Page 8 of Fragile Hearts (Hibiscus Hearts #3)

She stares back at me, and I don’t know if I’ve pushed too far or not enough or what. A silence floats between us now, but it’s not uncomfortable. If anything, it feels laden with tension.

“I do know,” she eventually answers, her words low, barely audible, almost as though she’s afraid to say them out loud.

I hear them though, loud and fucking clear, and I can’t help but smile as my heart starts to pound in my chest at the possibility that this door that’s always been pretty firmly shut between us has just opened a tiny bit.

“Well, that’s good to know,” I say, patting Mochi again, my eyes never leaving Sloane. “You had dinner?” I now ask, changing the subject because even though I know that door has been opened, I still need to move slowly.

“Actually, I made something for both of us,” Sloane now says, and I swear a blush colors her cheeks.

“Oh?” I ask, grinning.

Sloane laughs, standing as she walks back inside to the kitchen. I hear her rummaging around inside, Mochi popping his head up as he checks to make sure she isn’t going far. Chuckling, I pat his little head in reassurance as I wait for her to come back out.

When she does, she’s carrying two beers and a massive charcuterie board that’s covered in cheeses, meats, crackers, dip, olives and more. I watch as she sets it down on the table in front of us before sitting back down.

“Wow, that looks great,” I tell her.

“It’s not exactly the healthiest of meals or whatever, but sometimes it’s nice to have.”

I smile, lifting Mochi up and putting him down on a spare chair beside me. “You won’t catch me complaining about cheese for dinner,” I say as I grab a beer and hold it up to her. “Here’s to Mochi moving in.”

Sloane laughs, and it’s music to my ears as she taps her bottle against mine and says, “To Mochi.”

Beside me, Mochi lets out an excited yelp as though he’s also happy about this.

The next morning, I’m woken by tiny barks beside my bed, and when I roll over, I see Mochi, his front paws up on the side of the mattress as he tries, and fails, desperately to jump up.

It’s actually kind of funny watching him, knowing with those little legs that he doesn’t stand a chance, no matter how hard he tries.

“Hey, bud,” I say, taking pity on him as I lift him onto the bed.

He yelps again, running around in tiny circles until he gets himself settled and curls up beside me. I guess I hadn’t fully shut my door last night when I eventually came to bed, and Mochi has decided to explore the house a bit more.

Which probably means Sloane has left already. She’d said last night about having an early shift at the hotel today, and as I lie here in bed, staring up at the ceiling, her dog now snoring beside me, I wonder again about her response last night when I’d said she knew exactly how I felt about her.

I do know.

A part of me thinks she probably doesn’t know exactly how I feel because that’s something I’ve never admitted to anyone.

But the truth is, while my initial attraction to her might have started out as a kind of lust-intrigue type of thing, there’s no doubt it has now morphed into something else entirely different.

Something that is a lot more serious on my end.

I have no idea if that would scare her or reassure her though. I know Sloane hasn’t really had anyone in her life she can rely on, apart from her friends, but it’s clear from our conversation last night that she still struggles with that.

I hate that she feels this way. That she genuinely thought she couldn’t ask me if she could bring her dog with her when she moved in here because she didn’t think it would be cool.

All I want to do is make her feel safe and at home and like she belongs here, and while Mochi was definitely a step in the right direction, I know I still have some work to do.

My phone chimes out with a text as I’m lying here, and I reach over to grab it.

Dad: Hey, you want to swing by the Orchid Bay today? We’ve got that environmental report back, and I know you were keen to check it out.

I smile, loving that my parents have fully embraced my decision to not work in the hotel business with them, but to take a different approach. And I love that they too are also on board for considering the environmental impact of expanding their empire.

Me: Yeah, sure thing. I’ll come in around 11.

Dad: Great, see you then!

A couple of hours later, I head over to the hotel, walking in the back entrance toward the main offices where I know my dad will be waiting.

“Owen, hey,” he says, greeting me with a smile and an embrace. I’ve always been close to my parents and my older sister.

“Hey, Dad. How’s things?”

“Good, how about you? How’s the new roommate?” he asks, a sly smile on his face.

Chuckling, I shake my head because just like all my friends, my dad is also very aware of my huge crush on Sloane. “She’s good. We now have a dog.”

Dad raises a brow. “Oh, we do, do we ?” he asks, teasingly.

“You know what I mean,” I reply as we both walk over to his desk.

“She’s working today, you know,” Dad points out. “Maybe you should go say hi.”

I roll my eyes, shaking my head at him as I say, “Yeah, I know she is, and I’m actually gonna take her to lunch, so if we could hurry this up, old man.” I make a rolling motion with my hand, and Dad laughs, throwing his arm around my shoulder.

“Alright, come on then.”

After we’ve looked at the report and discussed some of the options, I say goodbye to my dad and head out toward the main lobby area of the hotel. It’s a beautiful building, not too large and tastefully decorated with loads of plants and subtle lighting.

It’s the kind of place you come to stay if you want to get away for some peace and quiet and also if you have a shitload of money. There’s no denying it is an exclusive boutique-style hotel, but my family also owns more family-friendly places across the islands too.

Sloane is at the counter, typing away on the computer, her eyes on the screen as someone beside her serves a customer.

With a grin, I wander over, sliding my arms across the cool marble and leaning in as I say, “Hey.”

