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I smile serenely instead and say, “That’s so crazy! But you two should totally go and enjoy yourselves. We all said we didn’t have to be joined at the hip, right?”

She eyes me suspiciously, but after Zayne reminds her that the ice cream is melting, they quickly make their way up the stairs. And that’s when Ash comes down with the dogs.

“Where are they going?” he asks as the dogs drag him toward the door.

“They’re taking wine and ice cream upstairs,” Loren points out. “Where do you think they’re going?”

“Ah. Gotcha.” The dogs are all scratching at the front door. “I’ll be back!”

As soon as the door closes behind him, Loren and I look at each other like…now what?

I turn and go to the kitchen.

“Hey, where are you going?” She catches up with me. “I thought we were going to set up the whole hot tub thing.”

“We have to flip a switch and turn on some lights. And last night, we just used Mike’s playlist on his phone for music, so…?”

She sighs loudly. “Fine, there’s a reason I need for us to be alone.”

My eyes go a little wide even as my mind goes blank about what she could possibly be leading to.

“I think Mike is finally setting a date and…I kind of need a little time where it’s just the two of us. I know it’s a lot to ask, but would you mind…”

“You need me and Ash out of the way.”

“Oh my God! Yes!” She hugs me and quickly pulls back. “You’re not mad, are you? I hate making everyone go and hide out, but I just know if we have some time to ourselves, he’ll bring up the whole setting a date thing!”

It would be wrong to point out that she can’t know that for sure, but then again, what do I know? I’m the outsider here.

“Then tell me what you need from me. I can’t imagine he’s still up there with Roxie.”

“No, I saw him head to our room when Ash left with the dogs. I snuck in a quick grocery order earlier today while he and the guys were out on the beach and I got some champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, whipped cream, and a few candles. If you can quickly help me get them all out by the hot tub, I’d really appreciate it. ”

I guess all of my hopes and dreams of having Ash alone in the hot tub are officially canceled, but it’s for a good cause.

We make quick work of setting a very romantic scene, and when I go to hug her and wish her luck, Loren grabs my hand and leads me back into the kitchen.

“What’s up?”

She pulls me in close and whispers, “Okay, don’t tell anyone that I did this for you, because I didn’t do it for them, but…” She pulls open the pantry door, reaches in and pulls out a small picnic basket.

“How big was this grocery order, and how did we all miss it?” I joke.

“Like I said, the guys were out, Roxie was walking the dogs, and you and Van were practically asleep by the pool. I timed it perfectly!” Placing the basket into my hands, she explains.

“Okay, so there are cookies, brownies, some gourmet popcorn—you know, in case you want salty instead of sweet—four bottles of water, a couple of the chocolate-covered strawberries, and a bottle of wine. I wanted to cover all my bases. Plus, there are plates, napkins, and glasses, a scented candle, and a lighter. You’re all set, so… off you go!”

“Wow. This is seriously impressive. You’ve literally thought of everything!”

“Yup. I’m amazing, now…shoo! Go!”

And yeah, she gives me a not-so-gentle nudge to get me moving. I want to argue and perhaps make her sweat for a minute, but I’m too excited about getting upstairs and changing and surprising Ash in his room.

“Well…good luck,” I sing as I walk away.

Ash isn’t back yet, so I quickly make my way up to my room. Roxie is sprawled out on her bed, face down like a starfish, snoring loudly, and I am beyond grateful that I’m not sleeping in here.

Putting the basket down, I quietly go into our bathroom to freshen up and change into my nightie from the night before.

And then change my mind and grab a fresh one from the dresser drawer.

My reflection doesn’t look too bad and I’m having a good hair night, so I tiptoe out of the bathroom, slip my robe on, grab my basket of goodies and my phone, and quietly make my way out.

I can hear Ash coming through the door with the dogs and he’s laughing and talking to them as he makes his way toward the kitchen to give them all something to drink.

I have five, maybe ten minutes before he comes upstairs.

As soon as I’m in his room, I get to work—candle on the nightstand, snacks on the dresser, and I set out the plates, napkins, and glasses beside them. I display the drinks in the open basket and then turn down the blanket on the bed before closing the blinds and curtains.

I have several music apps on my phone, but most of my playlists are more like white noise and nature sounds.

I go with the sounds of the ocean because it’s soothing.

