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“What study?”

“The one I just made up.” He added a grin that dared me to scold him.

“So, we’re just friends,” I said, as if hearing it aloud would help convince me.

“You’re my beautiful friend who can kiss me whenever she feels like it. We don’t really need labels, do we?”

He was leaving everything in my control. It should have left me heady with power, but my gut swirled with uncertainty. Part of me wanted him to demand more from me. He was letting me off the hook too easily. If he’d come on strong, demanding more than I wanted to give, it would have been easy to push him away again. But his refusal to play out the script I’d chosen leftme at a loss. He’d given me a no-strings way to test things out. But did that mean the lack of strings went both ways? A flash of possessiveness washed through me.

“Do you have similar situationships around the island?”

“Nope.” He said it easily, and I believed him.

“Why me?” I asked.

“Because I like being around you. Touching you. I don’t need more until you’re ready to give it.”

“You must be the most patient man alive.”

He chuckled, the sound raw. “Honey, only when it comes to you.”

If he wasn’t the most patient man, he might be the smartest. He was giving me what I said I wanted: the space to move at my pace.

He locked his truck and ushered me inside the house. He stepped toward the couch, and I hovered in the entryway to the kitchen.

“Goodnight, friend.” I waited a beat too long, and he reached for the hem of his shirt, stripping it off over his head in one smooth motion, revealing a broad chest. Tanned and firm. My fingers tingled with the urge to touch. He tilted his chin and winked at me. Busted.

“Goodnight, Drew.”

My voice sounded like gravel. His chuckle haunted me as I scurried toward the safety of my room. It wasn’t until I plugged in my phone to charge that I saw the message. My gut clenched, gripped by an invisible fist that threatened to crush. Sweat bloomed across my body, drenching me in an instant. My fingers shook, threatening to drop my phone as I stared down at the simple words, my mind spiraling, trapped in a never-ending loop of disbelief and panic.

Unknown Caller: How’s it going, Anne-Marie? Long time, no see.

He’d found me.

Chapter 15 – Drew

Laying my cards on the table with Anya was either brilliance or madness. I’d all but admitted I was a fool for her. She’d been the one to set the friendship boundary, then break it. Then again, maybe I’d nudged it first, calling her gorgeous.

In the week that followed our kiss, I decided to make myself scarce, only showing up for dinner twice. Each time, Vi hung out with us to watch TV afterward, providing a welcome buffer. Under Vi’s watchful eye, it was easier to laugh and chat like the friend I was trying so hard to be. Keeping things light and easy. But even then, something about Anya felt… off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what had changed. Other than her kissing me.

I wasn’t impulsive, but once I made up my mind, I was a rock. Immovable as a barnacle. I came by my stubborn streak naturally. You only had to meet my mom or gran to see the family resemblance.

Since Gran kicked me out of the house, I needed a new place to live. As fun as it was hanging out with Vi and Anya, honoring mypromise to her meant giving us some actual space. Something the couch couldn’t offer.

My feelers for a rental hadn’t paid off yet, but I’d had plenty of time to plan my revenge on Gran. If she was going to play dirty, so was I. She’d burned me, but she hadn’t demanded my keys back. Her fatal mistake. Mom and Dad wouldn’t be home for a few more weeks, leaving me enough time to implement my plan.

I flopped on my back, clasping my hands behind my head. Staring at the ceiling with its mottled bumps. The gentle sounds of the house settled around me. Vi or Anya softly closed the bathroom door. Headlights from a passing car filtered through the living room curtains. I closed my eyes, wishing myself back at Lime Kiln. Meditating on the memory of waves lapping. Of Anya, warm and sweet, in my arms.

I woke with a crick in my neck and a bad attitude.

“Hey, freeloader,” Vi greeted me, hoisting her coffee mug. “I made coffee. You got any leads on an apartment yet?”

“Hmph.” I poured myself a cup, downing half of my coffee in a single, scorching swallow. The pain helped me wake up, and I blinked. Vi was already dressed for the shop. “Where’s Anya?”

My sister rolled her eyes. “She left hours ago, hotshot. Probably while you were snoring like a drunken sailor.”

“I was not.” I glowered.