Plain Return (The Plain Fame Series Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

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    With one arm around her waist and the fingers of his left hand entwined with those of her right, he maneuvered her slowly throughout the large room, toward the sliding doors that led to the deck. The music was soft and the singer Spanish. Alejandro sang along with the song, alternating between looking over her shoulder, as if lost in his thoughts, and gazing down at her.
    She pressed her left cheek against his shoulder and shut her eyes. The motion of the boat combined with the slow movement of his dance caused her to sigh. She felt lighter than air. Or mayhaps it was the few sips of champagne, she admitted to herself.
    The pressure of his hand on the small of her back increased. “Why the sigh, Princesa?”
    She lifted her head and looked up at him. “I’m content, Alejandro.”
    “Um,” he said and slowed down. “Just . . . content?”
    “Is that a bad thing?”
    He shrugged. “I’d rather you be happy, no?” He took a step backward and lifted his arm, the motion indicating that she should turn. When she did, he grabbed her waist and dipped her backward, the gesture swift and surprising to her. “And I know what might make you happy.”
    With his hips still swaying, he leaned down and kissed her lips. She released her hands from his and let them run up his chest and over his shoulders, wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt her feet rise off the ground as he picked her up and slowly moved backward, heading toward the spiral staircase that led to the lower floor where the master bedroom suite was located.
     
    When she awoke on Sunday morning to the noise of boat engines and cries of seagulls drifting through the open window, it took her a minute to realize where she was. Alejandro was already gone, his place beside her vacated. She touched the pillow where, hours before, he had slept, a slight indent left behind. The memory of the previous night caused her to smile to herself, and she pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she shut her eyes and felt a warm glow spread throughout her body.
    After dressing and fixing her hair, she padded barefoot up the stairs. She heard his voice before she saw him, dressed in white and seated near the sliding glass doors, a cup of steaming coffee in one hand and his other arm resting along the back of the brown leather sofa. Across from him were two men she did not recognize. They, too, seemed relaxed as they drank coffee and spoke in Spanish to Alejandro. There was always someone around Alejandro, it seemed.
    He must have sensed her for he looked up and smiled, gesturing with his free hand. “Princesa! The day is half over! Come and meet Paolo and Eddie. You will see a lot of them over the next two months.”
    When she blushed and lowered her eyes, he chuckled.
    “Ven aqui,” he repeated as if coaxing a child and not his wife.
    Obediently, she crossed the floor, and when he patted the seat next to him, she sat and crossed her ankles beneath her.
    “Paolo will be overseeing the equipment setup and teardown,” Alejandro explained, pointing to the older of the two men. He was a lean man with square shoulders and a small, pencil-thin, black mustache, something that Amanda immediately disliked. But his eyes were kind and he reached out his hand to shake hers.
    “Good to meet you,” he said, his thick accent making it hard for her to understand him.
    Alejandro indicated the other man. “And Eddie, the tour manager. He will make certain everything runs smooth.”
    Eddie, too, leaned forward to shake her hand. Unlike Paolo’s, Eddie’s build reminded her of Alejandro’s. His broad shoulders and dark skin made her wonder if they might be related. They could certainly pass as cousins, that was for sure and certain.
    “Mucho gusto,” he said, his accent resembling Alejandro’s more than it did Paolo’s.
    “Are you related?” she asked.
    Alejandro grinned. “I knew that you would see a resemblance,” he said. “Everyone says