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He blows out an exasperated sigh at the sound of my voice, and when I touch his hand, his shoulders fall before turning to face me.

“You may be the only person on earth I would stop for, but I’m not in the mood for… fun.”

“When you said home, did you mean Texas or our villa?” she asks, looking up at me with those baby blues as clear as an Alaskan Husky’s eyes.

“What happened today shouldn’t have.”

“Don’t say that.”

I can’t help but notice the pained expression on his face. “Listen, I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Well, the sex is a good start,” I say to lighten his mood.

His response is a dry huff. Clearly, he didn’t enjoy it as much as I did. To his credit, he gave me multiple orgasms, and he only had one. “Yeah, it was so good, you wanted to keep it a secret.”

“Damn, I needed a day to soak it in. And I don’t even know what we’re keeping a secret… that we had sex or that we…”

“We what? Have a connection? It’s always been there but justlike college; you push away the chance to be happy. No jocks. No athletes. Got it. What if I were a chef?”

Not once has John ever admonished me like he is now. He’s fed up, and I need to know what Corbin said to him.

“I want to know what we are before we tell anyone.”

“Becca, that’s not how it works. You don’t shove someone you like into the shadows, out of the watchful eye of your brother and friends… not from our friends. I get it. It’s been a long time since you’ve dated. But all we had to do was show up to dinner, and I casually slip my arm around you, and our friends would see it. That’s how they know we’re interested in each other. I wouldn’t announce it.”

He releases my hand, and in an instant, I miss his warmth. It doesn’t matter that it’s eighty degrees at nearly midnight.

“Becca, it’s clear that I’ve always been the one waiting on you. Waiting for you to see I’m more than a hockey player.” He shakes his head. “Hell, I showed you in college, and I showed you during the hardest time of your life. Do me a favor. Don’t pretend you feel the same way about me as I do you. I’m a fun time while you’re on vacation. I wanted more.”

“Wanted?” she asks with her doe eyes.

“After Corbin caught us kissing in the closet, it’s too late to pretend it didn’t happen. I’ll see if anyone has checked out of the hotel. Or crash with Austin. Go back and have fun.”

He has a temper. They don’t call him The Penalty Player for nothing, but underneath, he’s a guy who wants to be loved—needs to be loved. John walks backward for a few steps before disappearing while my feet feel like they’re sinking in quicksand, unable to move.

“Becca, where’s John headed?” Emmaline asks at a higher volume than usual with Oakley next to her.

“Not sure.”

“What’s going on between you?”

“Not sure.”

Oakley pulls on my elbow. “But there is something going on?” She winks.

“There was. But I don’t know where we stand. Corbin caught us kissing during the murder mystery. I covered with the ginger thing. Or at least I thought I did. Corbin must have said something to John that set him off.”

Oakley’s eyes narrow to slits and her toe taps against the ground then she objects. “Corbin said something to piss him off, or was it you?”

“I guess he’s mainly mad at me. Who knows.” I flap my arms in frustration.

Emmaline says, “You do know. Just talk to him.”

“Go, Becca. If you only want a vacay hookup, then tell him that. Let him decide what he wants. If you want to date and see where it goes, then let John know. We both know he’s been waiting for you to heal.”

“Pfft. Yeah, that’s why he brought his girlfriend.”

“Ex-girlfriend. And Becca, I’ve known you for a year and when you and John were stunting on the beach today, you were lit up. Like the world was your fucking oyster. Was I imagining it? Or is that how you felt?” Oakley places her hands on my shoulders like she’s shaking some sense into me.