Chapter 15
“Where is your beach house?” Erica asked as Pascal drove the SUV along the highway heading out of San Ignacio.
When they had exited Mikel’s parking lot, a second SUV had pulled out in front of them, and another had fallen in behind them, reminding her of who she was traveling with and what a different world he lived in.
She nestled into him and focused on the way his thigh felt as it pressed against hers, the physical, entirely human side of him that belonged to her for now.
“Not too far from your neck of the woods at Ciudad Militar.” Raul feathered his fingers down her arm. “Actually, it’s the guesthouse on an estate my father bought from a cryptocurrency billionaire. When his crypto went south, he had to sell it quickly.”
“I know where you mean. I’ve seen the gate to the private road.” It was on a finger of land that jutted into the ocean. “I didn’t know it belonged to the king.”
“He prefers to keep it as secret as possible. It’s his sanctuary. And mine.” He leaned down to kiss her, and she lost track of time until the car stopped and voices broke through the haze of arousal Raul had wrapped around her.
“Are we there?” she asked, pushing herself out of his embrace to peer out the window.
“Close.” He had his hand under her shirt already and ran his thumb over her tight nipple, sending a streak of electric delight down between her legs.
“Stop…for a minute.” She grabbed his wrist to pull it away and sat up straight. “I want to see this entrance.”
They faced two tall steel gates set into a high stone wall.
A guard was speaking with the driver of the first SUV.
Then the massive gates began to swing open.
She looked behind their vehicle to see Castillo Draconago rising from its cliff in the far distance.
To the left, she glimpsed the sea. To the right stretched flat land covered with low-growing, pale green grass like that on the Acantilado Alto.
A few wind-sculpted evergreen trees scrabbled for a hold in the rocky soil.
After a brief pause while Pascal spoke to the guard, they were through the gates.
“Very intimidating entrance,” she said while Raul lounged back in the corner, watching her, a wicked smile curling his lips.
“The crypto billionaire was quite security conscious,” he said. “Even Mikel was impressed, although he added a few bells and whistles. Not that I know what they are.”
She leaned across him to look out his window as the road wound through more of the flatlands. “How far is your house?”
“About fifteen minutes’ drive from the gate.” He skimmed the back of his hand over the curve of her breast. “I’d say we have time to finish what we started, but I think you want to sightsee.”
“Darn right I do! Everyone gets to see the palace, but I’ll bet not many people get to see King Luis’s private sanctuary. I’m starstruck.”
He chuckled and shifted to give her a clearer view. “We’ll go right past Pater’s house, so you’ll get at least a glimpse.”
There were more flashes of sea as they progressed, and then Raul said, “Look left. That is La Casa en las Nubes.”
Through an archway, she glimpsed a fountain surrounded with beds of bright flowers. Behind it rose a boldly contemporary structure of steel girders, polished basalt stone, and huge sheets of glass.
“Wow! That’s just as dramatic as Castillo Draconago but in a different century.” As the house disappeared behind them, she asked, “The House in the Clouds?”
“You know how the fog rolls into the North Harbor in San Ignacio? It does the same here,” he said. “In fact, you can see La Sorpresa de los Piratas from both our houses. You know the legend about Ricardo el Rojo, I’m sure.”
“We all learned that in Calevan history,” she scoffed. “He led the enemy ships through the fog to the entrance of La Sorpresa, where they ran aground. And he offered the enemy sailors the choice of joining his crew or drowning. Your ancestors were a pretty ruthless bunch.”
“They did what they had to do in a less civilized time,” Raul said, unperturbed.
She was struck by a terrifying thought. “Is your father here today?”
“He might be.” Raul shrugged. “Our houses are completely separate. We don’t even share a beach.”
Relief loosened her tense muscles. She went back to gawking at the glimpses she could catch of the king’s spectacular retreat, but they were winding downhill now, and the trees were taller and more numerous, so she sat back. “Does your house have a name?”
He made a face. “The billionaire named it El Camarón Dormido.”
“The Sleeping Shrimp?” Then it dawned on her. “ Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente . You snooze, you lose. Very appropriate for a crypto trader, I guess.”
“I’ve always meant to rename it, but the original seems to have stuck. Perhaps you can think of a better one.”
They rounded a corner to drive under an arch similar to the one leading to the king’s house.
