“I thought she said it would be small,” Vi whispers to Dahlia through a tight smile.
“By Cuban standards, it is small,” Dahlia replies.
She forces a smile and gently pushes back the throng of people hugging and kissing Alejandro and Lily. “At least we’re not being mobbed like them,” she tells Vi who nods absently, while craning her neck to find the bar.
“Watch out Miami! It’s my New York bitches!”
Vi and Dahlia turn to find Rosa gliding toward them looking stunning in a short cream Dior quilted satin dress.
“I’m sorry I missed you last night. My mom wanted me home to help with the preparations. She hasn’t stopped all week.” Rosa lowers her voice. “Her first born and favorite child getting married, this will be for the record books.”
Before Rosa can continue, Alejandro interrupts the crowd and says, “Everyone, if I can have your attention please.”
Amid shushing sounds, he says, “Now, before this party gets out of hand, as they often do,” Alejandro pauses and nods at a group of friends, “I just want to thank you all for coming tonight and celebrating with us.” He leans over and kisses Lily on her cheek.
Lily smiles up at him, but Dahlia can tell the attention is making her uncomfortable. “She’s holding her breath,” Dahlia whispers to Vi. “He better make this quick, or she’s going to pass out.”
Vi rolls her eyes at Dahlia. “I just hope he doesn’t get too sappy.”
Alejandro continues, “I’ve been working on a gift for her and nothing seemed right. Then I remembered something that my brother, Rodrigo, wrote and wanted to share it.” Then turning to Lily he says, “It says everything I hold in my heart for you.”
He looks to his right and out of nowhere comes Rodrigo, holding a classic guitar.
“You never mentioned he played the guitar,” Vi says to Dahlia.
Dahlia shakes her head. “I didn’t know.”
“Rodrigo doesn’t tell anyone. He stopped playing a few years back after our father died,” Rosa says quietly. “But he was quite good. I had no idea he started up again.”
Rodrigo clears his throat and sits on a barstool his uncle puts out for him. He says something to Alejandro in Spanish. Dahlia could only catch a few words, which Rosa refused to translate since they were too crude but had most everyone in the group laughing. Finally he says, “There was someone I loved once, and every time I was with her, I would hear this tune. The words eventually came with it. Lily, when Alejandro heard this, he asked, well, actually he told me I better play this or he’d kick my ass. So here it is.”
The room falls quiet as Rodrigo’s fingers begin to move expertly over the strings. Dahlia can feel her heart fall into the rhythm of the song. “What is this song about?” She murmurs to Rosa.
Rosa holds up a finger and listens intently. A few beats later she shares, “He’s singing about waiting for love. That time is never perfect but you have to hold on to it.” She pauses and waits. “Love you feel is so great that it can kill you but you have to love anyway.”
“Wonder if he wrote that for you?” Vi asks.
Dahlia shakes her head and watches Rodrigo, his eyes closed, singing this song that came completely from his heart. She pushes back her tears and her pain in knowing that she can’t take back what she did to him. As soon as the song is over, she takes a deep breath. “I need a drink,” she announces. Or ten for that matter, she thinks to herself.
Chapter 11
Rosa grabs the girls by the hand and takes them to a veranda that overlooks the expansive grounds all the way to the water. “There’s a bar out here,” she says, leading them through a lounge and formal dining area.
Vi spots Diego near the bar talking to Rodrigo. “Excuse me, ladies. My date is here.”
Dahlia pulls Vi back. “I thought you weren’t going to ditch me tonight.”
“I’m sorry, D. But I can’t exercise much control when that man is around. I’ll find you later.” Vi kisses her cheek.
Dahlia rolls her eyes, and Rosa laughs. “Don’t worry,” Rosa assures her, “you’ll be fine.”
They watch as Vi approaches Diego and puts a hand on his shoulder. “That woman amazes me,” Rosa says. “I don’t know how she does it.”
“Does what?” Dahlia asks, unable to take her eyes off Rodrigo, who’s dressed in a navy Brunello Cuccinelli suit and crisp white button down shirt with the top two buttons undone. She licks her bottom lip.
“Have men drop anything to be with her.”
