“That’s definitely too early a question like that,” she says honestly, and I laugh.
“Can you please trust meon this?” I rephrase.
Nina purses her lips, moving them side to side.
“I guarantee there’s no trail longer than thirty minutes involved.”
“Is there a trail ofanykind?” she whines.
I shake my head.
“All right?”
“Yes—but please don’t kill me and dump my body here,” she asks, and I laugh again. I don’t think anyone has ever pulled this many laughs and smiles out of me.
I lead us along the edge of the vegetation until it opens into a sandy path shaded by trees, leading to the center of the island where lights glow. We pass beneath an arch wrapped in vines, and Nina keeps turning her head from side to side, attentive to every little detail around us.
Two minutes later, we pass through another arch—and behind it, we find the cabin.
Nina stops walking, gasps, and opens her mouth, completely taken by surprise by the wood-and-glass structure nestled in the island’s greenery.
I look at her with a satisfied smile and breathe in the scent of food coming from the house. I’d asked for our dinner to be sent here.
I squeeze her hand lightly before moving forward again. My brows knit when I realize all the cabin lights are on.
That isn’t even the most worrying part.
The voices growing louder with every step we take toward the entrance make me close my eyes and exhale deeply. Distracted by the novelty around her, Nina doesn’t notice my reaction.
I shake my head, wanting to believe I’m wrong. What I think is happening can’t possibly be happening.
But when I place my finger on the fingerprint reader and step inside right after Nina, I find Drako, Apollo, and Atlas sitting on the living room couch.
What was it I said about Atlas being the only one of my friends with any common sense?
I was wrong. Completely wrong.
Drako, who had his back to the door, turns around with a huge grin.
“Finally!” he says to Nina and me, extending his open hand toward Apollo. Atlas’s twin grimaces before pulling a few bills from his pocket and placing them in Drako’s palm.
Oh, great. A bet. They made a fucking bet.
“How can you go on a date and not invite us?” he complains.
Nina looks between them and me, lips parted in surprise—but it lasts only seconds. She breaks into a wide smile and walks into the room, approaching the three of them.
“That probably would’ve defeated the whole purpose,” she replies, glancing over her shoulder at me just long enough to give me a wink. “Hi, guys.”
I stay frozen by the door, watching as she greets each of my idiot friends with a kiss and a hug, then drops onto the couch beside Apollo, tucking her legs under herself.
“What are you doing here?” I finally unfreeze and move farther into the rustic-furnished room.
Apollo stretches an arm along the back of the couch, reaching toward Nina before answering.
“What do you mean what are we doing here? We came to have a bonfire. We brought food, marshmallows—everything a bonfire needs. We were just waiting for you.”
“And who said we want to take part in your bonfire?”
