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Chapter Fifteen
The restaurant was situated right on the beach so we only had to cross the street and walk a few steps to get there. Had it been longer than that, I’d have protested since I wasn’t used to walking such distances with four-inch heels. Impractical, yes,very. But what the hell; I was on vacation.
I took in the sight before me. String lights surrounded the open restaurant. A pleasing smile played about my lips, loving the first moments of being in this city already.
Then, out of the blue, Juan knelt on his knees, shocking me.
“Uh, what in God’s name are you fucking doing?” I hissed at him as I scanned the crowd, embarrassed to the core.
“I’m not about to make a fool of ourselves. I’m just taking your shoes off, okay? I don’t expect you to walk in sand with those shoes, unless of course you have some super powers I need to know about?”
Okay, had hewarnedme first, then I wouldn’t have freaked out like a total moron.
Without glancing down at him, I tried to show composure by straightening my shoulders. “You like to mess with me too much. Cut it out!” Juan’s playful nature grated on the wrong side of me. I was already edgy where he was concerned. It was like he wanted to see how far he could push me.
Juan began to unstrap my shoes. Once done, he stood up with a massive smile on his annoying face before he brushed his hand against his jeans.
My feet felt odd as I began to tiptoe on the dipping sand. Each step I took, soft coolness greeted my stubby white painted toenails. And even though I wasn’t in any difficulty, it’d been great to have someone to lean on for stability. But pride and other valid reasons made me not reach out for Juan’s arm. Even though he offered several times before we reached our table.
We sat at the very front where we had a great view of the moon hanging low above like a massive, beautiful, glowing orange, luminous, mystical, and quite breathtaking sight.
I ordered sangria since I could do with a little sweet and refreshing to sip on. Stronger drinks were for tonight’s party.
“Estás bonita, cariña,” he faintly murmured. Magnetizing eyes captured my own, holding me captive.
My brows furrowed, immediately rejecting his compliment. His amorous nature needed to be kept in check.
“Much more so when you’re on the verge of anger,” Juan quietly added with mischief heavily gleaming in his eyes.
When he’s in full-on flirtation mode, Juan never ceases to unnerve me.
Like, for this instance, I badly wanted to claw that gleam from his eyes. But something always stops me from lashing out. Therefore, I settle scores with my barbed words and bitchy attitude. None of it seemed to work. The more I pushed him to a corner, the more he make himself known, fucking and goading with my mind.
Throwing him an poisonous stare, I viciously groaned out loud, almost at the breaking point, “Stop flirting with me! I have a boyfriend. And quite frankly, I’m not interested!”
Juan considered me a moment, licking the bottom of his lip as he cocked his head to the side, eyes full of mischief. “So, you keep saying, cariña, so you keep saying.”
His phone rang, saving us from another argument. He then excused himself and strode over a few steps away. He was in my peripheral view, but I didn’t glance in his direction. Still, I could feel him watching me with acute concentration while he spoke on the phone.
I silently fumed from his recent comment. What was he trying to prove? That I wasn’t true to my heart? If I had the audacity to dissect what he was implying, it seemed he was trying to convey that I was using River as an excuse, that deep down, I was terrified to want him, togive into him. He was dead wrong. Sure, I was attracted to him, but that was all.
A decent man—a principled man—would choose to ignore the sexual tension existed. He’d respect me enough not to pursue the fleeting nonsense. He’d walk away, giving us space to breathe. Yes, in an ideal world, Juan could easily be that man, but the insufferable bastard chose to be a royal pain in the ass. “Sorry, I hope you didn’t feel abandoned,” he huskily said as he took the seat across me and casually placed his phone on the table before diverting his attention solely to me.
I didn’t know how I felt anymore. A part of me regretted coming here tonight. Sure, it seemed like a brilliant idea at the time, but sensing Juan’s mood at the moment, the man wasn’t done making me hyperaware of him. Those damning eyes, it was so explicit I could feel my nipples harden underneath the lace dress.
Jesus, I inwardly groan with frustration.
“Stop looking at me like that!” I snapped at him after a few minutes. How did one survive such explicit exploration of one’s body? Yes, I was fully clothed, but his nasty eyes told me otherwise. It felt like he was probing into me, penetrating me.
What the fuck is happening?I nervously swallowed the lump in my throat before reaching for my sangria and gulping it down.
He held my gaze while he circled the rim of his wine glass. He did it in such excruciating manner that it felt as if it were my nipples he was teasing. Like that first scene we did.
“Does it bother you that I love looking at you, cariña?”
I’m thirsty, I thought with panic as I flagged the waiter and ordered another drink. This time, I ordered something with a harder kick, two martinis.
Placed in a very puzzling position, I convinced myself that hankering for a fight wouldn’t be worth my time. Instead, I took my phone out and decided to check Instagram while killing time until the food arrives. The first update on my feed was River. A picture of him getting off his jet with Rock, Willa, and Phoenix following him in the background with a caption stating that they had arrived in Stockholm. Upon seeing that gorgeous face, my heart rapidly thumped in my chest.
