Page 136 of Say Yes to the Nemesis

I guess we’re about to find out.

thirty-eight

RYAN

The villa is exactlywhat I expected from Elena’s team. Over-the-top, romantic to the point of being ridiculous, and designed to make people fall in love on camera. The whole place screams “fairy-tale romance” in a way that would normally make me roll my eyes.

But watching Wren step inside, her eyes wide as she takes it all in, I have to admit, it’s pretty impressive.

Her fingers tighten around the strap of her bag like it’s the only solid thing in the room. She takes a step forward, then freezes again when her gaze lands on the bedroom visible through the open doorway. One king-sized bed dominating the space.

She’s tense, though. I can see it in the set of her shoulders, the way she’s scanning the space like she’s looking for an escape route.

“You gonna relax anytime soon, Rustin?” I tease.

She crosses her arms and gives me a look that could melt steel. “This is a nightmare.”

I grin because her attitude is so perfectly Wren. “Come on. We’ve had worse.”

“Have we?” She gestures around the villa, then stops. “Tell me you didn’t know about this.”

I shrug, trying to play it casual even though my pulse kicks up at the sight of that bed, too. “I mean, it is a romance show.”

“Oh my God.” She puts her face in her hands. “I hate everyone.”

“Including me?”

She peeks at me through her fingers. “Especially you.”

But there’s no real heat behind it. I can see the corner of her mouth twitching like she’s fighting a smile.

The breakfast is beautiful but untouched. The pool is cool but quiet. We go through the motions, pretending we’re in a fairy tale. But under it all, the tension is unbearable.

I catch Wren watching me when she thinks I’m not looking. The way her eyes follow my movements when I’m getting out of the pool, water running down my chest. She catches me staring, too, when she’s drying off her hair and the towel rides up to show a strip of skin at her waist.

Neither of us acknowledge it. But it’s there.

As the day stretches on and we’re sitting by the pool with drinks we’re both nursing slowly, Wren finally breaks.

“This isn’t going to end well,” she sighs.

I tilt my head, studying her profile in the soft lighting. “You always assume the worst, huh?”

She turns to look at me. There’s something in her expression I can’t quite read. Resignation, maybe. Or fear.

“You don’t?”

I think about that for a second. “I don’t know what happens after this.” I pause, watching her closely. “But I know what I want right now.”

Her breath catches and her lips part slightly. The tension that’s been building all evening suddenly feels like a live wire between us.

I lean in, just enough to test the waters. Close enough that I can smell her shampoo, feel the warmth of her skin. Close enough to kiss her if she lets me.

She doesn’t pull away.

“Ryan,” she whispers.

“Yeah?”