Yes.
“Where are we walking to?”
“Just along the beach. The storm has passed and the sun’s setting.”
Calandra arched a brow. “I thought you were busy with your father?”
“I was. But an entire day with him is more than enough.”
Finally, she reached out and took his hand. His fingers closed around hers for the second time in less than twenty-four hours as possession reared its head.
“Shall we?”
He managed to escort her out onto the back patio without dropping a kiss on her bare shoulder. Impressive, given that last night he’d locked himself in his suite with an erection so hard even stroking himself hadn’t helped. It had taken a very, very cold shower to cool his ardor.
And even that hadn’t stopped him from waking up with his hardness throbbing, muscles taut with desire.
If all he could do right now was hold her hand, then he would do it.
They walked along the beach, the sand still warm from the sun.
“If you’re free tomorrow, I’ve canceled my meeting with him.”
Her hand tightened in his. A quick glance at her face revealed nothing.
Then, finally, “I can make some time. Where are we going?”
“Somewhere.”
“Somewhere like...?”
“Somewhere like it’s a secret.”
Her customary roll of the eyes, but this time it was coupled with a small twitch of her lips.
Companionable silence descended, backlit by the ocean waves crashing onto the beach and the damp sand clinging to their bare feet. They circled a bleached hunk of driftwood and headed back toward the house.
“I met your father a couple years ago. I don’t recall him coming across as controlling or patronizing.”
Alejandro’s laughter sounded just like hispadre’s—sharp and harsh.
“No, he doesn’t. He presents one face to the ‘genteel world’ and another to those he thinks are beneath him. I fall into the latter category.”
“What makes you say that?”
Did she see the sudden rise in his chest as he breathed in deeply, trying to control the anger that was never far out of reach when he thought about Javier?
“He’s been breathing down my neck since I took over Cabrera Shipping. Every time I’ve brought upLa Reina, he points out every possible scenario where the whole plan falls apart. Never anything that could go right.”
Calandra frowned. “Perhaps he’s worried about you.”
This time his laughter rang out down the beach, startling a couple of seagulls who squawked in indignation and took flight.
“My father doesn’t get worried about me. He gets worried about three things—my mother, business and if I’m going to do something to embarrass him.”
Her frown deepened. “Have you embarrassed him often?”
“Oh, all the time,” he responded cheerfully. “It became a bit of a game in my Eton days. How far could I push him until he snapped.”