The Sanctuary (Playa Luna Beach Romance) Read Free Page B

pineapple holding the pina colada. With a guilty glance at Cassie, she chugged the sweet liquid on her way to the water. She scooped up the salt water and, running as fast as she could without spilling it, returned to Cassie, handing over the water.
    It was obvious the man knew what he was doing. He removed the hook, first soaking Cassie’s leg in salt water, then alcohol. He shook the beach towel free of sand, wrapping it around her thigh to stop the bleeding. As the pain began to fade Cassie struggled to take in what had happened. She stared at her rescuer with gratitude.
    “Who are you? How did you… how did you know how to do that?” Cassie stammered, still struggling through the fog in her head. With a gleaming smile, the man answered “I guess there hasn’t been time to introduce myself. My name is Alejandro Vasquez. I was in the Mexican Navy, where we learned emergency first aid, and how to rescue beautiful, drowning women.”
    Cassie, taking inventory of her senses, realized she had full use of her faculties again after the scare. Enough so, that is, to see Taylor standing behind the handsome stranger and give her a thumb’s up, accompanied by a huge smile.
    Cassie turned her gaze from her friend onto the man who was gently cleaning her wound. Up close now, she looked at him more intently. About 6 feet tall, his wavy brown hair tumbled over his forehead, almost covering his amber eyes as he bent over Cassie with care.
    Once again, he caught her eye as she loo ked up. He smiled, his teeth bright, and looked at her kindly. “I’m glad I was here. Right place at the right time,” he said, with a hint of a Spanish accent.
    “I’m going to need to clean the wound well, with peroxide. It was pretty rusty, and we need to make sure everything’s out,” the stranger added with a look of concern toward Cassie’s red and swollen leg. “How are you doing? Are you breathing all right?”
    Even with the still-searing pain, Cassie had to stifle a laugh when Taylor, still behind the stranger, clasped her hands together under her right cheek and started batting her eyelashes. Leave it to Taylor to find humor in anything and everything.
    Cassie turned her full attention to her rescuer and confirmed that, although the gash still hurt, her breathing was fine.
    Alejandro was methodical and exquisitely gentle as he cleaned the gash on her leg. Cassie was pretty good with blood and all things medical, but she felt herself starting to get dizzy as the pain increased. She grabbed the sides of the chair, squeezing so hard her knuckles turned white.
    “Hey, you’re hurting her,” Taylor said, jumping over to Cassie’s side and grabbing her hand. “Here, Cass, grab onto my hand and squeeze. I can take it.”
    “I’m sorry, ladies, but it has to be done,” the stranger said, continuing on with his work. “If I don’t do this, it will be a lot worse before it gets better.”
    “It’s okay, Taylor, I can take it,” Cassie said, meekly for her. She was usually so strong, but this was a level of pain she had never experienced before.
    Alejandro smiled, too. His smile was mesmerizing, Cassie thought, as she tried again to clear her head. “I’m fine, really. You don’t have to do that,” she said, shaking off her thoughts.
    “You’re not fine. Not quite yet,” he said firmly.
    Slowly, he turned her leg this way and that, checking to make sure he had cleaned the wound thoroughly. Taylor held her hand the entire time, which seemed to Cassie to take days, not minutes. She let herself squeeze Taylor’s hand when it hurt the most, remembering Taylor had performed this service for her own mother when she was in chemotherapy, having blood drawn almost every day. Her mom had been afraid of needles and Taylor stepped up to the challenge of comfort and providing broad shoulders. Cassie was grateful to have her best friend with her while she did everything she could not to scream.
    “Almost done, but I’ll need more