I'll have some pão de queijo,” she added, wanting to try their cheese rolls that were made with tapioca starch and grated cheese. “I'd also like a glass of white wine.”
Trevor closed his menu. “I'll also have your seafood platter and some pão de queijo. However, bring me a glass of Brazilian brandy.” Before the waiter walked off, he added. “And bring me some malagueta with my meal.”
Corinthians shook her head. “Do you put hot sauce on practically everything you eat?”
“Just about,” he answered, meeting her gaze. An uncomfortable silence grew between them. “I didn't mean to snap at you earlier, Corinthians,” Trevor finally said. “But today has been one hell of a day.”
“You can say that again,” she said, taking a sip of water.
“Today has been one hell of a day.”
Corinthians tried swallowing back the laughter that formed in her throat, but couldn't, and laughed despite not wanting to. She was glad they were the only ones out on the balcony.
“Thanks,” she said afterward. “I needed that. And thanks for your help today. I don't know what I would have done had you not shown up.”
She looked at him thoughtfully. “I'm really curious to know just why you were there.”
Trevor's hand tightened on his glass, needing to feel something cool against his skin. Corinthians's laugh had been a breathy, sensuous sound that had made his body feel heated. “I was doing the same thing you were doing, taking a tour of the city. I told you at dinner yesterday that I was coming here today. I even suggested that we come together.”
Corinthians nodded, remembering that conversation, then wishing she hadn't. “What time did you leave Rio?”
“Around ten. I got a late start because I requested a change in hotel rooms. Evidently the couple in the room next to mine are on their honeymoon. Their constant squeaking bed keeps me awake at night.” He didn't add that it also reminded him of what he'd been missing.
Corinthians shook her head, smiling, not sure if he was joking or telling the truth about the amorous couple. At that moment the waiter returned with their drinks and appetizers.
“What made you decide to go into the Marines?” Corinthians asked after eating a pão de queijo and taking a sip of wine.
“I heard they were looking for a few good men, and I was cocky enough to believe that meant they were definitely looking for me.”
Corinthians rolled her eyes. The man didn't lack any self-confidence. She looked at him speculatively. “I can see you as a Marine.”
“Why?”
“Because you're hard.”
Trevor smiled. She was right about that, but not in the way she had meant. He shifted around in his seat to ease the hard ache in the lower part of his body. “Marines aren't hard,” he said smoothly. “They're tough. There's a difference.”
Corinthians didn't think so, but decided not to tell him that. The man who had faced those two men in McDonald's that day had been both hard and tough. “I still don't understand how you did it,” she said.
“How I did what?”
“How you got those guys to back off without saying one word to them.”
Trevor took a sip of his brandy. “There're a number of ways to communicate. One is without words, but with the use of eye contact. People can read what you want them to know just by looking into your eyes. Another way is with body language. I used both eye contact and body language today. Those guys read me loud and clear. There was no mistake in what I was nonverbally telling them.”
Corinthians nodded. “Weren't you afraid?”
“For you, yes. For myself, no. A Marine has no fear. It's not in our mind-set.”
The waiter then returned with their entrées. Over lunch he told her more about the Marines and his decision to enlist. He told her how he had skipped college and entered the service. The recruiter that had come to his high school had offered him the chance to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a world traveler. He eventually got his college degree while in the Marines, serving his country for more than fifteen years.
What he didn't tell her was that he'd been so broken up over his parents' separation that he had needed to get away, and the Marines had provided him that escape. And what he had found was another family; a close-knit group of men and women who were ready, willing and able to fight for and defend their country.
After their meal the waiter brought over the check. Trevor paid for it.
“You didn't have to do that,” Corinthians said. “You've done enough already.”
Just wait until you get back to the hotel and find out what else I've done, Trevor thought as he stood from his seat. “Hasn't anyone ever told you that a woman shouldn't turn down a free meal from a man?”
Corinthians smiled. “No, probably because any smart woman knows that nothing is free, especially if it comes from a man. There are usually a few strings attached.”
Trevor chuckled. “Trust me, there are no strings attached, so relax.”
When they returned to the car, he said, “How about if we tour the rest of the city together?”
Corinthians grinned. “So there weren't any strings attached, huh?” She thought about it for a second then said, “How can I say no after you've fed me so well? You certainly can't be any more of a nuisance than those two men at McDonald's.”
Trevor laughed. “Gee, I hope not.”
They visited the São Paulo Museum of Art and spent some time in a number of the upscale shopping centers that were all over town. They even visited the Butanta Institute Snake Farm and went to a horse race at the Jockey Club.
It was late afternoon when they decided to call it a day and catch a flight back to Rio so they could be well rested for the research summit the next day.
“I'm walking you to your room,” Trevor said when they both stepped inside the hotel's elevator.
“That's not necessary,” she assured him, appreciating the offer. Although she didn't want to admit it, that episode in São Paulo had her still somewhat shaky. She knew she would be fine once she got a good night's sleep, and put the incident out of her mind. She still wasn't too keen on the idea of Trevor knowing where her room was located. She shrugged. She was probably being silly in trying to hide it from him anyway. It wasn't like he would force his way into her room or something.
“I know it's not necessary to walk you to your room, but I'll feel better if I do,” he said when she punched the button for the fifth floor. “And we've both agreed that it's been one hell of a day.”
Once they reached her room door, Corinthians turned to him. Their eyes met and held for a long moment before she broke contact by reaching down and taking her shopping bag out of his hands. “Thanks for carrying this. And thanks again for coming to my rescue today.”
Trevor took a step forward, sandwiching Corinthians between him and the door. He reached out and let his fingers stroke the silken skin of her cheek. “It was my pleasure,” he said huskily.
Corinthians's breath caught in response to the sensuality of Trevor's touch. She took a step back and found herself pressed firmly against the door. “I need to go inside,” she heard herself saying to him.
“Invite me in.”
Trevor's whispered plea was tempting. Too tempting, Corinthians thought. “I can't,” she said, taking a deep breath and pushing away from the support of the door frame. Since Trevor didn't move back an inch, her movement brought her body right smack up against his. The sudden body contact was electrifying, arousing, stirring. It released fire, quickly followed by desire. The fire between them was hot and intense. The desire, strong and unyielding.
Trevor