Her Latin Lover (Contemporary Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

after myself,” she snapped back as she marched through the reception area and out into the town square.
    Don Paulo put down his drink, called out something to Señor Marcos and strode after her.
    The town square was lit up by several large lampposts in each corner, around which buzzed huge, feathery moths. Don Paulo could clearly see Mary walking along one side of the square, past the bottom of the church’s wide stone steps. Its great facade was covered in multi-coloured fairy lights like a giant Christmas tree. He paused and waited to see where she was going. He assumed that she would go to the bar on the other side of the square, next to the local courthouse, though it was also possible that she might be heading to one of the small cantinas that sold food late into the night. However, these were all located down dark side streets away from the centre of the town. He soon saw that his initial assumption was correct. Mary walked into the bar. With slow, easy steps, Don Paulo crossed the dusty square and followed her in.
    “Don Paulo! Como estais ?” the barman called out as soon as he walked through the door. Don Paulo greeted him back and ordered himself a small bandy. He stood at the bar just a few feet away from where Mary was drinking a large beer. He pretended not to see her, but he could certainly feel her presence. It made him feel warm and hot inside, like the brandy that was burning down his throat. He called out to the barman for a glass of ice water.
    “I said that I could look after myself,” she called out.
    “I am not disputing the fact. I am just here having a drink and perhaps something to eat. The hotel bar was getting a little lonely.” He leaned slightly nearer to her and dropped his voice. “And, as I said, the food at the hotel is not the best.” He could see her eyes soften a little and her mouth relaxed just enough for her lower lip to come forward, all full and pink. He could see her straight, white teeth. There was a small gap between the front two. It looked incredibly sexy. Don Paulo leaned back and took a sip of the ice water that had been placed in front of him on the bar. Mary leaned forward, not much, but just enough for him to push a little bit further. “Let me order you a steak. The cook here gets excellent beef from her cousin’s farm.”
    “I told you, I can order my own food.”
    “Of course, please go ahead.” He pointed to the scratched blackboard behind the bar on which the menu for the day was scrawled in white chalk. He saw that he had pushed her too far, too quickly. He would have to be more careful.
    She looked quizzically at the board. He guessed that she didn’t understand what was written there, but he decided not to interfere this time. After several minutes of studying the menu she pointed to the first item on the board and declared that she would like that for dinner.
    “Excellent choice,” he informed her. “It is a speciality of the house.” He ordered a large steak for himself.
    When the food arrived, she looked at her plate in horror. In front of her were half a dozen fried pigs’ ears. A few bristles were still visible on some of them.
    “Please start,” he said, trying his best not to laugh as he cut into his large, juicy steak.
    Slowly Mary picked on an ear. She nibbled the corner. She dropped it and looked at his steak and then up at him. He could see the hunger in her eyes. Finally she burst out, “OK, you win. Order me a steak.”
    “Are you sure? You wouldn’t prefer the little piggy ears?” He picked up two of them, jiggled them about and made little piglet noises.
    She started giggling. “Please, order me a steak. And some decent beer. This stuff is awful.”
    After that, the tension between them eased and they began to talk. At first, they just talked about the food, where the beef was from and how it was cooked, but then, once they had finished eating and had ordered a second round of drinks, Mary asked him to explain what had