Ollie showed me every day how much he appreciated me, just the way I was.
After a quick shower, I got dressed and left my room, heading down the hall toward the resort office at the end. When I turned into the doorway, I froze.
He stood by the desk with a gorgeous, nude blonde leaning so close to him that her breasts nudged his chest.
The blonde was Heidi Mackenzie. His ex-girlfriend.
"Please, Ollie," she said, "can't you give me one more chance? I screwed up. I'm sorry, and I miss you, and I---"
"Stop, Heidi. You dumped me, remember?"
Neither of them had noticed me yet, since they stood at an angle to me, turned slightly away. I should've announced my presence, but I couldn't make my voice function. My muscles decided to stop working too, leaving me trapped on the threshold.
"That was such a huge mistake," Heidi said. She placed a hand on Ollie's cheek. "Can't we try again?"
"I'm with Mara now."
"But we have history."
She tried to kiss him, but he turned his head away.
And saw me.
"Mara," Ollie said, shoving Heidi away. "This isn't what it looks like."
Heidi stumbled and grabbed the desk to stop her fall.
I stepped into the room. "She's trying to seduce you, right? It's not that hard to figure that one out."
Ollie frowned at Heidi. "She might've been trying, but it was not working."
"Sorry," Heidi mumbled, then she raced past me, out into the hall, her bare feet slapping on the wood floor.
"I'm not into Heidi anymore," Ollie said, coming up to me, grasping my upper arms. "I'm with you, Mara. Only you. That's all I want or need."
I glanced around the office. "Where's your friend? I thought he was waiting for you here."
"Damian was here. I gave him the room I was going to sleep in, which actually works out great since I'd much rather bunk with you." He scrunched up his nose. "We shared a dorm room in college, and Damian farts while he's asleep. Really stinky ones."
"Ew. I didn't need to know that."
Ollie laughed, pulling me into his arms. He kissed the top of my head. "Sleeping with you is way more fun. Are you okay with sharing a room?"
"We'd better be sharing more than a room. I want you in my bed every night."
"Yes, ma'am." He skimmed a hand down my back, gliding it over my bottom. "It's my job to ensure guests get everything need."
"In that case, I need you twenty-four seven. Can you be my personal concierge?"
"Not sure Eve and Val would go for that, but you can always text me if you get...needy."
"Mm, good." I snuggled into him, my arms around his waist. "Why is your friend Damian here? I mean, if it's a super personal thing, you don't have to tell me."
"It's nothing like that. He wanted to get away from the city, and he knows how much I love it here, so he decided on a surprise visit."
"You must be glad to see him."
"Sure. It's always good to see him." Ollie crooked a finger under my chin and lifted it until I met his gaze. "Damian is my top guy friend. You're my number one best friend."
"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me." I hunched my shoulders and wanted to avert my gaze, but I made myself keep looking at him. "You're my best friend too. I've never had one before."
"About time, then." He cupped my ass in both hands, lifting so my heels came up off the floor and our eyes aligned. "Mind if I kiss you? I'm having a Mara craving, real bad."
I grinned. "Please kiss me. I'm having a serious Ollie craving."
He gripped my ass more firmly, and our mouths collided. Just when things started heating up, someone coughed from the doorway.
Ollie and I turned our heads at the same time.
A man stood there. A man about Ollie's age.
"Damian," Ollie said, not letting go of my tush. "Settled in already?"
"I didn't bring much luggage," Damian said. His attention settled on me, and the corners of hi mouth ticked upward. "Who's the sexy girl glued to you?"
While Damian swept his gaze over me, I did the same to him. He had a physique somewhere between Val's enormous muscles and Ollie's more subdued buffness. His skin had an olive undertone, accentuated by his dark eyes and hair. That hair flowed down to his shoulders in wavy locks.
Damn. Were all of Ollie's friends as hot as he and Damian were?
Ollie rolled his eyes at his friend and let go of me. He took my hand, clasping it in both of his. "This is Mara Severins. She's my girlfriend."
"Yeah, I figured. Good going, Ollie. She's bodacious."
"She's also sweet and smart and amazing."
Damian grinned. "Not trying to steal your girl. She seems one hundred percent attached to you. Physically. I'm surprised you didn't need a laser to separate your bodies, the way you two were going at it a minute ago."
My cheeks flamed.
"Sorry," Damian said to me. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. That was just guy talk. We can be real asses, you know?"
"Hey!" Ollie said. "Speak for yourself. I'm sensitive and charming. You're the douche who bangs women and never calls them back."
Damian strode up to me and claimed my free hand, raising it to his lips. He kissed my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mara. I'm Damian Petrescu, a Ludar prince."
"A what?"
Ollie sighed and planted a hand on Damian's chest, pushing him away from me. "Damian's family emigrated from Romania a way long time ago, when the Ludar people fled. They still like to call themselves Rom, but most people call them gypsies."
"Don't be so culturally insensitive," Damian said. "Do I call you
