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“Forgive us for coming on a touch too strong.” Ty’s smile was so warm and genuine it was almost comforting. “We’re just pleased as punch that Sam met someone so accomplished and motivated. She needs that little extra spark, you know?”
“Oh, please.” Tito waved at his husband dismissively. “I’m sure she’s contended with worse than a couple of enthusiastic old queens.”
“Old?” Ty gave Tito a side-eye, but it was openly playful. “Speak for yourself. I’m vintage chic, babe.”
Natalia smiled at Ty, an unfamiliar sentiment welling within her. If the rest of Samantha’s family was a nightmare, at least she’d be able to find refuge in these two. Jesus, what was she thinking? These weren’t her friends. This wasn’t her place.
“Anyway, we’ll let you get back to work.” Ty guided a beaming Tito away. “So lovely to finally meet you, Natalia. We’ll see you at dinner!”
Staring after them, Natalia was struck by their simple display of affection. It awakened bittersweet longings she preferred to keep buried.
With effort, she shook it off and hurried to her room, bolstering herself before facing the outgoing Reyes clan again. Their easy warmth threatened her equilibrium — she refused to let it slip by her defenses a second time.
Natalia stepped into the villa, relieved to find it empty. She needed a moment alone to gather herself after the unexpected interaction with Samantha’s uncles.
This intimate family weekend had been a mistake — she resolved to get her own room after dinner and leave first thing in the morning.
Before she could strategize a subtle exit, the bathroom door opened. Sam emerged fresh from the shower, towel around her waist and damp hair slicked back. Natalia’s mouth went dry at the sight of all that exposed, toned skin.
“There you are!” Samantha greeted her with a megawatt smile. “I missed you this afternoon. How was the script?”
Natalia stared wordlessly, pulse kicking as she followed a bead of water running down Samantha’s modest chest. Visions of licking it away flooded her mind unbidden.
Get a grip, she commanded herself harshly. She forced her eyes up to meet Samantha’s, but that was a mistake, too. The open affection there cracked her composure all over again.
“It was fine,” she managed tightly.
“I hoped you’d be back before I finished in the shower,” she said with a wicked grin.
Natalia couldn’t find the words to tell her that she didn’t do that. It was beside the point and Natalia didn’t trust her words. She needed space. Needed to breathe.
“I have to shower,” she said before striding toward the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
Heart hammering like the one time she was tricked into taking a spin class, Natalia laid her damp palms flat against the cold marble of the double sink.
Get it together, Natalia, Jesus. It’s just one little family dinner. You survived a thirty-million-dollar box office flop. How bad could this be?
She didn’t spare a glimpse at herself in the mirror before peeling off her clothes and stepping into the shower, tiles still hot and thrumming with the scent of Samantha’s body wash.
CHAPTER 31
The extended Reyes clan — along with some friends that were close enough to count as family — took over the resort’s private dining room. Three long tables of ten arranged around a tiny dance floor. Thirty people all talking too loudly and laughing too much.
And then there was Natalia. Seated next to her at the table with her parents and uncles, Sam was sure that Natalia was both tipsy and as comfortable as when getting an invasive body wax.
It was obvious that something had rattled her when she’d been alone, but Sam couldn’t figure out what. Maybe it was a work thing, but that didn’t ring true.
Arm resting over the back of Natalia’s chair, Sam leaned in close. “Food okay?”
Natalia, makeup impeccable, and white dress agonizingly sexy, looked at her through a polite mask. It was the kind of expression she’d worn when they first met. Silicone and missing the usual fire beneath the surface.
“Yes,” Natalia replied, offering nothing.
Sam tipped her head forward and accepted the lie. She hadn’t considered that Natalia would have a bad time with her family. In fifty years, she hadn’t met anyone who didn’t like them.
They were warm and welcoming, but maybe overwhelming in number. Sam didn’t know how long ago Natalia’s parents had passed, but maybe it had been a long time since she’d been around a big family. Sam was so used to it, she couldn’t tell if it was too much.
“Natalia, another vodka soda? Double lime?” Tito asked in Spanish while getting up, finger pointed to Natalia’s empty glass.
