Upon closer inspection, I see the treats were sent to us by Connor and Natalie.
“Sorry we couldn’t be there! Drink a margarita for us.”
I do exactly as I’m told, taking another sip of my drink before handing their note to Noah, who comes over, curious about the sender.
“Our friends miss us, apparently.”
He smiles. “Yes, but the question is…do we miss them?”
He glances down at me and my sip of margarita gets lodged in my throat as I stand momentarily paralyzed, unsure of what exactly he’s playing at.
Is he happy with this arrangement?
I turn on my heels and breeze through the room toward the back row of windows. The central living room faces the ocean, and the sliding glass doors open out to a beachfront terrace with a hammock, couch, and outdoor tub.
I have visions of soaking in it with a book, lost to the world.
“When did you and Von break up?” Noah asks from behind me.
I turn over my shoulder to see he’s sitting on the couch, untying the pretty red bow around the box of chocolates.
“Who says we broke up?”
One side of his mouth rises as he tugs the lid off the box and peruses the truffles sitting inside. He’s too arrogant for his own good.
“So you’re together?” he prods, lifting a chocolate out of the box and bringing it to his lips.
I watch him eat it while I hold my breath.
I’m pathetic, I know.
I turn back to the window and give him the truth. He’s going to find out eventually anyway.
“We broke up a month ago.”
“Good. I hated that guy.”
He never even met Von.
“But that leaves me with a theory,” he continues.
“Do I have to hear it?” I ask, narrowing my eyes out at the crystal blue ocean.
He ignores my teasing in favor of continuing. “You knew it would only be the two of us staying here and you still came.”
My spine stiffens. “That’s not a theory. That’s a statement.”
“Let me finish.”
He sounds bossy.
And…hot.
“You still came because you want to be here with me. Alone.”
There’s his theory, and I refuse to acknowledge it.
Heat creeps up my neck and I sense him studying me. I can feel the pressure of his gaze on the backs of my bare legs, crawling up over my loose sundress. I wonder, with the sun pouring in through the windows, if he can see my figure through the light material.
I shiver at the thought right as a fist knocks gently on the villa door.
It’s the attendant with our bags.
“HOW’S THE HOTEL?”
“Amazing. I’m standing in my room right now and the ocean is like ten feet from my fingertips. All I have to do is slide this glass door open and walk out into the sand.”
Natalie groans. “You’re supposed to lie and tell me it’s not all that great. I’m suffering over here.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. Ugh, it’s horrible. So many palm trees.”
She laughs. “Nice try.”
“I wish you were here,” I admit with a glum tone. “We got your note, by the way.”
“Oh? And the chocolates?”
“Yes, thanks for those. Noah already opened them.”
“I’m not surprised. He has such a sweet tooth. Make sure he doesn’t eat them all!”
I have no plans to go back out into the living right now to stop him. Her brother can have every single one of the chocolates for all I care. I need to stay in here, behind the safety of my door. I never addressed his theory earlier. I used the hotel’s attendant as a scapegoat and hightailed it into my room under the guise of unpacking.
“How is it, anyway? Just the two of you?”
“Fine.”
She hums. “Are you mad I abandoned you?”
“How can I be mad? You’re taking care of your sick child.”
“Yeah…I still feel bad though.”
“Don’t.”
“Are you sad Von’s not there? I told Noah he had to be extra nice to you.”
I nearly drop the phone. “You told Noah we broke up?”
“Yeah…well…I just thought—”
“Natalie.”
“What’s the big deal?!”
The big deal is that if Natalie told her brother about my breakup, that means he KNEW Von wasn’t coming. He knew it would just be the two of us shacked up in paradise and he still came!
Is that a big deal or am I reading too much into it?
If not for the stupid theory he issued a few minutes ago, I would assume Noah was only here for a little rest and relaxation, but this all but proves where his intentions lie.
“You still came because you want to be here with me. Alone.”
Do I? And more importantly, does he?
HOLY SHIT.
This can’t be happening.
I’ve been so careful with my feelings for him over the years. Yes, Noah is ridiculously gorgeous. Yes, he’s a talented surgeon. And yes, I’ve heard through the grapevine that he’s a generous…uh…lover, but I kept all that information locked down deep in the recesses of my mind. I can’t entertain errant feelings for Noah. He and I have never been an option. He’s Natalie’s brother! He and I work at the same hospital! And most importantly, he’s so out of my league I doubt he even registers me as a willing female. To him, I’m probably just his kid sister’s friend, a shapeless blob he has to be nice to.
I look down at my petite figure hiding under my sundress. I’m not shapeless and I’m not a blob, I remind myself, angry that my breakup with Von left my ego so bruised.
“Lindsey,” Noah says from the other side of my bedroom door.
Natalie hears her brother and tells me she’ll talk to me later. I hang up and walk over to answer the door.
Noah’s standing on the other side, shirtless.
My brain is so slow on the uptake that I’ve stared at his broad tan chest for a solid thirty years before I finally realize he’s asking me a question.
“You want
