Chapter 21
MADARS
We spent the first two days just lounging around the villa. Lazy sex. A dip in the pool. Good food. Connor leaning against me while we watched a movie. I couldn’t think of a better way to start our summer together.
The third day, we ventured out into Sevilla.
The first time I came here, I’d tried to see it all in a day or two, which was a mistake.
It was just too damn hot to speed-run through the city.
We got an early start, too, since while the mornings were hot, they weren’t nearly as oppressive as the afternoons.
We also took our time because I was babying my knee a little.
Though I’d recovered from my surgery enough to skate at full speed and full contact, I was still cautious, especially when we were exploring older sites with cobblestones or other uneven ground.
Was I being too careful? Maybe. But my knee didn’t hurt and neither of us was overheating or dying from the heat, so… I’d stick to it.
Today we visited the Royal Alcázar of Sevilla.
That was the old royal palace in the city, and it was enormous and gorgeous.
Connor recognized a few places from Game of Thrones, and though the show hadn’t been my thing, it was kind of cute to watch him fanboy over it.
I’d been here several times before, but I still enjoyed wandering through it.
Even better was the Catedral de Sevilla. I’d toured so many cathedrals in my life that I didn’t find them all that exciting. This one, though, was enormous, and it also still had a lot of the Islamic architecture in place from when it was a mosque during the Moorish era.
“Wow,” Connor said as he gazed around the cavernous interior. “When you said this place was big…”
“Right?” I gave it all a sweeping glance. “I don’t usually visit cathedrals, but this one…”
He turned a curious expression on me as we continued walking. “Not a fan of cathedrals?”
I shrugged. “They’re cool, but they’re all kind of the same after a while. This one, though?” I gestured around us. “It’s just different enough to be interesting.”
He was nodding as I spoke. “Yeah, it’s pretty different. You said it was a mosque before?”
“Mmhmm. A lot of the churches and cathedrals in Spain used to be. And you can see it.” I gestured at one of the doorways, which had the distinctive horseshoe arch at the top.
“There’s actually one in Córdoba that they left mostly intact except for the cathedral in the very center.
And they turned the minaret into a belltower like they did with this one. ”
An odd little smile curled his lips. “How did I never know you were this into architecture?”
I laughed as some heat bloomed in my cheeks. “I’m not. Just… the history is interesting.”
“Mmhmm.” He elbowed me playfully. “Who knew there was a history nerd under all that hockey gear?”
I gave him a shove. “Hey! Hockey players aren’t stupid.” I paused. “I mean, some of them are, at least when it comes to anything that isn’t hockey.”
He snorted. “You said it, not me.”
“I’m not wrong.”
“No, you’re not wrong.” We started walking again, and he added, “And I always knew you were smart. Just didn’t think history was your thing.”
“When I was in school, it wasn’t.” I made a disgusted sound. “How did my teachers manage to make it so fucking boring?”
A couple of heads snapped toward me, and I realized I’d spoken slightly louder than I’d intended. And apparently there were some people around us who understood English. Oops.
I ducked my head and we made a quick escape from the offended group.
Voice low, Connor said, “I had one teacher who made it really interesting. Enough that my career backup plan was to go to college and study history. But some of them…” He made a face.
“Was it just our school? Or were they all like that?”
“I think it was just our school. My ex went to school in the same district, and his experience was completely different.” He tsked. “Lucky jerk.”
I had to clap a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing aloud.
Connor, too, smothered his amusement. At least we were stepping out into the Patio de los Naranjos—the courtyard of orange trees.
Out here, without cool stone walls around us, it was oppressively hot, though the orange trees did provide some shade.
And there was a bit more space between us and polite company, which was probably a good thing.
Connor dug a couple of water bottles from the backpack I was wearing, and each of us took a few gulps.
“This heat is no joke,” he said. “Fuck.” Then he clapped his hand over his mouth again and looked around with wide eyes as he muffled a “Shit. Whoops.”
I snickered. “Can’t take hockey players anywhere.”
“Hey.” He tapped my shoe with his. “I’m not a hockey player.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re hockey-player-adjacent. Close enough.”
“I beg your finest pardon?” He puffed out his chest with mock indignance. “I’m the guy who keeps the hockey players in line.” He brought his water bottle back up to his lips. “Hockey-player-adjacent. Pfft.”
“So, what?” I fought a grin. “You’re our on-ice daddy?”
Just as I’d hoped, he choked on his water, and I managed to sidestep the spit take instead of wearing it. I cackled, well aware that a few heads had turned.
“Oh my God.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “We are not appropriate for polite company, are we?”
“You sound surprised.”
He quirked his lips. Then he shrugged. “Eh. Can’t argue with that.” As he capped his water bottle, he said, “So what should we go check out next? Since we’re probably going to get booted out of this place if we stay much longer.”
I laughed. After the water bottles were tucked back into the backpack, we wandered toward the exit. “It’s getting close to siesta. We could grab a coffee and a pastry somewhere, then go back to the villa and hide from the heat.”
“You had me at a coffee and a pastry. Let’s go.”
