Page 35

She had to be famous, given how her companions fluttered around her.

Her entourage pushed toward a reserved booth in the back, but her eyes scanned the room and landed on me.

She froze, said a quick word to a guy in an opulent blazer, and ditched her group.

She glided over to my table, a smirk playing on her lips.

‘Deacon Vega?’ she called out, her voice smooth like velvet.

I sighed; I’d hoped to remain incognito in Spain.

‘Remember me?’

Her perfume washed over me as she stood above me, staring down.

I blinked, tilting my head as I tried to place her.

Moments later, I arched a brow as her name came to me.

‘Nashami.’

She was a supermodel extraordinaire, so famous she only went by her first name.

‘None else.’

Nashami pulled out a chair without waiting for an invitation, her dress rustling as she sat.

‘Small world. What’s a guy like you doing sitting all by himself in Málaga?’

‘Taking a breather,’ I replied, leaning back into my seat. ‘Brought my son to the coast for an extended summer holiday.’

‘I heard about you and Ana; sorry it didn’t work out.’

I shrugged and bit my lower lip, not willing to wade into any conversation about my ex.

Nashami changed tack.

‘Lookin’ fire, Deacon. Still selling out stadiums?’

I huffed.

‘Just paying the bills, Nashami. How are the catwalks treatin’ you?’

‘Exhausting as ever,’ she laughed, waving a hand to dismiss her group, who were watching us from across the lounge. ‘I’m in Málaga for a Vogue shoot, and the crowd I came in with is my team plus a few executive handlers. Which makes hanging out with you more interesting than slogging it out with them. So, word on the street is you’re single. True story?’

Nashami was direct, to the point, and no-nonsense.

I tilted my head, studying her and admiring her moxie.

I remembered more about her now: that she’d worked with Ana in the past, and she was a killer businesswoman with a fashion line in her name.

Before Ana, Nashami was the kind of woman I’d have moved fast on.

Since my divorce, I’d only indulged in a few one-night stands, with women whose names I scarcely remembered.

I sensed Nashami was angling for more, and unsure how to play the moment, I kept my cards close to my chest.

‘I’m solo but maybe only for tonight,’ I said, keeping my tone nonchalant.