Caleb went for broke, pressing a kiss to the crown of Leah’s head. “I like to think so,” he said with a wink.
“I look forward to hearing more stories about your adventures in the classes tomorrow. I do hope you two plan to attend.”
“Absolutely,” Caleb said. “We’re going to attend as many as possible.”
“Actually,” Leah hastily interjected. “We still have to go over the schedule.”
“True, but you’ll catch us in a few,” Caleb said.
“Great! We’ll see you tomorrow,” Abigail replied. “Enjoy the rest of the mixer. Have more wine. From what I see over there, there’s lots.”
The moment they stepped away, Leah turned to him, but before she could speak, Caleb said, “Really? A trail of rose petals leading to a candlelight dinner? Do I really seem like the kind of guy who would do something that corny?”
“Forget the fake proposal,” she said. “Why did you tell Abigail we’ll see her tomorrow?”
“Because we will,” Caleb said. “You said you wanted to attend some of the workshops. So we’re attending some of the workshops.” He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “But if we’re going to pretend we’re in a relationship, it’s going to be the most kickass relationship to have ever existed.”
Leah looked up at him. After several moments passed, a small smile tilted up the side of her lips. “Fine. Kickass it is.”
* * *
The deafening chirpof crickets and other nighttime creatures accompanied them as they walked along the pebbled path leading to their cabin. Leah tried to recall the stories she’d heard from the various couples they’d met tonight, but her mind refused to focus on anything but the giant elephant that awaited them in the cabin upon their return. The moment Caleb opened the door, she could feel its oppressive weight.
Sexual tension saturated the air. It was heavy with it. Potent.
She should have expected this. Their lighthearted flirting over the course of the evening, combined with the subtle underlay of attraction that seemed to hover in the air whenever she was around Caleb, all but guaranteed this outcome on the first night the two of them shared a room. Every inch of her skin tingled with an odd, nervous energy.
“Do you—”
“Would you—”
Caleb motioned for her to speak.
“I was just going to ask if you wanted to use the bathroom first?” Leah said.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.” He grinned. “You go first. It’ll give me time to make up the couch.”
The weighty pause that followed his reminder about their sleeping arrangements hung in the air like a corpulent cloud.
“Okay,” Leah said, cringing at her own awkwardness. “Thank you.”
She pulled the diffuser out of her carry-on and plugged it up.
“What’s that?” Caleb asked.
“A diffuser,” Leah said. “I hope you don’t mind. Diffusing essential lavender oil into the air at night helps me to sleep.”
He shrugged. “Not a problem.”
After setting up the diffuser, she grabbed the mesh packing cube that contained her nightwear and headed for the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and slap her hand to her chest. She could feel her heart pounding against her palm.
“Get a grip,” Leah quietly admonished.
Fat chance of that happening. When she unzipped the packing cube, her heartbeat escalated.
Shit!
It looked like a Victoria’s Secret Semi-Annual Sale had exploded in her luggage. When she’d packed a couple of days ago, it was with the intention of spending a romantic weekend away with her fiancé, not her next-door neighbor. There was not a single appropriate piece of sleepwear in the bunch.
