As I hold her close and gently run my knuckles over the smooth skin of her spine, I try to convince myself that maybe my betrayal of Wolfie’s trust doesn’t count across state lines.
It almost works.
We cuddle until I fall asleep. At some point, Maren must have slipped out of bed. The next morning, I wake alone and full of guilt.
What the fuck happened last night? Did I let things go too far? I’ve almost convinced myself that it was all just a wet dream, until I come downstairs for breakfast and find Maren and Wolfie sitting at the table, the smell of coffee hanging heavy in the air.
Wolfie is glued to his phone, his hair sticking out at odd angles, his face screwed up in a scowl. We all know better than to talk to him before his third cup. Maren brings her mug to her lips and looks at me over the thin wisp of steam.
“Morning, Hayes. Sleep well?” Her voice is like velvet, her lids heavy as she sips her coffee without taking her gaze from mine.
All right. Definitely not a dream.
It’s a good thing Wolfie is dead to the world right now, because it doesn’t take a psychic to interpret the vibes between us.
“Uh . . . yeah,” I manage to say before I tear my gaze away from her and pour myself some coffee.
I’m fucked. We’re fucked. I’m so going to hell. And it doesn’t help that just being in the same room as Maren is turning me on.
One by one, the rest of the crew join us in the kitchen.
Connor bounds down the stairs, slapping Wolfie on the shoulder with a loud, “Good morning!” Wolfie growls in response. Penelope and Scarlett arrive together and sit by Maren at the table, and Caleb starts cracking eggs into a bowl.
Finally, Holly saunters down the stairs, the only one of us already dressed in a swimsuit and a lacy cover-up that looks more like lingerie than sleepwear. After last night, I’m about ready to slaughter Wolfie for inviting her.
“Good morning, everyone,” she says in a singsong voice, flouncing around the kitchen island. “Sleep well? I certainly did. Maren, I hope I didn’t disturb you last night. I’ve been known to toss and turn and make a lot of noise in the night.” She curls a lock of her dark hair around her finger and bats her lashes apologetically Maren’s way.
With every second I spend around this woman, it’s getting harder and harder to believe I was ever attracted to her.
Maren glances at me, and her eyes tell me everything I need to know. She’s thinking of last night. Of how Holly’s little show drove us into the same room. Of what happened after . . . how I tasted her, made her moan and twitch with my tongue, how she took every last drop of me down her throat.
Fuck. I’ve got to get a hold of myself.
I look away and busy my hands by making another pot of coffee and trying to think of literally anything else. Connor and Caleb are chatting about our plans for the morning out on the water, so I nod along with their conversation and pretend I’m paying attention. But really, I’m listening to Maren, who’s coolly telling Holly that she didn’t disturb her at all, and that she slept in perfect bliss. I don’t have to see the look on Holly’s face to know that’s not the answer she was hoping for.
After breakfast, we all change into our suits and meet out on the dock. Caleb, Connor, and Wolfie haul a few kayaks into the water and try to persuade the girls to get in with them. I grab a couple of paddleboards from the rack and nod to Maren.
“Is your balance still as good as it was in high school?” I ask, holding a paddle out to her.
She smiles and opens her mouth to answer, but Wolfie’s voice cuts her off.
“Hayes! Would you get your ass over here and explain to Penelope that these kayaks are designed for two people?”
I sigh and drop the boards. “Be right back.”
Maren shrugs in understanding, and I make my way to the water, where something I can’t quite figure out is going on between Wolfie and Penelope. Are they . . . flirting?
“I’m not getting in that thing with you, Wolfie!” she squeals, slapping his arm with the back of her hand.
Wolfie’s mouth twists into a sideways grin.
What the hell? Looks like I’m not the only one thinking things they shouldn’t these days.
“What seems to be the problem here, folks?” I ask, clasping my hands together and giving Wolfie an easy smile.
Penelope crosses her arms, and Wolfie holds his out by his sides.
“I thought it’d be nice for the two of us to take a little trip around the lake, but Pen doesn’t seem so sure,” he says, his usual growl less angry and more playful than usual.
“I just don’t think it’s safe,” Penelope says, looking worriedly at the kayak.
“We take these bad boys out on the water all the time. If they weren’t safe, we wouldn’t have them,” I tell her with a reassuring nod.
“Well, if they’re so safe, you two can take it. I’m going to go paddleboard with Maren,” Penelope says, tossing her hair over her shoulder and leaving in a huff.
Wolfie grunts and watches her leave, a dumbfounded look on his face.
“Smooth, bro,” I say, giving his arm a good-natured punch. Now both our plans for the day are ruined.
“Shut up.”
We spend the morning on the water, kayaking, paddleboarding, floating around in inner tubes, doing pretty much whatever activity we can get our hands on. Later that afternoon, we pack up and pile into the cars to head back into the city, worn out and a little sunburned from our weekend away.
In the car, Wolfie turns the radio to the same station as always. He drums his fingers on the steering wheel along to some classic rock, and I do my best