The three SUVs circled around an abstract metal sculpture rising out of a round pool before stopping under a portico constructed of the same steel and basalt as La Casa de las Nubes.
Erica and Raul waited while guards poured out of the vehicles and dispersed before Pascal opened Raul’s door.
“ Bienvenue á El Camerón Dormido,” the bodyguard said.
“Merci beaucoup,” Erica said as she climbed out behind Raul and gazed around the enclosed courtyard. Gracefully twisted specimen trees rose above beds of brilliant red flowers. Huge pots of the same flowers stood on either side of the steel front door, which one of the bodyguards held open.
Raul swept one hand toward the door to tell her to precede him. She could hear the rubber tips of his crutches squeaking on the paving stones as he followed her.
Inside, a set of floating stairs climbed to a second-floor gallery while the large entrance hall opened into a living room.
The wall of windows showcasing a view of the ocean in all its gradations of blue drew her eye.
As she walked farther in, she could see a swimming pool between the house and the sea.
“Not too shabby,” she said, a vast understatement.
“Would you like a tour, lunch, or a swim first?” Raul asked as he came up beside her.
She eyed his crutches and ruled out a tour, although she would love to see the rest of the spectacular house.
“Lunch.” She had been too nervous about the meeting with Bertucci to eat breakfast.
“ Muy bien . We will eat by the pool.” Raul pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen with one thumb. “Vamonos!”
He led her across the sitting area filled with chairs and sofas upholstered in varying shades of taupe leather with bright woven accent pillows.
Jute area rugs created seating groups, and stone-topped tables added different textures.
She could almost imagine lounging around here in her bathing suit cover-up and bare feet. Almost.
Raul touched a steel square in the glass, and a panel slid open.
Stepping onto the stone patio, she realized no one would choose to stay indoors when they could sit outside.
Wooden lounge chairs with thick teal cushions lined one side of the infinity pool.
The other side held no distractions from the view of the sea and, rising in the distance, the volcanic cone of La Sorpresa de los Piratas.
Even though the thought of swimming in the ocean sent a shiver of fear through her, she appreciated the glorious view of the sparkling water meeting an azure sky filled with scudding white clouds.
She turned to find Raul watching her. “This place is okay,” she said to tease him.
He didn’t laugh. “Would you rather be away from the ocean? We can move to the side terraza .”
“I was joking. The view is gorgeous.” But her heart melted into goo at his thoughtfulness.
Her feelings for this man were getting very dangerous.
He waved her to a table in the shade of a large green-and-white-striped umbrella. Sweating glasses of water already sat on the table, which was set with pale gray linens and teal stoneware.
As they settled on the cushioned wooden chairs, a young man in green shorts and a white polo shirt appeared with a bow to Raul and a smile for Erica. “What may I bring you to drink?”
Based on Raul’s bar at the palace, she supposed she could have almost anything. “Er, coconut water, please?”
“The same,” Raul said to the young man, who vanished inside just as a young woman emerged, carrying a tray.
“A selection of appetizers,” she said, placing a long, narrow wooden platter with a colorful array of finger food in the center of the table.
As soon as she moved away, the young man returned with tall glasses of coconut water, each garnished with a slice of pineapple and holding a teal straw.
The glasses themselves were etched with pale green Calevan dragons.
The two servers vanished, and Raul lifted his glass. “To our day off.”
“And finding dragon eggs.” Erica clinked her glass against his before taking a sip. “Mm, does this have cinnamon in it?”
“It’s a Marta flourish,” he said with a smile. “Do you like it?”
“I’m going to add it to my coconut water from now on.” Erica surveyed the platter. “I won’t be able to eat a main course after eating all of this.”
“Then let me help you choose which to sample.” Ignoring the serving tongs, he picked up a morsel and held it out to her. “A date stuffed with goat cheese and jamón .”
She held out her hand, but he pulled back, saying, “I want to watch you take it from my fingers.”
The smooth baritone of his voice vibrated along her nerve endings.
Evidently, he planned to seduce her with food, and she was fine with that.
She leaned forward to close her lips around the date, making sure to brush his fingertips as she did.
“ Dios mio , this is muy rico ,” she said as the sweetness of the date combined with the creaminess of the cheese, while the salty ham counterbalanced both.