She looks up, blinking in surprise. “Hey,” she replies.

Chuckling, I ask, “You wanna grab some lunch?”

Sloane blinks again, turning to her colleague beside her, who is clearly trying to listen to whatever it is we are saying while she also serves the customer, before she turns back to me.

“What, now?”

“I mean, it is lunchtime, so yeah, now,” I reply with a laugh. “Come on, it’s cool.”

“You sure?” she asks, swallowing hard.

“Yes, positive,” I say, stepping around to take her hand in mine. “Let’s go.”

I lead her down the back steps to the outdoor seating area that overlooks the main pool. Turning left, I bypass the bar and small café and instead take her over to the cabanas that line the far side of the pool and stretch out to the oceanfront.

“Owen, where are we going?” she asks, squeezing my hand.

“Lunch,” I say, glancing over my shoulder with a grin.

“Yeah, but where?” she asks.

“Here,” I say, stopping by one of the private tented areas. “Figured you’d prefer something a bit more private given you’re...you know,” I say, eyeing her up and down.

She’s obviously dressed for work, and that means she’s in the hotel uniform. Knowing Sloane, I figured she would hate to be seen enjoying lunch dressed like that. And when her face relaxes into an easy smile, I know I was right.

“Thank you,” she says, squeezing my hand again before she pulls hers free.

I miss her touch immediately, but I don’t reach for her again, instead pulling out one of the chairs for her.

Sloane kicks off her shoes and takes a seat, and before I’ve even sat down, one of the servers appears.

We both order Cokes and burgers, and then he’s gone, leaving the two of us alone again.

“So, how’s your day been?” I ask.

Sloane laughs, shaking her head. “It’s fine. How was Mochi this morning? Was he okay?”

Now it’s me laughing as I say, “He’s fine. Left him sleeping on my bed, lazy thing.” Her eyes widen, and she opens her mouth to say something, but I cut her off before she can. “It’s all good, Sloane, it’s his home too.”

She exhales, but she’s chuckling as she says, “Okay.”

“You sleep better having him home?” I now ask.

She nods, her eyes on the ocean as she says, “I actually sleep pretty good at your place anyway, but yeah, it was nice having him there.”

“Our place,” I say, correcting her. She turns to me, rolling her eyes, and I can’t help but laugh. “Just accept it, Sloane.”

“You are impossible,” she mutters.

My grin widens. “Yeah, but you love me anyway,” I say, and almost immediately, her cheeks flush, and I let out another laugh as I continue my teasing. “There’s no shame in it, Sloane. I’m pretty irresistible.”

She shifts in her chair so she’s half turned toward me, a smile on her face as she says, “And oh so humble too.”

“Of course,” I reply.

She chuckles, still watching me as she says, “But you’re right.”

I’m not entirely sure which part she’s agreeing to—the whole loving me part or the part where I’m irresistible. Maybe it’s both? Either way, I don’t care; I’ll take it.

I smile, not responding to or acknowledging her words, even though I am dying to know more. Instead, I say, “I was thinking, maybe we should have a kind of housewarming? You know, celebrate you and Mochi moving in?”

Sloane’s smile falters a little as she says, “But it’s only temporary, right? We don’t have to celebrate that.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” I say, swallowing hard, knowing the last thing I want is for this to be temporary.

“Owen, I can’t?—”

“You can,” I tell her. “It’s a big house, Sloane, and I like having you there. Why look for something else? Unless, of course...” I trail off, wondering if maybe Sloane doesn’t feel as comfortable living with me as I do with her.

“Of course, what?” she asks.

I blow out a breath, turning to look at the ocean. “I don’t know, I guess I hadn’t considered that maybe you don’t want to live with me,” I say with a shrug.

“Owen,” she murmurs before I feel the touch of her hand on my arm. Turning, I find her watching me, a sad smile on her face. “I do like living with you,” she whispers.

“But?” I prompt, knowing there’s more.

She exhales. “But I don’t want to be a burden or take advantage of a situation or whatever. We’re friends, and I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but the last thing I want is to overstep.”

I turn in my chair so I’m facing her. Taking her hand in mine, I lift it to my mouth, pressing a soft kiss to the inside of her wrist, feeling the hard beat of her pulse beneath my lips. Sloane lets out a tiny gasp, that gorgeous blush coloring her cheeks again.

“Sloane,” I start, my words low. “I need you to listen when I tell you this, okay?” I pause, only continuing when she nods in agreement.

“You aren’t overstepping, and you’re sure as hell not a burden.

I want you to live with me. I like you living with me, and I mean it when I say that you can stay as long as you want. ”

Forever.

That’s what I really want to say, but I don’t.

Sloane is watching me, her blue eyes searching my face as she takes in my words. “You promise you’ll let me know if that changes?” she eventually says, her words a whisper.

Smiling, I lift her hand to my mouth again, kissing her knuckles as I say, “It’s not gonna happen, but yeah, I promise.”

She watches me still, her eyes wide as they take everything in. Eventually, though, a slow smile starts to tug at her gorgeous mouth, a mouth I have dreamed about kissing more times than I can count. “Okay,” she says, giving me a small nod.

“Okay?” I repeat.

“Yeah, okay,” she says, laughing now.

With a grin, I give her knuckles one more kiss before reluctantly letting go as I say, “Alright then, housewarming party it is.”