He's staring at me.
"One girl, three guys?" he says faintly.
"I panicked."
"You told her I like variety."
"You do like variety. You liked it last night when I—"
He covers my mouth with his hand, his eyes bright with something between horror and laughter. "Stop talking."
I lick his palm.
He doesn’t pull his hand away, but his expression shifts—heat replacing humor. “You’re playing a dangerousgame, Cooper.”
I nip lightly at his thumb.
His breath stutters, and suddenly we’re not joking anymore. The air between us thickens, charged, the morning’sno feelingsconversation feeling very far away.
“Jane.” It comes out rough. Barely a word.
I let his hand go, my heart hammering. “Did it work?”
“Did what work?”
“The sabotage. Is she going to tell your mother to back off?”
He blinks, clearly forcing his brain to switch tracks. “She’s going to tell my mother I’m dating an unhinged superfan with boundary issues. And that I lack judgment.”
“Perfect.”
His mouth curves. “It was insane. You’re terrifying.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“I think it is.” He stands, tugging me up with him. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“Back to the casita.” His voice drops, dark and deliberate. “I need to thank you properly for that performance.”
Warmth crawls up my neck. “I thought we were sticking to the plan. Strategy first.”
“Strategy can wait.” He’s already walking, fingers threaded through mine. “Right now, I need to get you somewhere private before I do something wildly inappropriate by this pool.”
I follow him, my skin buzzing, the morning’s careful boundaries completely forgotten under the weight of his attention.
No feelings, I remind myself.
But when we reach the casita and he backs me against the door, his mouth finding mine with urgent precision, I’m starting to thinkno feelingsmight be the biggest lie either of us has told.
We don’t make it to the bedroom.
The door. The couch. Finally, the shower.
Our desperation colliding into something that feels too good to be temporary.
Afterward, I’m sprawled across his chest on the bathroom floor, both of us breathing hard, the tile cool against my overheated skin.
