Lucas was not a people person. That much had always been obvious. But it wasn't until the second day of their beach getaway, when Valentina tried to gently nudge him into striking up a casual conversation with literally anyone else on the beach, that she realized just how stubbornly resistant he was to the entire concept of socializing.The sun was out in full force again, the salty air warmer than yesterday, the ocean gentler as it lapped against the shore. Val had woken up first, her limbs stretched comfortably across the bed, sheets tangled around her ankles. Lucas was still asleep beside her, one arm draped loosely over her waist, his breathing slow, heavy, and so annoyingly peaceful she almost didn’t want to wake him.But she did, with a kiss to his shoulder, a murmured promise of yet another seafood, and an unapologetic tug on the covers.Now, hours later, she sat on a thick towel beneath a wide parasol, oversized sunglasses hiding her face, a book open but unread on her lap. Sh
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