“Sorry. I?—”
“No. I like it. I really like it. I’m just a little freaked-out right now.”
I got freshly pissed off all over again. “Trust me, so am I. I cannot believe that asshole stalked me here.”
Ryan bit his lip. “Should I go back to my place, or?—”
“No!” Okay, that was maybe a little too harsh. I softened my tone and took his hand. “Sweetheart. If you want to escape to your room, I fully support that. This is way over the fucking line, and Tollin and I are going to be having some serious words. But…” I hesitated. I had no idea if there was a future for us off this island, but I realized in that moment, it didn’t matter. “I want you to meet him. And I want him and Tarik to meet you.”
His face softened, and some of the tension drained from his shoulders. “Okay. I get it. If it was Gracie and Hasan, I’d be pretty angry too, but I’d also want them to meet you.”
The name Gracie sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. It was a reminder of how much Ryan and I still didn’t know each other that the people closest to him were still strangers to me.
“We’ll make nice for long enough to find out why the fuck they’re here, then I might have to go off on them both. I hope you’re okay with that.”
Ryan smiled and leaned in, stealing a kiss. “I love the idea of you getting mean and bossy.”
I shuddered—a single spark of pleasure racing up my spine as I took his hand and leaned on him for support as we made our way back up to the room.
The lights in my suite were on. I had no idea how—or if—they’d gotten a key to the room, but I could see Tarik pacing and Tollin lounging on the couch like he had no better place to be in the world but here, fucking up my week.
I breathed through another rush of anger as Ryan and I stepped through the back door and then walked into the suite’s living room. The adjoining door was sitting open still, so Ryan could escape if he needed to.
“Well,” Tollin said. “If it isn’t the lovebirds. Atlas and what? Some guy you met on the fucking internet?”
I took a deep breath. “Tollin, this is Ryan. The EMT who literally saved my life.”
Tollin immediately paled, and Tarik dropped the water bottle he was holding.
“Oh my god,” Tarik whispered. “That’s…”
“Yes.” I linked my fingers with Ryan’s. “This is him.”
“Um. Hello,” Ryan said, waving a little awkwardly.
Tollin cleared his throat. “How? And why? And when?”
“None of those questions have any context,” I pointed out. “And also, they’re none of your fucking business. I told you that I was going away. You had no reason to leave your pregnant wife at home to come here and disturb me.”
Tollin blinked at me. “Sasha is with her.”
Sasha was Lyria’s sister. They did not get along. But that also did not give him the right to be here, especially without asking me first.
“Only assholes show up to their brothers’ vacations without so much as a text?—”
“Oh, fuck you, dude.” Tollin jumped to his feet. “I did text. And I called. I sent an email like a goddamn plebian. I was on the verge of mailing a letter when I finally got Tarik to crack about how he helped you get here.”
“I’m here to apologize in person,” Tarik said quietly. “Also, we have our own rooms at the hotel down the street, so you don’t have to, like, house us or anything.”
“I wouldn’t be housing either of you anyway?—”
“You can stay in my room,” Ryan blurted. I stared at him in horror. I didn’t want them next door, damn it. I wanted to be loud. And enthusiastic.
“Um…I think it’s better if we take our own rooms,” Tarik said, reading my face correctly.
Tollin held up a hand. “Now, hold on. This place is nice. It’s oceanfront?—”
“Dude,” Tarik said, elbowing him. “It would be better,” he added through clenched teeth, “if we stayed in our own hotel. Unless you want to hear your brother make noise you can never forget.”
