most shops are closed on Sunday afternoons, but there will be plenty of people about on such a lovely evening.
As we make our way down, I notice the streets are more wobbly than they were on the way up. Or maybe we’re more wobbly.
“Let’s go to theAlcazar.” I pull her towards it. “It’s sure tobe open since it’s touristy. But it’s authentic, too. People have been selling their wares here for centuries. You’ll love it.”
“Yes!” She’s cheerfully holding my hand, and I want to haul her into an alley and kiss her. Spending the whole afternoon with her, she just gets prettier and prettier, chatting with my friend in both English and Spanish. Being attentive and asking questions andoffering her opinion and listening. She’s so vivacious and animated. I love it.
We leave the Albaicín and cross the street, heading into the central downtown area of tightly-packed shops near the cathedral. When we enter the old market, Kim’s eyes are like saucers, and we go very slowly, since there’s so much to see. She’s snapping so many pictures with her phone. The vendors have packedthe outside spaces of their shops with leather goods—shoes, purses, belts—baskets, and all sorts of scarves. The scarf shop also has fabric, ribbons, and traditional Spanish clothing and fans. Kim fingers a cream-colored scarf with red embroidery, edged with cream fringe.
God, what I could do with her and a scarf.
“What?” she asks. “Why do you have that look on your face?”
“I only wish.”
“What?”
Do I tell her? I stroke the back of my neck, wondering if I can trust her with my secrets.
I think I can.
Letting out a breath, I use a low voice in her ear. “I would very much like to do things to you, using that scarf to tie you up.”
Her eyes widen.
“So, you’re like into—”
“Exploration. I have been longing for a partner whoI can devote my energy to. My desire is to give a woman pleasure.”
Her breath begins to come out in pants, just like in my dream. She grips my hand and yanks me from the shop to a narrow alley where she presses me against the wall, kissing me in a full embrace. I suck on her lower lip and plunder her mouth with my tongue. She kisses me right back, just as hard.
But I break it off.“We need to talk about this.”
“What, Tavo?” she asks, still kissing my neck, holding me to her.
“There are parts of me that you don’t know about.”
She says against my skin, “I’m sure I don’t know about most parts of you. But nothing you could say would make me change my opinion of you. I know that we are right for—”
“Kim.” I gently pull away.
She looks at me,and the world wobbles a bit more. “What?”
