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Sweat beaded at Julia’s nape. Could her mother not notice her for once ? She slipped into her chair next to Carson. His fleeting touch on her knee under the table promised they’d fall into each other’s arms as soon as they were on the other side of their hotel room door.

Quietly, of course. Because thin walls.

“Julia,” Michelle said, “I understand Carson’s hosted you these last few days. I hope you’ve behaved.”

Jesus Christ. If she could hide her face in her napkin, she would.

“I was happy to help,” Carson said.

“We can take her off your hands.” To Julia, she said. “We have a lovely large honeymoon suite with a sleeper sofa. You can stay with us.”

Every fiber of her being screamed no . There were not enough earplugs in the world. She’d lived through enough of Mom’s previous boyfriends and husbands to know she was loud in bed. And on an almost-honeymoon? Goodbye to her peace of mind.

“That’s kind, Mom, but I’ll be on the phone a lot, coordinating, confirming, finalizing.”

“We don’t mind, do we?” Mom placed a bejeweled hand on Jim’s.

“Not at all,” he said.

Dammit. The problem with providing logistical excuses was people removed them to be helpful.

If she were honest and said she preferred rooming with Carson, they couldn’t argue.

They could, however, harbor suspicions about her preference.

Suspicions Alex advised her to keep under wraps, which meant she had no choice but to say…

“Great. It’ll take me few minutes to pack my stuff.” Please let Carson read the apology in her eyes. “Isn’t this great? No more fighting over who gets the bathroom first.”

“Yeah. So great.”

No one else seemed to catch the hollowness in his voice. After Jim picked up the check, the parents and Carson piled into the minivan to return to the hotel to collect Julia’s things.

Next to the driver’s door, Alex said, “Bo and I are taking off. See you tomorrow.”

Julia caught her in a hug and whispered, “This is a nightmare.”

“Hope you packed earplugs.” Alex giggled.

The drive back was brief, and Julia managed to find a space close to the entrance. As they headed inside, Mom threaded her arm with Julia’s. “I’ll help you pack. Boys, have a cocktail and we’ll meet you back here.”

Oh, hell. Had she been bamboozled into a mother-daughter chat?

Julia closed her eyes as she held the keycard to the sensor.

Inside the room, her mother said, “It’s so small. You must be relieved to have an escape.”

“Yeah,” Julia said. “Relieved.”

“I apologize for the subterfuge, but there was a reason I wanted to get you alone. I couldn’t ask in front of Jim…”

Julia’s heart hammered in her chest. This was it. This was the moment her mother found out about Carson and berated her with scandalized how could you s.

“Did you have a chance to visit the lingerie shop?”

* * *

Carson slid onto the stool next to his dad.

They were father and son, but Dad was his buddy.

Knew his frat brothers, called a few of them to bust their balls when their hometown baseball teams lost to the Dodgers.

He couldn’t get a read on Dad tonight, though.

He fidgeted with his phone, checking texts, moving too fast to actually read anything.

“Everything okay?” Carson asked.

“Yeah. Work thing.” He put his phone face down. “Wish I could toss this into the sun.”

“I hear that.”

Ugh. Had he actually said that? But he was struggling for a conversation topic. He was amped about Julia, but that was a no-go. Per her wishes, mostly, but a fraction of him didn’t know how Dad would react, either. No need to stress him out for the big day.

“How are you and Julia getting along?” Dad asked. “Michelle was worried you’d be like oil and water. Says she can be demanding.”

He pursed his lips. Demanding? No, exacting was the better, more accurate description. She knew what she wanted and had excellent taste.

“We get along great, actually.”

The bartender laid cocktail napkins in front of them. “Apologies for the wait, sirs. What can I get for you?”

“Bourbon,” Dad said.

“And a Belikin,” Carson said. “Could you charge it to room 612?”

The bartender nodded. “Back in a moment.”

“What’s a Belikin?” Dad asked.

“Belizean beer.”

Dad flipped his phone over, then dropped it back onto the bar. What was his deal? He’d been his normal self at dinner. Gregarious, chatty, energetic. As soon as Michelle left his side, though, he’d fallen into this twitchy funk.

“Michelle says Julia’s desperate for a job. Your company’s tripled in size this past year—maybe you could hire her?”

He wished.

“I would, but she got her master’s in hospitality management, so she’s looking for hotel jobs. She likes front-office stuff best.”

The bartender delivered their drinks. After thanking him, Dad clinked his glass to Carson’s beer and downed half the bourbon in one gulp.

Okay, then.

“You know people, don’t you? Michelle says Julia’s worried about making ends meet.”

She was?

“I’ll put her in touch with my contacts.” The golden lager chilled his throat. “I wanted to see how she operates so I didn’t embarrass myself if she wasn’t a professional.”

“Son, we help family unconditionally. Like your aunt Charlotte did for you, and like you’re trying to do for Danny. If they don’t keep up their end of the bargain, that’s on them.”

Carson jumped as Michelle placed an unexpected hand on his shoulder.

“There are my men,” she said. “Are you ready, Jim?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Dad slid from his barstool.

Carson left colorful Belizean dollars on the bar for the bartender, then grabbed Julia’s suitcase handle. She didn’t protest, which he took as a good sign. As they marched out to the parking lot, her bag’s wheels click-clacked against the lobby’s tile seams.

Every cell in his body protested this situation.

Julia should stay here, with him. It killed him that he couldn’t say so.

Today was, hands down, the number one sexual encounter in his history.

But he wanted her to stay because he liked being with Julia more than he liked being alone.

Life was more fun, more interesting with her nearby.

She was the first woman to enter his life where he couldn’t see the upside of her leaving.

“If we had more room at the resort,” Michelle said, “I would’ve invited you to stay with us, too. This inn is lovely, but the resort is a level up, luxury-wise.”

He could give a fuck about luxury. Nothing would be more awkward than sharing a suite with the woman he wanted to strip naked, plus her mother and his father. That was some Game of Thrones shit.

“How about a round of golf tomorrow?” Dad asked.

“Oh, you.” Michelle waved him away. “You can golf anytime. There must be something we can do together.”

The minivan’s taillights flared as Julia hit the Unlock button on her key fob. “Alex wants us to visit her at the office tomorrow.”

“Yes, but that won’t take long.” Michelle slid into the rear passenger seat. “Oh, I know! Alex can take us on a tour. What do you think, Jim?”

His dad joined her in the van. “That could be fun.”

Once their parents shut their doors, he had a few seconds of privacy with Julia. After he placed her suitcase into its back, she shut the rear lift gate.

“Jules, a question.” He caught her hand.

A quiet, gentle touch, but it sent his heart racing.

“Let me guess—you’re wondering how my mother can be complimentary and condescending in one sentence?” She blew her hair from her eyes. “It’s her gift.”

God, he wanted her. He had the sneaking suspicion he’d never drink his fill.

Hell was their parents sitting three feet away.

“When can I see you again?” he asked.

“Soon?” She cut her gaze toward the car. “But it can’t happen when I’m within a hundred yards of my mother. I can’t keep my volume down around you.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “I guess I’ll have to accept that.”

“Don’t get cocky.” She punched him in the shoulder.

“I’m always cocky. Especially around you.”

She clutched her forehead. “I’d love to banter all night, but I’m driving our parents to their resort so I can couch-surf in their honeymoon suite.”

“Have fun with that.” He risked touching her hip.

“I won’t,” she said and backed away.

He stayed in the lot until their taillights disappeared.