Ximena (Valentina)
My heart was pounding so loudly, I could hear it thrumming in my ears. I was a mess of emotions. Terror gripped me—Roberto could be anywhere, lurking in the shadows, hunting me down. The way Jacob looked at me, though, made my skin tingle and my stomach churn. It wasn’t just attraction; it was power. And it scared me just as much as it pulled me in. I was caught somewhere between starving and wanting to throw up. The feeling was overwhelming, a dizzying swirl of emotions I couldn’t quite untangle.
The sudden voice of the waitress startled me out of my thoughts, breaking the spell that Jacob’s gaze seemed to cast on me.
“I’m so sorry for startling you,” she said kindly, her tone apologetic. “Can I get you something to drink?”
I blinked, trying to shake off the haze.
