Page 135 of Dream Chaser

I stretched lazily, rose from the towel, and padded to the edge of the water, dusting sand off my sunscreen-lathered skin.

Waves curled, then rushed to the shore, breaking as they crashed against the rocks.

Squinting, I tried to find Alejandro. My heart did an excited flip when I spotted him among other surfers, balancing on the shifting wall of blue. The wave curled behind him, folding into itself with a roar.

As he faced the beach, I waved at him. He made a come here motion with his finger, and I shook my head, laughing. He’d tried to teach me to surf this morning. My muscles still ached from failed attempts at keeping my balance.

A few minutes later, he emerged from the water, the board under his arm, and his lips split into a grin.

“I filmed you,” I said as he stopped in front of me, running his fingers through his wet hair. “Impressive skill.”

He dropped the board and cupped my face. “Gracias. What can I do to convince you to surf with me tomorrow?”

“I thought you’d give up after seeing how bad I am.”

“Not bad.” He pushed a strand behind my ear, his wet knuckles brushing my cheek. “You just need more practice.”

“Okay. I guess we could negotiate.”

Alejandro chuckled. “Sometimes it scares me how fast you learn.”

I loved the playful negotiation with him. But the one that’d give me my freedom back was the one that mattered, and I’d failed at it. The reminder lingered in the corners of my mind like a stormy cloud, ruining the perfect beach day.

I didn’t want to spend my romantic vacation thinking about the divorce, but Edward had sent Preston’s lawyer a new settlement offer yesterday. The answer would come any day now.

“Nova?” Alejandro’s concerned eyes met mine.

I picked up my coral linen dress from the towel and slipped it on. “All good. Are you sure you don’t mind visiting the craft market later?”

Alejandro toyed with the key fob to our truck. “Of course I don’t. Let’s shower and go.”

We headed for the rental parked under the palm trees. Once inside, I buckled up and checked my phone. The new marketing manager of NitroFlow would be calling today to introduce himself.

“What happened to leaving work at home like your boss asked?” Alejandro said with a smile, starting the truck.

“How did you know it was work?”

His warm hand curled around my thigh. “Your cute frown. I want you to rest. You need it.”

“I only gave my personal cell to NitroFlow. Promise. See?” I waved my phone. “Not the work one.”

Alejandro raised a brow. I blew him a kiss and slipped the phone into my raffia bag.

Lush greenery sparkled in rays of the evening sun as he drove to the villa.

An hour later, we strolled past clusters of tourists congregated by the rows of fair booths selling everything from clothes to jewelry. Reggae music and chatter in several languages filled the air. Alejandro tightened his grip on my hand as if he feared I’d get lost in the crowd.

I kissed his cheek. “Mind if I go look at the jewelry?”

“Not at all. Let’s see what they have.”

A dark-haired, older woman smiled as we stopped by her booth. I ran my fingers over the display of seashell bracelets.

“Pick anything you like,” Alejandro whispered, kissing the top of my head.

“I can pay, you know?”

He hummed. “So can I. Choose.”