“It’s a gift, Rosa. One she uses quite well.” Dahlia looks away when Rodrigo notices her watching him. She walks over to the end of the veranda.
A few minutes later, Rosa joins her and offers a pink cocktail. “Havana Sunset. My mother had the bartender make a signature cocktail for tonight. Try it.”
Dahlia takes a sip. “Wow, it’s strong,” she exclaims, “But delicious.” She gulps down the rest of it.
“It’ll sneak up on you, for sure.” Rosa pauses and checks around to see if anyone is within earshot. “Look, D. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“About what?” Dahlia asks.
“You and Rodrigo.”
The knot. There it is again.
“What about?” Dahlia asks casually, accepting another cocktail from a waiter and surreptitiously noting the time on his watch. Another three and a half hours to go.
“It’s okay, what happened. I mean, I was ready to hate you for breaking Rodrigo’s heart . . .”
Dahlia nearly chokes on her drink. “Really?”
“Yeah, I mean, we’re a tight family. He was pretty torn up. I’d never seen him so hurt by anyone since . . . .” Rosa’s voice trails off. “But you’re family now too, and I get it. The heart wants what it wants.” Rosa looks wistful as she finishes off her drink. “You can’t always choose who you fall in love with.”
“What if you love two men?” Dahlia says in a low voice.
“What’s that?” Rosa asks.
Dahlia shakes her head. “Never mind. But wait a minute. What do you mean ‘since’?”
“You know, since Claudia?”
“Who’s Claudia?”
“You don’t know about Claudia?”
Dahlia shakes her head. “I would remember the name.”
Rosa hands her empty glass to a passing waiter.
“His ex.”
“Rodrigo never mentioned an ex-girlfriend named Claudia.”
“No, not an ex-girlfriend. She’s his ex-fiancé.” Rosa looks a bit awkward. “I’m sorry I thought you knew about her.”
Dahlia nearly drops her glass. “When did they break up? I mean how?”
Rosa leans in. “It was just over a year ago. They got together when they were at the University of Miami. My parents didn’t really like her family. You know how elitist Cubans can be.”
Dahlia nods, her anger beginning to resurface.
“Long story short, he cheated on her with some girl or girls one night. I only got the story from a mutual friend, but the whole thing blew up in his face. He tried to get her back, but she couldn’t let it go. Can’t say I blame her. The experience soured him on relationships—until you that is.”
Without a second thought, Dahlia excuses herself and deposits her glass on a side table and starts out after Rodrigo. After an exhaustive search through the house, a waiter finally points her to the wine cellar.
Slamming the door behind her, she yells, “How dare you call me a liar!”
Chapter 12
“Is this your idea of being ‘friends’, D?” Rodrigo asks, not bothering to look up from a bottle Vega Sicillia.
She descends the stairs two at a time. “I just found out about Claudia. You are such a hypocrite!” Suddenly, Dahlia hears Vi’s voice in her head reminding her that karma really is a bitch.
“Damn Rosa and her big mouth,” he says, returning the bottle to its place. “What does it matter, D? She’s in the past.”
“Hardly. Here I am feeling guilty a
bout not telling you about Shane and the baby and you said nothing to me about Claudia.”
“The difference being that Claudia and I were over when you and I met.”
“I get that. But it doesn’t change the fact that you cheated on her. Couldn’t you have given me the benefit of the doubt?”
Rodrigo shakes his and head rubs the back of his neck. “Why should I? Because Shane’s dead and you’re thinking that I could be your consolation prize?”
Dahlia crosses her arms and leans against shelf of wines from the South of France. “You’d always meant more to me than that.”
“Yeah, you said that in your farewell speech a few months ago. Let’s just drop it.” Rodrigo turns to another wall to resume his wine search and seems pleased to find a bottle from the Rioja region of Spain.
But Dahlia can’t let it go that easily. She’s tired of feeling guilty for her mistakes and really frustrated that no matter how hard she tries, she’s constantly reminded of them.
She walks over and tugs on his arm so hard the bottle slips out of his hands and shatters when it hits the cold concrete floor, deep red wine spilling everywhere. “Coño, D,” he mutters, his hand brushing at the wine splatter on his white shirt.
