Page 18 of An Island Promise

Belle gazed at the name Diego Torres Corchado, only vaguely aware of Caleb leaving. She’d never known the surname of the Diego who’d rocked her world in the summer of 2013. Of course a summer fling had been all it was, yet the strength of the feelings that had followed her ever since…

Although Belle wasn’t active on social media, she did have a Facebook profile even if she never used it. If this Diego Torres Corchado was on Facebook then she could look him up to see if he was her Diego. She felt absurd thinking of him like that when their time together had been fleeting if passionate. She scooped up her phone, clicked on Facebook and typed in hisname. There were reams of people with a similar name but only one Diego Torres Corchado from Ibiza. With shaky hands, she clicked on him. The profile picture jumped out at her, a slightly older version of the young man she’d fallen for staring back at her. Heat rushed to her face. Belle glanced up. Miguel and Giada were oblivious, busy at work on their laptops.

Belle returned her attention to her phone. She had a few photos that she’d taken of Diego, but as time passed and she’d grown older, her memory of him had blurred. She scrolled through his profile. He was still living on Ibiza and worked as a marketing manager at Ushuaïa, so he was definitely Caleb’s contact. Relationship status: single. His Facebook feed was sprinkled with photos with friends, at the beach, in a bar, partying. A couple of photos she assumed were of him and his family. Frowning, she clicked on one and zoomed in. Caleb. A younger Caleb with a huge grin lighting up his face, one arm laid across Diego’s shoulders, his other around a young woman with dark curly hair, olive skin and rosebud lips.

Her heart stalled. Diego and Caleb knew each other socially? What were the chances? And now she needed to phone Diego knowing full well who he was when he’d be unaware of who she was. Unless of course they met in person… And would he even remember her? The way things had ended, she already knew she hadn’t meant as much to him as he did to her. Yet seeing him again was something she’d dreamed about, and now there was a real possibility of that happening.

11

JULY 2013, TEN YEARS AGO

Belle locked eyes with Diego, the sexily confident guy who’d spoken to them earlier that day when he’d sold them tickets to Ministry of Sound at Eden. It was quite the existence trawling the beaches and bars drumming up business for the club, when chatting up girls and socialising seemed to be a huge part of the job. Lots of the people doing PR for the clubs were Brits, all young, but this guy had caught her eye for his Spanish good looks and ridiculously sexy accent. He was smooth as hell and she’d needed little persuading when he’d handed her a flyer, his fingers brushing hers. He’d flirted outrageously with all three of them, but when Laurie had put her arm across Gem’s shoulders and told him ‘us two are taken’, he’d focused his attention on Belle, giving herall the feels.

Belle lost sight of him across the crowded beachfront bar and her attention was stolen away by Gem and Laurie. They were living the dream, the freedom as intoxicating as the plentiful alcohol.

An arm slid around her waist. She rolled her eyes at her friends, knowing that yet another bloke would try to chat her upthe second she turned round, but Laurie’s wide eyes and massive grin made her look instead of wriggle away.

Deep brown eyes and chiselled cheekbones danced in front of her eyes. So he had come over. Or perhaps he’d made his way across the bar trying it on with every girl before deciding to try his luck with her…

He leaned close, his breath hot against her ear as he shouted to be heard over the thumping music. ‘I’m Diego.’

‘I know, you told me earlier.’

‘I wasn’t sure you’d remember.’ His arm remained on her waist, his fingers brushing the patch of bare skin between her skirt and crop top.

‘Because you don’t remember mine?’ she challenged.

‘I meet many people every day.’ He tugged her tight to his chest. ‘It is much harder for me to remember your name…’ His grin widened. ‘Belle.’

Her heart dipped with an unexpected thrill. Perhaps she had made an impact and wasn’t a last resort after all.

‘You’ve finished working?’ Belle tried to sound nonchalant despite a dizzying excitement ricocheting through her body.

‘For tonight,sí.’

Belle caught Gem’s raised eyebrow as Diego led her away from where she’d been dancing with her friends and ordered them a drink at the bar. She liked the assured confidence he exuded. The bartender finished making their drinks and Diego handed Belle a pornstar martini. She’d been on those all evening.

She looked at him in surprise. ‘Now that is smooth.’

‘I’ve been watching you.’ He shrugged. ‘I take notice.’

It could have sounded creepy, yet it was anything but. Actually, it was hot as hell.He’d noticed her. Belle tempered the heat rushing through her with a sip of the sweet yet tangy cocktail.

Diego found them seats at a free table at the edge of the bar where it was a little quieter. The view went past the palm trees to the bay, but she could still see Laurie and Gem dancing. They were fine and together, their drunken smiles suggesting they were havingthebest time, exactly as she was. She turned her full focus to Diego and the conversation flowed about his job and the places he suggested they should go on Ibiza. Belle talked about university and studying Business Management and Marketing, about how she, Gem and Laurie had been friends since they were little, and about the marketing job at an events company in London she’d be starting in September.

Diego swigged from his bottle of San Miguel. ‘You have big dreams.’

‘It’s good to have something to work towards.’ He was as easy on the eye as he was to talk to, not to mention focused and interested in her. Or at least he portrayed himself that way; perhaps this was all a ruse and he was biding his time before he went in for the kill – the bit of the night she was actually longing for. She turned her thoughts from Diego seducing her to the conversation. ‘The truth is I feel utterly trapped in a small town where nothing happens and I know if I stay there my life will be boring and miserable. I went to university in Sheffield because I wanted to escape. Getting a job in London is the natural next step up. It’s everything I want; the excitement and opportunities of a big city coupled with a dream career in events.’

‘I went to London once with my family. We had a summer holiday in England when it rained every day. Our one and only holiday away from the Mediterranean.’ The dimples in his stubbled cheeks deepened as he grinned. ‘I was eleven or twelve, a difficult age to know the history of museums and old buildings, if you understand what I mean?’

‘You mean you didn’t appreciate those things.’

‘Not one bit.’ He laughed. ‘I wanted beaches and to swim in the sea.’

‘I imagine living on Ibiza is like a permanent holiday, apart from having to work.’

‘Ah, but work is fun.’ He winked.

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