sun matched the deep, warm hue of his face. Yet it wasn’t so much the way he looked that made her heart stop for a second, only to gallop in a crazy rhythm afterward. A tangible energy hovered around him, pulling her in with an unstoppable force, her helpless senses assaulted with an overwhelming attraction. He was like the eye of a storm—calm yet dangerous as everything around him gravitated toward the center.
‘ Yes, please,’ she managed to answer, her voice husky and breathless as her blood rushed through her veins like a stream of hot lava. Confusion made her blush, her own unexpected reaction to the stranger shaking her to the core. Never in her life had she felt such a wondrous sense of magic weaving a net over her. She had known plenty of men—and dated a few, too.
Desperate to shake off her inappropriate and unexpected feelings, she smiled, grateful for his eyes going down to her foot and breaking eye contact.
‘I know I should have worn shoes . It was silly of me not to,’ she supplied, relieved to hear her voice sounding more normal as she went on. ‘It was just one wrong step, that’s all.’
‘ That’s exactly how it usually is.’ His long, slim fingers, gentle yet confident, probed her foot. ‘Plenty of people make the same mistake, though, if it helps.’
He looked up, a swift smile of reassurance curving his mouth upward as he sought her eyes.
‘Well, for me, it was the first time at the beach here.’ Smiling back, she shook her head in self-mockery. ‘I guess I can count it as a lesson for the future.’
‘A painful one, that’s for sure.’ He nodded, a wisp of his raven hair grazing his eyebrow and making her wish to brush it aside. ‘This thing should be removed, though, as fast as possible. Otherwise, it won’t heal properly, and you’ll be looking at a painful and long recovery.’ He watched her for a second, his eyebrows drawn into a straight line as he seemed to weigh the options. He must have realized how disheartening it sounded, because he smiled and added instantly, ‘I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself earlier. How very rude of me. The only excuse is that I was watching you trying to walk and worried about you. Everything else somehow became unimportant at that moment.’
He smiled again, and the goose bumps forming on her skin gave her the sudden premonition that something extraordinary was about to happen.
‘ I’m Raoul Santos, and it’s also my first time on this beach.’ His white teeth flashed in a grin, raising his appeal another hundred percent.
‘Kate Reeves. Nice to meet you.’ She smiled back, regaining some of her usual composure. Maybe the sensation of something special and pivotal happening was nothing more than just surprise at being talked to. Glad to find her confidence again, she continued, her voice playful, ‘I’m sure I must have looked quite unusual, hobbling around the sand like that.’ She wiggled her toes, gasping as the pain returned with full force. ‘No wonder you noticed.’
‘I noticed you even before, as I was walking by the first time.’ His calm response ruined her light joke, and the sudden seriousness of his dark gaze sent her pulse skyrocketing. ‘You were here with your friends before, no ? Where are they now?’
‘ At the bar.’ She pointed to the cabana.
He knitted his eyebrows together in disapproval. ‘They left you all alone, Kate?’ He shook his dark head. ‘It isn’t too safe for a beautiful woman like you to be all alone here. You can’t tell if some of the men looking for fun might find you easy prey, Kate.’
She was annoyed that he thought she was helpless and weak, as if she needed her friends to chaperone to survive a day at the beach. She wasn’t so desperate for help that she would allow this stranger to lecture her on the dangers that lurked around a woman the moment she happened to be by herself in broad daylight. Kate was twenty-two and had lived on her own for three years,
‘ Yes, please,’ she managed to answer, her voice husky and breathless as her blood rushed through her veins like a stream of hot lava. Confusion made her blush, her own unexpected reaction to the stranger shaking her to the core. Never in her life had she felt such a wondrous sense of magic weaving a net over her. She had known plenty of men—and dated a few, too.
Desperate to shake off her inappropriate and unexpected feelings, she smiled, grateful for his eyes going down to her foot and breaking eye contact.
‘I know I should have worn shoes . It was silly of me not to,’ she supplied, relieved to hear her voice sounding more normal as she went on. ‘It was just one wrong step, that’s all.’
‘ That’s exactly how it usually is.’ His long, slim fingers, gentle yet confident, probed her foot. ‘Plenty of people make the same mistake, though, if it helps.’
He looked up, a swift smile of reassurance curving his mouth upward as he sought her eyes.
‘Well, for me, it was the first time at the beach here.’ Smiling back, she shook her head in self-mockery. ‘I guess I can count it as a lesson for the future.’
‘A painful one, that’s for sure.’ He nodded, a wisp of his raven hair grazing his eyebrow and making her wish to brush it aside. ‘This thing should be removed, though, as fast as possible. Otherwise, it won’t heal properly, and you’ll be looking at a painful and long recovery.’ He watched her for a second, his eyebrows drawn into a straight line as he seemed to weigh the options. He must have realized how disheartening it sounded, because he smiled and added instantly, ‘I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself earlier. How very rude of me. The only excuse is that I was watching you trying to walk and worried about you. Everything else somehow became unimportant at that moment.’
He smiled again, and the goose bumps forming on her skin gave her the sudden premonition that something extraordinary was about to happen.
‘ I’m Raoul Santos, and it’s also my first time on this beach.’ His white teeth flashed in a grin, raising his appeal another hundred percent.
‘Kate Reeves. Nice to meet you.’ She smiled back, regaining some of her usual composure. Maybe the sensation of something special and pivotal happening was nothing more than just surprise at being talked to. Glad to find her confidence again, she continued, her voice playful, ‘I’m sure I must have looked quite unusual, hobbling around the sand like that.’ She wiggled her toes, gasping as the pain returned with full force. ‘No wonder you noticed.’
‘I noticed you even before, as I was walking by the first time.’ His calm response ruined her light joke, and the sudden seriousness of his dark gaze sent her pulse skyrocketing. ‘You were here with your friends before, no ? Where are they now?’
‘ At the bar.’ She pointed to the cabana.
He knitted his eyebrows together in disapproval. ‘They left you all alone, Kate?’ He shook his dark head. ‘It isn’t too safe for a beautiful woman like you to be all alone here. You can’t tell if some of the men looking for fun might find you easy prey, Kate.’
She was annoyed that he thought she was helpless and weak, as if she needed her friends to chaperone to survive a day at the beach. She wasn’t so desperate for help that she would allow this stranger to lecture her on the dangers that lurked around a woman the moment she happened to be by herself in broad daylight. Kate was twenty-two and had lived on her own for three years,
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