Dahlia looks down at the broken pieces and remembers what Kai said about putting the broken pieces back together. He was right, she’ll never be the same, but she isn’t broken anymore.
“Please stop doing this, Rodrigo. I don’t want to be punished anymore for hurting you.” Tears prick her eyes. She looks away so Rodrigo won’t notice.
But he does. He gently lifts her chin and looks into her eyes. A tear falls down her face. “I was ready to put my past behind me, D. I wasn’t proud of what I did to Claudia, but you made me feel that I could be a better man.”
“You are,” Dahlia whispers, her heart beginning to pound so hard she knows he’s got to feel it from where he’s standing. This is what good-bye feels like.
He shakes his head. “It still wasn’t enough for you. That’s what hurt the most.”
She closes her eyes to try to stop the stream of tears that threaten to flow. “I went to California because I knew that if I didn’t, I would never be enough for you,” Dahlia says in a low voice.
Rodrigo lowers his hand, and Dahlia opens her eyes and takes a tentative step forward.
“It can never happen for us,” he says, his deep brown eyes betraying his desire for her.
Dahlia closes the distance between them. “Neither one wants the other? You sure about that?” She’s not fully sure either, but in this moment she wants him, even if it’s for the last time. “Tell me, was that song about me . . . about us?”
Rodrigo lets out a long exhale. “I don’t want to want you, D.”
Dahlia swallows, realizing the risk she’s about to take. There’s no going back now. Everything, for better or worse, will be different tomorrow. She reaches up and draws his face to her and crushes her lips against his.
Chapter 13
Rodrigo kisses her greedily. His tongue invades Dahlia’s mouth and strokes hers, filling her with need, with want. She opens her mouth a bit more, grazing his teeth with her tongue before moving to his lower lip. When she playfully bites his tongue, he grinds his hips into her and lets out a low hiss. “Is this really what you want, D?”
Dahlia moans into his mouth, letting her actions speak for her. Of course this is what she wants, here and now.
Following her cue, he lifts her leg around his hip, nearly causing her to lose her footing. She uses a shelf to regain her balance and another bottle falls to the ground. Rodrigo remains unfazed. He continues to grind into her, his lips traveling down her neck, sucking and biting as he goes. When he reaches the soft spot at the middle, he sucks hard, leaving a mark Dahlia knows she’ll find the next day. He’s rougher than he’s ever been, his anger and hurt driving them further in their pleasure. Dahlia brings her hands up, slips off his jacket and pulls his shirt back over his broad shoulders, tearing off a few buttons in the process. She leans down and runs her tongue down his neck to his chest and back up, alternating kissing and biting until she reaches his earlobe. She bites down and sucks so hard that he instinctively presses his hard cock against her.
Rodrigo pins Dahlia against the wall and pushes up her dress over her ass, squeezing and kneading with one hand while the other makes its way to her slick pussy. Dahlia gasps from the shock and pleasure of his fingers moving over her clit. “You’re so wet for me,” he says in a husky voice as he begins to trace her hole.
Dahlia loses herself in the rhythm of Rodrigo’s fingers, playing her as skillfully as he did the guitar. In one fluid movement he replaces his fingers with his cock, filling Dahlia so completely she’s pure sensation.
He starts slow, moving and rocking into her, rattling bottles as he goes. Rodrigo traces Dahlia’s lips with his forefinger. “Suck,” he groans, burying himself into her even deeper. She takes his finger into her mouth and sucks, tasting her need on him. The sight of her sucking turns him on more, and he begins to push into her faster and harder until he’s all she can feel. No more pain, no more anger. Just them in this cold dark space.
In an instant, Dahlia’s taken back to the last time they were together. Like now, he had her against the wall, stoking her fire, bringing her back to life. Back then, he was all she thought she ever wanted. Now, she realizes, like Shane, you can never go back. Dahlia’s eyes fly open. No, it’s not the same.
Rodrigo tightens his grip on her ass, the sound of their colliding flesh echoing off the walls. Dahlia holds onto him even tighter, feeling her release building. She bucks her hips, meeting him with every thrust. This time it is different. This isn’t about her pleasure or his for that matter. This is good-bye.
