Chapter Nineteen

Nora

I blow a chunk of my savings and all of Friday afternoon on a pomegranate sugar scrub and pedicure at the spa.

Did I need a pedicure? No. I groomed, waxed, and polished my whole body within an inch of my life before coming on this trip.

But was it great to avoid the world for a while and clear my head?

A resounding yes, though Sebastian hovered just on the edge of my mind all the while.

Shopping with him was too good. It was the kind of day that makes me dream of day dates and long lunches on patios and other impossibilities. I now know which pocket he keeps his wallet in, his vocal range, how quickly he drinks his coffee, and how he watches the road while I drive while most people watch their phones. That sticky trap brain of mine has already stored those intimate details.

Dinner is seventies disco themed. I rock my favorite sequined short romper I was planning to wear un-thematically with my favorite boots (I decided they match everything, even though they don't.) Benji makes me a plate at tonight's buffet-style setup as Sergio talks all our ears off about his favorite bars in all five New York Boroughs.

It doesn't escape my notice that Sebastian and Alessia are absent.

It does make it easier to focus on being girlfriend of the year, though. Just thinking about him showing up makes my insides twist with hope, so I try not to.

Benji's social battery dies when Gia forces the whole table to play Never Have I Ever, us included. We do not make it even half a round before we bail so he can turn in for the night.

And frankly, I'm tired of always winning Never Have I Ever.

I curl up in the bed and force myself to try to unwind with a few episodes of my comfort show Cheers on my laptop as Benji watches something in his chair, headphones on. But it turns out the ever-charming Sam Malone can't solve my restlessness tonight.

Maybe a walk would do me good. I need to recapture the fun I'm on vacation energy I once had before Sebastian confused my senses, and the rain seems to have stopped.

Abandoning everything but my key card, I pull my door shut behind me and set off for the one place I am least likely to run into anyone from this wedding at ten p.m.: a resort amenity geared for kids.

I cut across the grounds, my path lit by the full moon.

The game room is on the far side of the tennis courts and unlocks with a swipe of my room key.The smell of stale popcorn lingers in the air. Ping-pong, pinball, pool, air hockey—this is the perfect place to take out my energy on various sized balls and pucks. Luckily, I'm a professional at turning a two-player game into a solo act.

A muted sound hits my ear. The hairs on my arm rise up as I look left and right.

I'm not alone.

I pass the pool table to check out the rest of the L-shaped room.As I turn the corner, my gaze lands on a flexed back and a delicious arm poised to shoot a dart.

I can't escape this man. And I hate that my insides warm at the sight of him, that I feel instantly safer knowing he's here.

Subtle retraction. Wrist flick.

Thud.

His dart strikes the double-point ring on the twenty.

I slide my fingers into the shallow pockets of my romper. "Forty points."

He freezes in place for a beat. "There are libraries louder than you, Nor. Give a guy a warning when you're watching."

"I wasn't watching you."

"You can." He throws another dart and turns around to face me. "I just like knowing it's happening."

A blush burns my cheeks. "I figured no one would be in here."

"It's the steam room all over again."

Static heat gathers in the air between us. I try not to look at his mouth now that I know how it feels against mine. "I can go." My voice betrays the nerves lodged in my throat. "I wouldn't want to intrude—"

"Or"—he nods past me—"you can let me destroy you in air hockey. Since you're already here."

I shift my weight. Staying in here feels like a mistake in the making, but I can't bring myself to leave just yet. "You weren't at dinner. You or Alessia, I mean."

"Had to help Eloise. Turns out buffets are also a pain in the ass, just like every other part of catering." A tiny smile lifts the corners of his lips. "Missed us?"

"I've gotten used to having you both in the Thunderdome for meals. Purely selfish, since you've been hooking me up with great dinners. But there was chicken tonight, so I didn't need you."

His brows lift. "Mm-hmm. And you think that the chicken Benji brought you came from the buffet?"

The surprise must show on my face. "I—well, yeah. I did."

He chuckles under his breath as he shifts past me. "C'mon. One game. Then if you want to go, I'll walk you back. I don't like you near the lake alone at night."

A small dam bursts somewhere in my body, flooding me with heat. "Because of potential resort criminals?"

"Resort criminals, bears—"

"Bears?"

"You are so easy to rile up." His laugh is delicious, even if it's at my expense. "Don't worry, the bears are higher up in the mountains. They don't like us much, either."

I eye the door. "How sure are we about that?"

He moves toward the air hockey table. "Guess you'll have to take my word for it. Come grab your striker. Promise I'll go easy on you."

My heartbeat is a raging rhythm in my ears.Somehow, I don't believe he will.

And I don't think I want him to.