Page 46 of Midnight Surrender to the Spaniard

‘Good,’ he said, as if pleased their silent fight was over.

As she reached for a slice of chilled pineapple her hand hovered as she saw the opened passion fruit and the little spoons beside it, and the mixture of thinly sliced crisp green and ruby-red apples.

She watched his confident fingers move to pluck a ripe strawberry, and it was then that she spoke, her voice breathy and bewildered. ‘I’m very happy to be here.’

His olive-skinned fingers hesitated, and she watched as they took the tips of hers before he spoke. ‘Good.’

She looked at their hands, lightly touching. The contact stirred the energy trapped somewhere within her, drawing it out of her, yet at the same time returning it and matching his... It was like a circuit connecting.

‘Arewe fighting?’ she asked, honestly unsure.

‘You are,’ he said, and dropped the contact, taking up his strawberry and lying back against the headrest. ‘But it is not a fight of anger. Not any more.’

She looked at him and he stared back boldly, his black eyes telling her that the next move was hers. How badly she wanted to reach over and take his hand again! How much every cell in her body wanted to let him pull her towards him, to kiss him, to stroke him!

His bed was a mere few steps away...

‘I’m going in the water,’ Anna said abruptly as she stood.

Perhaps in the water she could breathe and cool her heated thoughts. She would welcome the return of her common sense.

Sebastián put his hands behind his head and watched her walk towards the ocean. He saw that her shoulders were pink, and although he admired the curve of her buttocks, and the length of her thighs, it was her gorgeous back that he prized...the tension in her straight spine...

As idyllic as the beach appeared, the clientele on such exclusive resorts were not always kind—especially if they felt that they had been slighted.

He heard the woman from this morning make a comment about cheap high street bikinis and pink skin that burned, and laugh at how the English girl would suffer for lying in the sun tonight...

It was all said in Spanish, however, the mocking tone was understood universally, and the derisive laughter from the group evident.

He saw Anna’s shoulders stiffen, her stride briefly hesitate, and he held his breath.

Yes, Anna had hesitated—because being laughed at on the beach told her what she already knew: she didn’t belong here.

She understood now that hewassupervising her. Kindly, but still...

From the sunblock to the water and fruit, he was trying to help her blend in, in this rather cruel world.

She resumed walking towards the water, even though she wanted to turn and run.

‘Anna!’

His voice reached her and the panic stilled.

‘Wait for me.’

Anna turned and watched as he walked towards her, taking in his sheer beauty. She noted that the mocking laughter had faded into incredulous silence, because he’d grasped her hand to walk with her, and then he gave her a kiss that told all present how beautiful he found her.

It was a light kiss, an easy kiss, and even though it was delivered for the purpose of annoying her detractors, Anna revelled in it.

It made her feel beautiful.

As they walked hand in hand into the water she felt as perfect and whole as she had that night in his arms.

But the water, Anna realised, could never have shocked common sense into her. Because instead of the cold seas she was familiar with, this one was warm bliss—there wasn’t even a yelp as the ocean met her stomach.

‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘For what?’

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