As if reading her thoughts, Rodrigo looks into her eyes, their love passing between them one final time. He smiles as he bites down on her lower lip. She closes her eyes and throws her head back, trying to relish these last moments with him.
“Ven por mi, cariña.”
Dahlia lets out a cry, her orgasm tearing through her, opening her heart to him. A few more hard thrusts and Rodrigo stills, exploding into her completely.
He leans his forehead against hers as silence fills the space between them. There’s nothing more to say. Rodrigo lets her down gently and lowers her dress. Dahlia takes in the scene, broken bottles and spilled wine around them. The sum total of their relationship—of her string of relationships—on the floor. She looks up at Rodrigo and offers a sly smile. Dahlia reaches out and touches his face. She’ll never again doubt how much she loves him.
Chapter 14
“What the hell are you doing here?” Dahlia says as she reaches the top of the stairwell.
Her mother, dressed in a stunning red and midnight blue plunging dress turns around. “Why darling, such a pleasure seeing you here.” She bends down for a kiss.
Dahlia leans away and winces. “I asked what the hell are you doing here? Don’t try playing mother dearest tonight. You weren’t supposed to come tonight.”
Poppy flinches. “It’s such an important night for your sister. We just couldn’t miss it.”
“Dad is here too?”
Her mother shakes her head. “No, he’s in the Hamptons. We figured we couldn’t be in two places at the same time, so we split the duties.”
“Duty,” Dahlia grunts. “That’s rich.” Dahlia looks around the foyer, grateful no one has noticed her mother’s arrival. She pulls her mother off to the side corridor. “Just leave. Now!”
Poppy starts to fuss with Dahlia’s hair. “Your hair is coming undone. You should just let it loose.”
The sound of footsteps interrupts her. She eyes Rodrigo coming up the same stairwell as Dahlia and raises an eyebrow at her. “I see you are back with your Cuban boy.”
Dahlia crosses her arms. “No, we’re not back together. I think you had better leave.” She grabs her mother’s arm.
Her mother shakes her arm free. “Let’s not d
o this tonight, Dahlia.” She hisses. Poppy turns and flashes a bright smile at Rodrigo who comes up behind them. “Rodrigo. So nice to see you again.” Then, noticing the wine stains on his shirt, says, “My, what happened here?” She places a hand on his chest.
Dahlia moves away her mother’s hand. “He’s fine, Mother. Now let me show you to the door.”
“Yes,” Poppy says, patting the lapel of Rodrigo’s jacket, “He seems just fine.”
“It’s quite a surprise seeing you here, Mrs. Baron.”
“Oh, Rodrigo, you can dismiss with the formalities. It’s Poppy, remember?”
He nods, mirroring Dahlia’s mother’s plastic smile. “Yes, that’s right. Poppy.”
Dahlia, standing behind her mother, waves at Rodrigo to cut it short and points to the door. He shakes his head. No way is he going to be the one to kick out Poppy Baron from this party.
Dahlia’s exasperated but knows he’s right. Damn his sense of decorum.
“So I see you and Dahlia have become reacquainted. I’ll just leave you two to do whatever it is you both were doing.” Poppy waves a hand toward the stairs.
“Did you just say you were leaving? Let me show you the door,” Dahlia says.
“Very well then,” Rodrigo offers, “It was good seeing you, Poppy. Hope next time, well, I guess it will be Lily and Alejandro’s wedding.” Looking down at his shirt, he lets out a small laugh. “Guess I should go change.” Rodrigo heads up a nearby flight of stairs Dahlia hadn’t noticed before.
“I’m not going until I see Lily and give Alejandro my best wishes.” Her mother continues.
“Your coming here is such a slap in the face, Mother,” Dahlia murmurs.
“Oh, like the one you gave me a couple of weeks ago, my dear?” Poppy narrows her eyes at Dahlia.
Dahlia takes a deep breath and tries to calm her nerves. “Tell you what,” she says. “You tell me where I can find Marissa, and I’ll let the rest go.”
The Dahlia Trilogy (The Gilded Flower Series) Page 15
