The sun had set by the time we returned to the yacht, the sky now an endless expanse of deep indigo, speckled with the brilliance of countless stars. My body hummed from the exhilaration of surfing—my muscles pleasantly tired, my skin kissed by the salt of the ocean, and my heart racing for reasons I couldn’t fully comprehend. The deck lights cast a golden glow over the polished wood, and the soft sound of waves lapping against the hull created a rhythm that matched the pounding of my heart.
Rafael walked beside me, his shirt clinging to his damp torso, the fabric outlining the strength of his shoulders and chest. He didn’t speak immediately, but his presence was overwhelming, a magnetism that pulled at me even when I wanted to look away. There was something different about him tonight—a
