Free Alejandro by Renee LaRuse Page B

with my bitchy demands.”
    “No, no. This needed to happen. Who knows how long it’s gonna take to sort out my company’s mess. I may have put you on hold so long that I would’ve ruined my chances with you. That is something I would regret the rest of my life. Clearly there is something special between us.” He gazed into her brown eyes.
              A dopey smile spread across her glossed lips. “This feels like a dream.”
              His starry eyes trailed away from her face for the first time and he noticed the pinwheel in her hand. He tilted his head in curiosity. “What’s that for, cariño ?”
              “It’s for you.” She handed it to him like a bashful toddler sharing a lollipop.
              “Ohhh, I see. UnEarthly. We are total nerds, Veronica.” He grinned. “Thank you. I have something for you, too.” He scooped the gift bag up from the ground and pushed it across the table to her.
              Veronica yanked the tissue paper out of the bag to get to the prize. “Awww!” It was a stuffed animal. A horse the color of a traffic cone.
              “Your favorite color and your favorite animal.”
              “I love it!” She hugged it to her chest. The stuffed animal seemed to nuzzle her neck as she cuddled it closer. “Horsie.”  She stuck her tongue out at him.
              “You are so cute.”
    She chuckled. “Thank you.”
    Alejandro beckoned for Veronica to give him her hand. Once he had her soft hand in the protection of his rough palm, he visibly relaxed. “I was so worried that this meeting would not be this way. After so many dating disappointments, you know?”
    “I know what you mean.”
    He squeezed her hand and admired her a moment. “I’m sorry.” He abruptly stood up from his chair. “I hope you understand that I really need to hold you right now.”
    Veronica breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly popped up from her chair. In the middle of the outdoor restaurant he took her into his arms. She melted against his firm chest and hid from the sunlight against the side of his neck. Everything around them, the people seated at all the tables, the hotel, the beach, it all disappeared. Only his cologne, his solid arms, his heartbeat, the feel of his stubble against her cheek, and the palpable sensual aura of an affectionate respectful man remained in Veronica’s awareness.
    Alejandro only perceived her intoxicating softness and sweet smelling skin, the warmth that emanated from a woman who was beautiful inside and out, and a nervous excitement in his chest he hadn’t experienced since high school. “Mmm. My curvy Amazon woman,” he whispered against her ear and hugged her waist tighter to lift her off of her feet.
    Veronica giggled, eyes brimming with happy tears. He lowered her to the earth again. Their cheeks grazed one another’s as they slowly parted, but, overtaken by their urges, they couldn’t separate. Their lips met. They relaxed into the kiss, taking the first hit of the drug that was one another. Addicted in an instant, hooked for a lifetime.  
    A little boy at a table nearby called out. “Cool! Mommy! I seen a shark just now!”
    Startled by the reality of their surroundings, Veronica broke away from Alejandro with her face and ears hot with a blush.
     “No, Bobby,” the boy’s mother explained. “That was just the crest of a wave.”
    “Water can’t have a crust, Mommy!”
    Alejandro chuckled as he kissed Veronica on the cheek. “Let’s enjoy the food now and enjoy each other later.” Like a true gentleman, he pushed in her chair for her as she sat down again, but his hunger for physical contact broke through his polite manner; he could not stop himself from kissing her on the neck before going back to his seat. The food was flavorful and the drinks extra sweet. After lunch, the couple left the gift bag at the concierge desk and then went for a walk on the beach, not once