“Santi, I’m - close,” I tell him.

My jaw stutters as he angles his hips slightly, causing his cock to hit a deeper spot inside me that has me seeing stars.

“That’s it, baby,” he says in encouragement, using his grip on my hips to accentuate my movements. “Give me everything you’ve got. Want to feel you come for me, Olivia.”

I rock impossibly faster against him, and as he digs his heels into the sand, lifts his muscular thighs and begins to thrust in time with my rhythm, I tumble over the edge.

I practically shatter around him, clinging tightly to the material of his shirt in an attempt to ground myself as blinding heat fires through my entire body from head to toe.

As I ride out the waves of my orgasm, Santi continues to pound himself into me, his grip on my hips tight in order to keep me from falling as his hips snap upwards. It’s a testament to his excellent fitness, but I can barely appreciate any of it given that I’m practically floating from my second orgasm.

“You feel so good, baby -ah.So. Fucking. Good.”

Each word is punctuated with a harsh thrust of his hips, and finally, Santi empties himself deep inside me.

We sigh in unison as his throbbing cock releases his pleasure, and I keep our bodies connected as I fall against his broad, firm chest.

Santi releases his tight grip on my hips, and for a brief, fleetingmoment, I feel a rush of emptiness as he pulls away just enough. But then his arms slide around my shoulders, pulling me down with him, and a small, satisfied sound escapes my lips as he falls back against the sand.

The sound of the ocean fades into a soft, rhythmic hum in my ears as I settle against him.

The sand is cool beneath us, but his body is warm and solid as it presses against mine. His hands trace slow, deliberate movements along my back, and I sink into him fully.

Time doesn’t seem to matter here. It’s just this perfect moment, suspended between the dark sky and the endless ocean.

Eventually, I raise my head slightly, my lips grazing his jaw before I look down at him. His eyes are closed, his face relaxed in a way that makes my heart flutter.

There’s something so real about him, something that feels raw and genuine, and for the first time in a long time, I wonder if I might be ready to let myself fall completely.

“You okay?” he asks.

I smile as I look into his now-open eyes. “Yeah,” I breathe, my voice quiet but certain. “More than okay.”

He chuckles, his thumb tracing over the curve of my shoulder.

I feel it again: that familiar pull to him. Like an invisible thread drawing me closer.

He shifts, pulling me in impossibly tighter, and I come to rest against his chest once more. The sound of his steady heartbeat is both comforting and relaxing, and my fingers dance over his shirt, wishing the night was warm enough that we didn’t need to wear clothes.

“You’re incredible, Olivia,” he murmurs, his words like a caressagainst the quiet air.

I smile into the darkness, my fingers curling into his shirt as I settle in. "So are you."

Tonight, I don't want to think. I don’t want to overanalyse. All I want is this moment with him - myboyfriend -on this beautiful beach under the Spanish sky.

As though he can read my mind, one of Santi’s large hands moves to cup my face, and he gently maneuvers my chin upwards so that he can kiss me for what has to be at least the hundredth time this evening.

This time, our kiss is slow and deep.

We stay there for a good while longer, the pair of us half-dressed and tangled up in each other on the beach. The stars above us continue to shimmer, silent witnesses to our embrace, and when we finally part, I feel lighter than I have in months.

Chapter Twenty

The first hints of summer are beginning to show. The days are longer and warmer, and my students are actively counting down until their end of year break. There’s lots of chatter about holidays - where they’ll be going and what they’ll be doing - though I wish they’d think a little more about their end-of-year exams.

With only a few weeks left of the school term, everything feels like it’s rushing toward some inevitable end.

Since he asked me to be his girlfriend, Santi and I have fallen into an easy rhythm; but even in our quieter moments, his world still feels so much bigger than mine.