Page 6 of Along Came Amor
“Sparkling water.”
“Oh.” She gave a little laugh and unscrewed the bottle before taking a sip to wash away the taste of the Limón Dulce.
Roman gave the martini glass in front of her a pointed look. “What were you going to do? Pay for it and not drink it, or drink it and suffer in silence?”
Ava sighed. “Pay for it and not drink it.”
“Well, we can’t have that.” He slipped the offending lemon drink away and dumped it out. “How do you feel about rum?”
She twisted the cap back onto the water. “I only buy it to make coquito.”
His eyebrows rose. “¿Tú eres Latina?”
“Puerto Rican on my dad’s side. My mom is from Barbados.”
“Boricua and Bajan. I bet you make a killer coquito.”
She grinned. “Don’t tell my grandmother, but I made a few adjustments to her recipe, and all my cousins agree mine is better.”
“Don’t worry, Ava. Your secret is safe with me.”
Something about the way he said her name had goosebumps prickling up her spine.
Her cousins would know exactly what to do in this situation. Jasmine would toy with her hair and lean forward to show off her cleavage. Michelle would make a sarcastic quip, the kind that managed to be equal parts funny and suggestive.
But Ava wasn’t like her cousins. She wasn’t sensual or bold. She was practical and polite.
So she ignored her pounding heart and warm cheeks and just murmured, “Thank you.”
Roman’s gaze landed on her lips. She caught the rise and fall of his chest, like he was breathing deep.
“My pleasure,” he said in a low voice, and then he turned, breaking the tension that had wrapped thickly around them, to grab a bottle. He flipped it over to his other hand and said, “Let’s start with a tasting.”
His movements were a blur as he spun a couple of napkins onto the bar and produced two small glasses from out of nowhere. He deftly poured a small amount of liquid into each.
Ava was, indeed, impressed. “How do you know how to do all this?”
“I didn’t always own hotels,” he said enigmatically, setting the first glass in front of her. “Smell this.”
Ava lifted the glass. It contained less than an inch of dark amber liquid.
“Keep your lips parted as you sniff. You know how when something smells really strong, it’s like you can taste it?”
When Ava nodded, he continued. “Así mismo. You have olfactory receptors on your tongue. It’s part of the tasting experience.”
Somehow, he even made “olfactory receptors” sound sexy. Ava parted her lips and brought the glass to her nose.
“What do you smell?” Roman’s voice was soft, nearly seductive, but also curious. “There’s no wrong answer.”
She closed her eyes and inhaled. “It smells sort of sweet. Like caramel apple. Also a bit... woodsy?”
“Oak. From the barrels.”
She opened her eyes in time to see him smile at her over the rim of his own glass.
“Take a small sip.”
She did as he instructed, letting the rum flow over her tongue and paying close attention to the sensation and flavor.