“I still can’t believe how late people eat dinner here.” Connor sat back in his chair, wineglass in hand, and gazed out at the view from the rooftop restaurant. “But considering the sun just went down… I think I get it.”
I nodded and sipped my own wine. “It was hard to get used to the first few times I came here, but yeah, with the heat, it makes a lot of sense.”
Though it was after nine-thirty, the daylight was still fading and taking the day’s heat with it.
There were lights strung up around the dining area, which kept everything lit enough to read menus and see each other but didn’t drown out the scenery around us.
I’d done some patio dining where the lighting left something to be desire—including a couple where I’d had to use my phone’s flashlight to read the menu—but this was perfect.
A few streets over, the cathedral towered above other buildings, the belltower illuminated by warm floodlights that seemed to make it glow gold. Below us, there was chatter and activity as people filled restaurants and bars.
It was the perfect Andalusian night, as far as I was concerned, and the best part was the man sitting across from me.
Like me, he’d opted for a collared shirt and shorts, toeing that line between not-too-casual and not-too-hot.
Some of the locals wore long trousers, but the heat was still just a bit too much for that.
The restaurant was casual enough, no one seemed to mind, even if it did make us look like tourists.
Connor’s red hair was still faintly damp.
We’d spent part of the afternoon in the pool, and of course we’d showered afterward, which had ended predictably.
What could I say? As soon as he was naked in my presence, I wanted him, and from the way he’d kissed me and touched me, that feeling was very mutual.
Now, in the warm light of the overhead lanterns with a glass of white wine in his hand as he gazed out into the evening, he had the look of a man who was thoroughly satisfied and happy. Exactly the way I wanted him.
Fuck me, he was so damn pretty. The cute kid was a distant memory, and he’d grown into this gorgeous man who could drive me wild in bed or make my knees weak with a smile.
And you’re all mine for the next few weeks? How did I get so lucky?
Unaware of me losing my stupid mind over him, Connor looked at something in the distance. “Are those…?” He squinted. “Are those bats coming out of the cathedral?”
I turned, and though we were a couple of blocks away from the cathedral, I could see what he meant—bats were emerging from the belltower and swarming around it like moths around a flame.
Connor laughed softly. “Guess that’s where the expression ‘bats in the belfry’ comes from.”
“Guess so.” I faced him again and picked up my wine. “I’ve been here a million times, but I’ve never seen them.”
“Really?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t look, apparently.”
“Eh, I guess that happens. I knew someone who went to Los Angeles like six times—including going to Hollywood multiple times—before they ever saw the Hollywood sign.”
“They did?”
Chuckling, he nodded. “I’m like… dude, just… look up? It’s right there.”
“I’ve heard that. Isn’t it pretty big?”
“I mean, it’s not, but it’s up on the side of a hill. All you have to do is, you know…” He made an exaggerated gesture of lifting his chin. “Look. Up.”
I laughed. “I could see myself missing that. Especially if I’m trying to drive or figure out where the hell I’m going.”
“Okay, yeah, I could see that. And the few times I’ve driven in L.A….” He grimaced. “I’m not looking at anything but the road and the other cars.
“That bad?”
“It’s… a lot. The freeways are scary as hell.”
“Yeah?”
“Mmhmm. Especially during rush hour. It’s bumper-to-bumper, but still going seventy.” Connor chafed his arms. “That shit is not for the faint of heart.”
“Doesn’t sound like it. I think I’d rather drive on the Autobahn. People drive way too fast out there, but if they tailgate, that’s a nasty, nasty ticket.”
“Good. It should be.” He studied me. “Have you driven on the Autobahn?”
I nodded. “Müller—you’ll meet him when we go to the rink—has family in Germany. I’ve gone with him a couple of times to visit them, and I always wanted to drive out there, so…” I half-shrugged.
“Nice. Was it fun?”
“Of course it was. I’ve never driven that fast in my life. And then some maniac in a supercar passed me like I was going backwards.”
Connor barked a laugh, unaware of how much he lit up the whole evening, not to mention all my senses.
You’re the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.
“That sounds like such a blast,” he said, still grinning. “I think I’d be afraid to go as fast as some people do out there, but it sounds like fun.”
“It is.” I scowled. “And then of course I went back to Switzerland and immediately got a speeding ticket.”
“Oops.”
“Uh-huh. I told Mülly he should pay me half of it, but…” I waved a hand.
“What a jerk. Taught you to drive that fast and won’t even take accountability when you get caught.” He tsked. “Some friend he is.”
“Exactly! What a dick.”
A moment later, our food arrived. It was, as I expected, amazing. The langostinos were in season, and I had to laugh as Connor marveled at their size. They really were enormous. Most people thought they were shrimp, but they were more like lobster, if somewhat smaller.
Amazing, too. Those, along with the rice dish that reminded me of paella (but apparently wasn’t), made for the perfect meal.
Good food. Good wine. A beautiful view on a warm night.
All shared with the man who’d been occupying most of my thoughts since we’d crossed paths again in Prague.
An evening just didn’t get any better than this.