Juan Ravero stopped swimming as he approached the beach, glad to catch his breath as he floated in the sparkling blue water around him. He treaded water silently, studying the villa in front of him, its sprawling gardens reaching down to the scrubby edge of the beach. He let his legs sink until he could feel his toes on the sandy ridges of the sea floor, six feet below.
He waded slowly through the surf, shielding his eyes from the glare of the strong Adriatic sun until he stood on hot sand.
As he walked up the beach, leaving perfectly-outlined footprints in the wet sand, he reached behind his neck and squeezed the sea out of his black wavy hair. The salt water trickled over his shoulders, down his back and over a tanned, muscular chest, his wet swimming trunks flexing tight over round buttocks as he moved.