“Of course.”
Kendra and Lucas stepped apart, grabbed their bags, and headed for the elevators. Lucas pressed the button to call one. Neither of them looked at each other as they waited, but once they were alone inside, Lucas turned to Kendra. She was staring at the floor selection buttons as though they held a fascinating secret to eternal life.
“Did you not think I should know that it was supposed to be your husband traveling with you?” he asked. “Or that this was supposed to be your honeymoon?”
“You figured that out.”
“It wasn’t that hard. You were wearing an engagement ring and were supposed to check in with your husband. So, why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I thought we both made it clear that we weren’t trying to get to know each other.” Kendra’s gaze lowered and she crossedher arms over her stomach. “And I was embarrassed, okay? I’m sorry. But we’re here, and that’s the difficult part over.”
Lucas’s heart clenched. He hadn’t meant to embarrass Kendra, but it didn’t matter now. She was right. They were here, and once they got set up in their room, he’d leave to explore the grounds, and they wouldn’t see much of each other.
The elevator doors whooshed open, and they stepped out into a wide hall lined with lanterns. At the far end, they found their suite, and Kendra unlocked the door.
The honeymoon suite was by far the most lavish place Lucas had seen, and he’d stayed in plenty of upscale hotels on business trips. Everything was clearly designed for newlywed couples, from the large bed with curtains on rails around it to the enormous heart-shaped jacuzzi in the bathroom to the loveseat in front of the window with a view over the ocean. They both explored before meeting in the sitting area.
“There’s only one bed,” Lucas pointed out.
“You can sleep on the couch,” Kendra replied, looking away.
“Right.” Lucas nudged the loveseat with his knee. “This thing? I’d never fit on it.”
Kendra sighed, averting her gaze from his. Her cheeks were pink again.
“Maybe I can sleep on the floor,” she said.
Lucas didn’t love the feeling that she’d rather sleep on the floor than share a bed with him. But he hadn’t exactly been nice to her, so he could understand where she was coming from.
“We can share the bed,” he said.
“Just because we’re pretending to be a couple doesn’t mean that I want to share a bed with you,” Kendra said, crossing her arms.
“I’m not too thrilled about it either, but let’s face it: there isn’t a better option. Not unless you want to admit to the hotel staff that we’re not a real couple and get separate rooms.”
“Which isn’t an option,” Kendra filled in. She turned on her heel and went into the bedroom. Lucas followed, stopping in the doorway as she surveyed the bed, hands on hips. “I guess it’s plenty big.”
Lucas didn’t reply. He watched as she grabbed a few of the many pillows and began forming a wall in the middle of the bed.
“That’s your side.” Kendra pointed. “And this is mine. And this,” she said as she pointed to the pillows, “is the demilitarized zone.”
Lucas couldn’t help himself; he chuckled. Kendra turned, glaring, but then her expression softened, and she laughed, too. Then she shook her head.
“I’m serious about the wall, though.”
Lucas lifted his hands, palms up, in a gesture of surrender. “I understand that. Although I prefer the left side of the bed, if it’s all the same to you.”
“It isn’t. You’re on the right side, and that’s final.”
“Fine.” Lucas almost smiled. He didn’t really care which side of the bed he slept on, but she was cute when she was annoyed. “Now, I’m going to grab my things and go explore.”
“Great.” Kendra looked relieved. “I need a little time to freshen up.”
“Take all the time you want. Remember, we’re not really on vacation together.”
“Right.” She sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing her hands over the sheets. “Enjoy your walk.”
“Thanks.”
