Page 1 of Entangled With You

Prologue

Matías Moreno

Playa Blanca, Colombia

June, Four Years Ago.

The buzz of the alcohol running through my veins keeps me happy, inhibited, and aroused. I’ve been eyeing Cattleya all night long; she’s by far the prettiest girl at the party. Hell, who am I kidding? The prettiest girl I’ve seen in my life.

She’s dancing, a halter dress tight to her upper body with a flowy skirt; it’s a flower print of some sort, but it looks like she’s floating whenever she moves. I’m hypnotized by her beauty and charisma—her girlfriends surrounding her. There’s Sofi, her sister, and Karina, who’s engaged to my friend Luca. Daniela is out there, too. She’s the one who just married my friend Marco.

The sway of Cattleya’s hips and her luscious ass call to me like a mermaid chant lures sailors to bed. I know I shouldn’t ogle her; she’s sweet and pure, innocence oozing from her pores. The complete opposite of me and my fucked up life.

But I can’t stop thinking about her. Last night, when she knocked on the door of my bungalow, asking if I wanted to have dinner with her, I was in shock. I didn’t think she had noticed me at all this week. I almost said no, but when I looked at those warm amber eyes, I couldn’t resist—I saw hope and glee—something I have rarely experienced in my life.

We ended up chatting until the morning, sitting by the ocean and sharing a bottle of champagne. We watched the most spectacular sunrise together. I wish I could have frozen that moment and stayed there forever; for some reason, I felt complete. But we had a wedding to prepare for, so here we are.

“Hey, boludo, are you going to keep ogling her, or are you going to man up and ask her to dance?” Luca asks, sitting beside me and making me jump off my chair. The asshole laughs at me, but since I get lost in thought often, he likes to take the chance to scare the shit out of me.

“What are you talking about? You almost made me have a heart attack,” I say, trying to save face in front of the most fachero of our group. Luca could be a snake charmer if he wanted.

“Nah, don’t play dumb with me. We all have seen how you look at Sofi’s sister. You’ve been like a lost puppy all week, hanging around her. Trying to stay on the edge of her radar.”

“Dude, stop. I’m not into anyone,” I say with more force than necessary, but I don’t want him to meddle in my life. What if I go there, and she thinks I’m a perv? What if she has caught me looking at her this week? No. No way.

“He’s right. You know?” Marco says as he sits on my other side.

“What the fuck is wrong with you all? Look, I’m thrilled you both found love and all that shit, but you know love is not for me,” I say as I go for a shot of aguardiente, trying to put an end to this conversation by enjoying the intense anise flavor of the Colombian drink.

“Who’s talking about love? All I’m saying is you should go dance with her. If you don’t, Juan Carlos will,” Luca says with a shit-eating grin.

I turn my head toward the dance floor, to see Juan Carlos dancing with Alicia and Sara, the twin sisters Luca and Karina invited from Chile to help with the flowers and the wine at the wedding.

“Nah, his hands are full. Plus, Cattleya is only eighteen. I’m sure he wouldn’t go there,” I say as I go for a handful of nuts.

“Ah, so that’s what the issue is. You think she’s too young? I mean, I haven’t spoken much with her, but she seems like a girl who’s wise beyond her years,” Marco says as he eyefucks his bride.

“Shouldn’t you be consummating your marriage or something like that?” I ask him, causing both him and Luca to explode in a fit of laughter.

“I will consummate my marriage. You don’t need to worry about that. I have a lifetime with her. You, on the other hand, you need to get your head out of the gutter and go dance with the mina who is driving you crazy,” Marco says as he gives me a pat on my back and stands up, making his way to his bride. The way they’re looking at each other, I hope they leave the party soon; otherwise they’ll be consummating right in front of all the guests.

“Fine, so long as you both leave me alone,” I say as I stand up from my chair and take one more shot of aguardiente. I readjust my shirt, ruffle my hair, and straighten my shoulders. After one deep breath, I head toward the dance floor.

“That’s what I’m talking about, boludo. Let’s go,” Luca says as he falls into step with me.

The moment Karina sees him, she screeches and makes a run for him. She’s shit-faced, but Luca is ready to grab her in his arms and spin her on the dance floor.

“Hola,” I say as I reach Cattleya, who’s suddenly alone since Sofi, Karina, and Dani are dancing with their men.

“Hey,” she says, a small chuckle escaping her lips. She smiles at me as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, and I’m entranced. It happens every single time I’m near her; it’s like my neurons freeze. Being alone with her is something I thought wouldn’t make a difference, but she’s different—the feeling is different.

“A bailar, a bailar. (Dance, dance.)” Someone shouts, and Cattleya closes the space between us, placing her forearms on my shoulders.

“Suavemente” by Elvis Crespo plays, and although I’ve danced before, I’ve never danced with a mina I’m so fucking into. There’s a nice breeze coming from the ocean, but I’m sweating like a motherfucker. She has me on edge; it’s like I don’t know how to act when I’m around her. I’m constantly thinking that I’m going to fuck it up or that she’s going to dismiss me after she sees how much I suck.

“It’s okay, we don’t have to do any crazy steps. You know? We can just dance on the spot, swaying our hips,” Cattleya says in that accent of hers, and my dick gets harder.

Blowing out a breath, I place my hands on her waist and start swaying my hips, just like she told me to. She makes it look so easy, but the truth is, I have no rhythm.

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