I’d open the windows and let us hear the actual ocean that is right outside, but the air conditioning is on and it’s a lot of work to open these gigantic windows.

Plus, it’s June and the temps are still in the eighties outside.

“Fake ocean it is,” I claim, looking around to make sure everything looks okay.

Honestly, to me it’s fine, but I have no idea what Ash is going to think about it. We don’t know each other well enough for me to be confident in whether or not he enjoys a romantic setting. He looks like the type, though, right? He’s sweet and sensitive, so why wouldn’t he enjoy this?

That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.

Now it’s time to think about what I’m going to be doing when he walks in. Should I be laying across the bed with my robe all disheveled, revealing my bare shoulder? Or maybe I should stand and hold the tray of strawberries? Ooh…or greet him with a glass of wine?

I turn quickly to open the wine and end up knocking my phone off the dresser. With a sigh, I bend over to pick it up, and that’s how Ash finds me when he walks in—standing there, bent at the waist, with my ass in the air.

Awesome.

When I straighten and face him, he’s all wide-eyed and flustered, like he was trying not to stare. Although I’m pretty sure my robe kept my butt covered, I can’t be one hundred percent sure.

“Hey,” I say breathlessly. “How were the dogs?”

For a moment, he looks around in confusion before his focus returns to me. “They were good. We walked a little farther than I had planned, but I wanted to make sure everyone did their business before I put them back up with Roxie.”

“Smart. Very smart.” I try to be inconspicuous as I straighten my robe. “Was she asleep when you put the dogs back in her room?”

“She was, and now I fully understand your frustration from last night.”

“Right?” I say excitedly, happy that someone else experienced it and I’m not crazy. “I love her, but I’m also concerned. Like maybe I should suggest that she go see an ear, nose, and throat doctor.”

Shrugging, he steps further into the room and shuts the door. “So, um…what’s going on? I thought we were all meeting down in the hot tub.”

“Oh, right. Loren is convinced that Mike is ready to finally set a date, and she wanted to set a romantic stage for the two of them.”

He glances around me to where I have our own romantic setup going on.

“Loren did it!” I blurt out.

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah, she ordered this whole setup for us so we wouldn’t mind being banished to your room.” My nervous laugh turns into a snort, and I’m mortified. “Anyway…there’s a little bit of everything here.” I then act like some sort of game show assistant and point it all out to him with great flourish.

“Salty and sweet,” he says with approval. “Nice.” Then his attention is back on me. “And all this?”

“Right, so…I know this looks like I’m trying to be sexy, but this is what I typically sleep in.

I just figured it was easier to get changed down in my room and then head up.

” But now I feel super awkward and wonder if I maybe should have just changed into something casual and then put on my nightie later.

This entire situation is weird.

Hell, this entire vacation has been weird.

But now I’m just standing here waiting for him to say something because I’m flustered and a little embarrassed, and way out of my comfort zone.

When he takes a step toward me, my heart begins to race.

When his gaze roams over my entire body from head to toe, I feel it like an actual caress.

And when he comes to a stop right in front of me, I’m practically vibrating with anticipation.

“I’m not gonna lie,” he says, his voice low and gruff, and it makes me shiver. “I like this plan much more than the hot tub one.”

Swallowing hard, I whisper back, “Really?”

He nods and then his arm bands around my waist and I’m pressed up against him everywhere and it’s freaking delicious. Neither of us says a word, but I know whatever we say next is going to change everything for us and the course of the entire night.

Everything about this moment screams romance—the dim glow of the bedside lamp cast warm shadows across the room, bathing everything in a golden hue.

The air is thick with anticipation, an electric charge neither of us has said out loud, but I know we’ve felt from the moment our hands first intertwined on the plane days ago.

“Tell me you want me to kiss you,” he demands, his lips a mere breath from mine.

“Kiss me, Sebastian. Please.”

I see a hint of a smile just before his lips touch mine, and then all I can do is feel.

My eyes drift shut, and I’m wrapped up in the most wonderful sensations.

He kisses me with such tenderness, and I really love the way he takes his time.

I have to tamp down my own impatience because this is too good to rush.

So, I slowly drape my arms over his shoulders as he takes the kiss a little deeper.

His tongue touches mine in the most perfect way and I simply melt against him.

I’ve always enjoyed kissing, but I didn’t always enjoy the way some guys kiss. Sebastian could teach a masterclass on it.