“Yeah. I figured they knew considering no one was blowing up my phone to find out if I was alright. Then I thought they were jerks for not checking to make sure I was okay and thought I should throw it out there with a little guilt if necessary.”
“And was it?”
“Nope. As soon as I said where I was, they were all like, ‘yeah, we know.’” He pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. “Oh, and Milo needs to talk to you when you drop me off in the morning.”
Lifting her head, she looked concerned. “Why?”
“Something about how he’s wiring things in the cabins and he’s worried about it messing with your designs and furniture placement. No big deal.”
She visibly relaxed, resting her head on his shoulder. “Okay. Whew!”
“Connor mentioned things are going to start being delivered in the next few weeks, so…I’m guessing we’ll be seeing more of each other,” he said carefully.
“I plan on being there when the first shipment arrives and walking everyone through the plans. Walker said you have a team of people who will unload the trucks and put the furniture together, so I don’t have to be there the entire time. Plus, I need to work on lining up a few more jobs.”
“Considering how everyone was tonight, it sounds like you’ve got some options already.”
She nodded. “Maybe, but they’re not definite and they’re not immediate.”
“O-kay…”
Lifting her head again, she met his gaze. “I’m heading home on Thursday. I was going to leave on Friday, but it makes more sense for me to go a day earlier.” Pausing, she sighed. “My cousin is getting married this weekend, and I’m in the bridal party. I’ve been in contact with her, and she knows where I am and what I’ve been doing. All of her pre-wedding stuff was over a month ago because she didn’t want anything to distract her during the final planning stage.”
Axel had no idea what to say to that, so he just listened.
“Anyway, I’ll be gone for at least a week.”
“For a wedding?” he asked with a nervous laugh. “I thought those things were typically just a day.”
Her smile was small and a little sad. “It’s a weekend thing, and I need to spend some time taking care of things. Personal things.”
“Oh.” So she still wasn’t willing to tell him anything personal. He knew it shouldn’t bother him, but it did.
“I’ll be watching all the delivery information, and I’ll be back in time for it, but I just don’t know exactly when.”
He held her tight, tucking her head under his chin so she couldn’t see his face. “It is what it is, right? And when the resort’s done, you’ll move on to the next big thing.”
“Axel…”
“We knew this was a fling, and I’m fine with it. You don’t owe me any explanations. But whenever you’re in town, feel free to call me.”
He knew he sounded like a complete jerk, but he wasn’t sure what else he was supposed to say.
“Yeah. Sure,” she whispered. “I’ll do that.”
They both grew quiet, and the silence stretched on until it was almost awkward. He didn’t want the night to end like this, but he wasn’t sure how to get them back on track. If this was it—really it—for them, he wanted to make the most of it. He wanted to leave her with a memory of him that would be hard to forget.
Swallowing hard, he decided to go big or go home.
And he wasn’t going anywhere.
Slowly, he maneuvered them until he had her beneath him. Staring into her eyes, he murmured, “Tell me you want me.”
“I do.” Her voice was so soft he barely heard her. “I want you.”
“We’re not gonna get much sleep tonight,” he said, resting his forehead against hers.
“Sleep is highly overrated.”
