Page 48 of His Innocent for One Spanish Night

‘Gracias,’she said to the barman, who knew her by now, of course, and smiled when she ordered a diet cola.

‘Why aren’t you dancing?’ he asked.

‘Soon!’ Emily said, and then offered by way of explanation, ‘I’ve only just finished work.’

‘Hola.’

She heard a male voice, but knew without turning her head that it wasn’t Alejandro.

‘You’re not dancing?’ the man asked.

‘No.’ Emily flashed a polite smile. ‘Perhaps later.’

‘Would you like another drink?’

‘No, thank you,’ Emily said.

Not that it stopped him from trying to make conversation.

His name was Fernando and, if she was being completely honest, a couple of weeks ago she’d have been both thrilled and embarrassed to be chatted up by this man. Her rock-bottom ego would have glowed as red as her cheeks at Fernando’s skilled flirting.

Now, though, she felt numb.

Just utterly numb as he moved his stool a little closer and told her how gorgeous her outfit was.

‘I love to see a woman dressed in bright colours...’

Emily looked down at her hastily put-together outfit. It was just so not her—and neither was sitting on a bar stool next to a stranger.

It had felt so easy when she’d sat in thetabernawith Alejandro. So simple to make her way to his table and simply enjoy the night.

Now all she felt was a little less numb and possibly a little bit sad...

And then the man she really wanted to flirt with unexpectedly walked in, and her ego glowed a little at the thought that she wasn’t sitting alone at the bar.

Alejandro was carrying a large, flat white box under his arm and walking briskly towards his residence, not wanting to get waylaid in conversation. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw blonde curls and glanced over. His reaction was purely mental, but it felt so physical it was like a punch low in the guts as he saw Emily’s pretty face turn to her admirer.

What the hell...?

It was none of his business, though he’d been about to make it so.

He tossed the box down on to a table and gestured to the bar staff for a drink.

They were startled into attention, unused to the boss taking an aperitif in the courtyard, particularly during a dance lesson. Usually he’d be punching out two headache tablets from a blister pack on his way past, rather than taking a seat.

Not tonight.

‘Gracias,’he said to the barman as his drink was placed down, but though he was polite his eyes never left Emily and her newfriend.

She was leaning forward to catch whatever it was he’d just said, and Señorita Seria seemed to have discovered how to laugh, because she kept throwing her head back and laughing, when Alejandro knew that Fernando wasn’t in the least funny.

Now she was swirling her straw in her glass, just blatantly flirting...

He could take it no more and walked over.

‘Emily?’ She felt Alejandro tap her shoulder. ‘Do you have a minute?’

‘I’m actually at a dance class.’

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