Page 54 of Perfume Girl

“Who?”

“Friends.”

I stepped back, realizing she was frightened. “Back to the boat, then.”

Cuba faded into the distance as we headed out to sea on the speedboat. She sat clutching the flowers while I held the wheel in a white-knuckled grip, tight-lipped and feeling uncertain.

We made it back to theRivetingjust after 2:00 A.M.

It wasn’t just Raquel’s beauty that captivated me; it was her serenity, her enduring calmness.

And I’d scared her.

Back on the yacht, I offered her my private cabin so she could freshen up. After thirty minutes I went to check on her, needing to know I hadn’t caused her too much distress. The room was empty and I heard her moving around in the bathroom.

Raquel appeared in the doorway with a towel wrapped around her body and her hair wet and dripping over her shoulders.

I stepped forward. “What do you need?”

“My dress.” She pointed to where it lay on the bed.

I reached for it and handed it to her.

She seemed to read my expression. “I had fun, Astor.”

It was the way she spoke my name… “Are you sure?”

“Of course. We’re both adults.”

Raquel gave me an endearing smile. She moved closer and rose up on her toes, giving me a sweet, gentle kiss.

The friend kiss.

“I may have pushed you too far,” I admitted.

She winked. “You’re forgiven.”

“Was there any of it you enjoyed?”

“You’re right,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “I need to be more spontaneous. No one was hurt and I got to see a bit of Havana.”

She looked beautiful standing there, trying to behave as though she needed no reassurance that we could be more after the mind-blowing sex we’d had.

She raised her dress. “I just need a few minutes.”

I turned to head out. “We’ll be docking soon. Are you okay to drive?”

I looked back at her and saw a smile flit across her face at my obvious concern. I cringed inwardly at the thought that this woman had me caring about what happened to her after she left my presence.

I hesitated before leaving. “May I ask for your discretion?”

She looked worried. “Oh, no. I’ve already posted the details on Instagram about how we got it on in Cuba. And your dick pic is setting off a Twitter storm.”

Damn her for making me chuckle.

“This never happened,” she whispered.

“Right.”