He ran a hand through it. “Yeah. I always do that. For charity.”
Alejandra tilted her head. “Charity?”
“Yeah. There’s a barbershop near my house that once a year donates the proceeds to a local hospital for a pediatric cancer research program.”
“That’s so thoughtful and you unfortunately look good both ways.” Alejandra sighed, dramatically, and Callum did something he hadn’t done in ages. Probably since he was ten—he fucking blushed. He could feel the heat in his cheeks, and how Alejandra clearly noticed it since her eyes started to shine with mischief.
He cleared his throat. “Thanks.”
Alejandra chuckled, clearly enjoying how flustered he got.
“So, wanna grab a bite? There are some food trucks in the Athlete Zone.”
“Can I enter that zone?”
“You’re with me, so yes. Privilege of beingsupposedto compete but almost dying on tour.”
“Dark humor stage—fits you.”
“I do my best,” she said with a tired grin. “How long are you staying in Ericeira?”
“I leave the day after the event ends.” A grin spread across his features. “Already missing me?”
Alejandra shook her head, a tiny smirk playing on her lips, “Just wondering.”
She motioned for him to follow her, and they entered the Athlete Zone without issue. Everyone knew Alejandra, and it quickly became obvious to him that she was avoiding most conversations. When people approached her, she was polite, but kept the interaction short, using him as an excuse since they were catching up.
While they were heading towards the bar, he arched an eyebrow. “So... am I being used as a buffer for unwanted questions?”
Alejandra chuckled. “I didn’t think of it like that until the first one came along. But yeah, you’re basically shielding me from annoying conversations. Which means you’re stuck with me for the rest of the event. Just letting you know.”
“That sounds like a threat,” he teased. “But I’ll be willingly captivated by you, Alejandra.”
Stopped in the line for the food, it happened again. Neither of them spoke. Just... looked at each other. There was an entire universe in those green eyes, so many nuances he wanted to grasp. There was sadness and grief, for sure. And definitely lust.
Fuck,he wanted her. He could picture it all too clearly—going down on her,thatwouldn’t hurt her shoulder. Tasting her on his lips. Two fingers in, her moaning his name, hips bucking against his mouth.
“Team Cale!”
Ilias interrupted his very inappropriate thoughts, patting Callum on the shoulder. Sofia was behind him.
Alejandra blinked, cheeks flushing deeper.
“What did I tell you, Callum?” Sofia smirked. “She’d be uptight at first, but then she’d loosen up.”
“Sofia!” Alejandra screeched, shooting her a death glare.
“What? It’s true,” Sofia said, smiling at Callum, who only nodded in agreement.
“How are you two doing? Having fun?” Ilias asked, cutting the line by joining them.
“Yeah, waiting to grab some food.” He hadn’t seen Ilias since the wedding, and he wanted to ask him how he was, if he was ready for the competition, but the surfer just beamed at him, interrupting Sofia mid sentence while she was chatting with Alejandra and announced, “We are going to have a baby!”
Callum’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh my god—congrats!”
“Thanks,” Sofia said, glowing. “Not many people know yet. But Ilias is making sure to tell everyone.”
Alejandra smiled so widely her eyes shimmered with love, as though it had washed away the panic that had consumed her only minutes earlier. She wrapped her arms tightly around Ilias, congratulating him.
