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“I’m serious. As long as she isn’t shitting on the floors or chasing the livestock, no one will care she’s here.”

Cara doubted that. Buttons could be sassy. “Are you sure?”

“As sure as I want you here.”

She wassoootempted. The three of them had quickly created a bond. She’d like to see if she had imagined it. With what he was proposing, it wouldn’t cost her a dime to go this time, except for the gas to get there. How could she say no? “Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“I’ll come and bring Buttons, but not this weekend. It’s too short notice. However, even if I’m able to swing taking off the Friday on the weekend I come, I wouldn’t get there until the late afternoon. If I can’t, then it’ll be sometime in the evening.”

“Cara, it’s only a three-hour drive. Technically, you could be here by breakfast if you left early enough.”

She laughed. “I’d think you’ve gone without sex for years by the way you’re acting.”

“It feels like years.”

“You really haven’t had sex with anyone else since we left?” That was impossible.

“No.”

“Dayne…”

“I figured you might not want me fucking others.”

What?“Dayne, you owe me nothing.Usnothing.”

“Not even respect?”

“You abstained out of respect?”Bullshit.

“Look, it’s no secret that I love sex. I’ve had plenty of it with a vast amount of people since opening the resort, not counting my prior partners, but…” The phone went silent.

“But?” she prodded.

“But the truth is, none of the rest compared.”

He was really laying it on thick. “Are you saying I’m a natural when it comes to sex?” That was laughable.

“You are. You wanted to run that first night, but you didn’t. You stayed and gave the resort, and me, a chance. You expanded your knowledge and experience because you were willing to try new things and keep an open mind.”

“I don’t get it. If this is only about sex, then you could have plenty of it without us. You don’t need to have me or Heath in your personal space.”

Dayne didn’t respond for the longest time, and when he finally did, he said, “This isn’t only about sex.”

“Explain.”

“I’ve been struggling with this, but the truth is, I want to explore the connection the three of us had.”

So, he felt it, too.

“I want to know if it’s real and find out how deep it goes.”

She didn’t expect any of this to come from Dayne. “What does Heath think?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I sent him an invite for this weekend via text. He accepted. Maybe I’m wrong about this connection but I won’t know—wewon’t know—unless we spend more time together.”

“I definitely didn’t expect any of this from you,” she whispered. Not when she thought she’d never hear from him again.