Free Catch Me in Castile by Kimberley Troutte

hooking mine like a dream. He was good, really good, and together we sizzled. He was so smooth, so elegant, so…sexy.
    I let go of my inhibitions and our movements went from innocent to the R-rated version, dipping closer and closer to X. It was exhilarating and, as Maria would say, h-o-t . When the rumba started, his hands slid further down until his thumbs rested on my hipbones. My pelvis swiveled under his fingers. I had the crazy desire to slide his hands lower, lower, until he caressed my…
    When a few onlookers clapped, Santiago’s cheeks colored. “Would you like to rest?”
    Um, not exactly what I wanted to do at the moment. “Sure.”
    We sat at a small table a few feet off the floor and watched the others dance. I gloated. None of them could cut the rug nearly as well as we did.
    A large open-mouthed vase filled with floating pink candles sat in the middle of the table between us. Candlelight glowed in his eyes. I toyed with the base of my champagne flute, trying to control myself. Somehow simple things, like breathing, were more difficult when he looked at me like that.

    Serena was shocked and thrilled to find herself at some sort of a ball. Wandering through the crowd, she searched for familiar faces. She did not recognize a soul. The music was so loud it hurt her ears and reverberated through her entire body. When she put up her hands to block the sound, she bumped a man carrying a silver tray loaded with food morsels.
    “ Perdón ,” she said.
    The man did not answer and the tray did not waver. Strange, he acted as if he hadn’t seen her at all.
    Erin sat at a round table gazing lovingly into the face of a handsome nobleman.
    Ah, he is her love. Serena made her way to Erin’s side.

    “You worked with Maria?” Santiago asked.
    “I am…was…am a stockbroker.” I laughed. “It’s a little confusing right now. I’m taking a break from it all.” I sat back. “Call it a vacation.”
    “Ah,” was his polite answer. He probably suspected I’d been canned. I let him think whatever he wanted. Somehow being fired from my job would have been better than losing my mind, heart, and soul to it.
    “It’s a difficult business, especially for a woman.”
    My hackles rose. “For a woman ?”
    His eyebrows rose to match my tone. “It’s not?”
    “It’s a hard business for many. A woman dedicated to succeeding in her career can handle it just fine.”
    “You’re a career woman.”
    “I most certainly am—hey, watch out!” A fist to my shoulder blade rudely cut off my thoughts. Spinning around in my chair, I was ready to scream at the brute who had the audacity to sock a woman in the back. Oddly, no one was there.
    Dear God, I’m imagining things?
    “Are you all right?” he asked.
    Facing him again, my hackles had gone down, replaced by goose bumps all over my skin. “Did you see who hit me in the—?” I closed my mouth.
    His dark eyebrows hitched up in confusion.
    No, I scolded myself, Stick to Plan 3 in my Get a Life Journal—don’t go crazy.
    “Nothing.” The old fight to stand up for myself and my gender was gone. I sighed. “To answer your question, I’m trying to be all right. Sometimes…it’s hard.”
    Emotion I couldn’t decipher passed over his face. “I know.”
    He had his own hardships to bear. I wasn’t about to drop mine in his lap. “Santiago, all I want to be right now is on vacation. I need a break from my life. When I get home, I’ll try to sort out what I want to be when I grow up.”
    “Fair enough.” He still eyed me suspiciously. “How long will you be staying?”
    “Trying to get rid of me already?” I teased, but thought it might be true.
    “No. How long will we be fortunate to have your company?”
    “Ah, a charmer you are. My condo is rented out for the summer, so I have three months to play around. I’ll probably travel Spain a bit. See the sights.”
    “Why don’t you stay here the whole time?” His mouth opened in surprise as if he