“Efectivamente,” Ilias said proudly, like it was a championship title. “She’s got the Ríos glow now.”
“Ew, Ilias,” Sofia laughed, swatting at him while Alejandra cackled, her signature ungraceful witch laugh that always made Sofia crack up too.
“You weren’t sayingewlast night when I—”
She slapped a hand over his mouth. “Go. Train. Surf. Do whatever you need to do.”
He grinned devilishly. “Alright. Bye, girls.”
He gave her a deep, slow kiss, no more polite cheek pecks now, then sauntered off, greeting people, glowing with that signature post-sex swagger.
“He’s got the Moretti Gómez glow too,” Alejandra said, nudging her. “You light him up even more than he does you.”
Sofia blushed. “Thanks for last night. For kicking me into doing it.”
“I should be worshipped as a goddess,” Alejandra declared. “You should build me an altar.”
The mood shifted the moment Edward passed nearby, smiling with that Aussie girl from Snapper. Sofia’s eyes narrowed.
“Edward,” she called out, her tone calm. Too calm.
He turned, still smug. “Sofia. Still here with Ilias?”
She smiled sweetly, then turned to the blonde. “He has untreated chlamydia. You should get tested.”
Edward’s face went pale. The girl looked horrified.
“And he’s a cheater,” Sofia added casually. “Won’t take him long to move on once he finds a shinier toy.” She patted the girl’s shoulder. “Have fun while it lasts.”
Then she walked back to Alejandra, whose jaw was on the floor.
“What the fuck just happened?”
Sofia grinned. “I think Ilias fucked the provocative spirit into me.”
Alejandra let out a breathless laugh. “Oh my god, I love Ilias for that.”
36
ILIAS
Todo Contigo – Álvaro de Luna
Main Break had beenat its best that afternoon, just like him.
Being able to show Sofia his unconditional love fueled his adrenaline, and as he carved across the right-hand deep-water reef break, he landed both a clean aerial and a 360, his signature moves. For someone as tall as he was, it had taken years of training to get those maneuvers down. He’d had to learn how to fold, compress, and angle his body around waves in ways Steven or Tiago never did. He’d slammed into reefs more times than he cared to admit. Broken boards, bruised ribs, cracked pride, but it had made him sharper. Hungrier.
After a long, blissful shower, he slouched on the deck chair at the villa they rented, damp curls still clinging to his forehead. The sun had dipped low, casting warm golden light through the windows. He felt loose. Spent in all the right ways. Sofia sat beside him in that sundress.
He had to force himself to stay calm, sane, decent. Because she looked like temptation wrapped in cotton, and he’d promised her a night. A proper one.
If it weren’t for the guests.
Alejandra and Carlos had joined them for dinner, with Gretchen and Amira already prepping the table. They’d ordered from a famous restaurant nearby that had everyone raving. And still, his appetite had nothing to do with food. Not with Sofia’s thigh pressed against his. Not when her perfume clung to his skin like memory.
“I feel like it’s time to address the big, awkward elephant in the room,” Amira said, pointing her fork straight at Sofia, and then at him.
“The enormous booger coming out of your nose?” Ilias deadpanned.
