9. Alejandro

Chapter 9

Alejandro

I'm reclined on a beach chair, basking in the bright July sun, grateful for the view. A small boy has befriended Emily, and now they are seated at the water's edge, building a sandcastle.

The image will be forever seared into my brain.

Blonde hair shimmering in the sun.

Smooth, golden-brown skin.

A pink halter-top bikini.

An hourglass figure that makes me want to scratch out the eyes of every man who walks by and stares.

And a smile that steals my breath.

She is more than beautiful. She is a goddess.

From over her shoulder, she tosses a handful of sand my way. "We could use some help over here. Mateo says his hands are getting tired."

"He's speaking Spanish, mi vida . You do not know what he is saying." I chuckle.

"Technicalities." She ruffles the boy's hair.

The boy giggles. The sound, pleasant and pure, dances on the summer breeze.

Suddenly, I'm hit by a lightning bolt of thought with such force, I almost topple off the beach chair.

I want children.

With Emily.

A son.

A daughter.

Five. Ten. It doesn't matter. But I want to be a father.

I have to sit up straight because if I don't, I'm going to faint. My pulse races out of control. My thoughts are a wild, jumbled mess. I throw my hand over the center of my chest, certain my heart is convulsing from a seizure.

A father? Me?

Impossible.

I would never bring a child into the world to suffer what I went through. The loss of a loving mother so young. The shunning from a father who couldn't bear to look at his only child because he happened to be the spitting image of his mother…a daily reminder that haunted the man that the woman he loved more than life itself was forever gone and never coming back. The sadness. The oppressive loneliness.

No. I could never inflict that on a child.

But as I watch Emily play with Mateo, as I listen to her laughter mixed with his, I've never wanted a child more. Our son, or daughter, would have the spirit of a warrior. They would be charming. Intelligent. Full of wonder.

And my life would be full.

Full of happiness. Full of love.

I scrub my hand over my face, concerned I've been sitting in the sun too long. How could this woman cause me to do a 180 in such a short time? I've dated plenty of women over the years. Some for a night or two, others for a couple of months. I've never had a woman wheedle her way into my heart, burrow under my skin, and tunnel a hole right into my soul like Emily Taylor.

She is a spider.

And I'm the fly trapped in her web.

Yet she isn't even aware of her power. She has me wanting things that frighten me to death.

I don't have a clue how to stop it. And I'm not even sure I want it to end.

Feeling as though I've just been run over by a speeding freight train, I grab a bottle of water and drain the entire thing in one swallow.

"Mateo! Es hora de volver a casa !" Mateo's mother waves her hand in the air. " Gracias ." She smiles at Emily.

"What is she saying?" Emily adds more sand to the castle.

"It is time for him to go home. And she says thank you."

"Oh." Her pretty smile fades. "Tell him I had fun, and I think he's a very nice boy."

I deliver the message, and Mateo scampers off to his mother. I climb off the chair and stick out my hand. "Come, mi vida . Let us walk."

"Okay."

I help her to her feet. "Are you having a good day?"

"Yes. I'm having an amazing day, thanks to you." She kisses my cheek. "What about you? I feel guilty that you're not doing what you came to Madrid for."

"I'm doing exactly what I want to do, mi vida ." We walk along the water's edge, kicking our feet through the water. "I'm very happy."

"Good." She smiles up at me. "Me, too."

"Hey, would you like to play some volleyball? We need one more for our team." A man jogs across the sand, pointing at a volleyball net a few meters away. "You're tall. And you look like you might have a mean spike in you."

"No, sorry." I shake my head.

"Yes," Emily gushes. "He'd love to play."

"Awesome. Follow me."

He runs towards the net and Emily turns giving me one of her bright smiles. "I would like to watch you."

"Is that so?" I chuckle.

"It is so." She licks her lips. "A tall, hot, sweaty wolf. Yum."

"Then for you, I play." I give her a quick kiss. "What do I get if I win?"

"Why, me, of course." She beams.

I grab her hand, practically dragging her across the sand.

No matter what it takes, if my Emily is the prize, I'm going to win this game.