My heart thuds louder in my chest. What is he trying to say? “Yeah? I like it too.” I say softly, hoping he hears everything I’m not saying out loud.
His expression shifts slightly, softer but more serious. “Let’s get ready for our last day in paradise. I think we’re going to the beach.”
“Okay,” I whisper, not ready to let go of the moment, but knowing I have to. I slowly lift off him, careful not to meet his gaze again or I might melt into him.
I head straight for the bathroom, needing a second to breathe, smiling like a fool.
The sun is hot on my shoulders, but I’m not complaining. I’m sitting under a striped umbrella with Violet, Josy, and Melissa, the breeze off the ocean making the heat bearable. Our feet are half-buried in the warm sand, drinks in hand, sunglasses on, and laughter flowing like waves.
Next to us, Everly is tucked into a little playpen set up on the sand, happily occupied with a pile of colorful plastic balls and soft blocks. She babbles to herself, smacking a red ball against the mesh wall like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world.
Ethan is curled up on Violet’s chest, completely knocked out. His little face is smushed against her shoulder, his back rising and falling in slow, steady breaths as he naps without a care in the world.
Out in front of us, the guys are in the middle of an intense volleyball game. Hunter surprises the hell out of me—he’s quick, coordinated, and definitely not afraid to dive for a ball.
“Dang,” Violet mutters, shading her eyes. “He’s actually good.”
Melissa grins and sips her drink. “He played in college. He’ll use any excuse to get a game going. Business retreat? Volleyball. Cookout? Volleyball. Birthday party? You guessed it—volleyball.”
We all laugh. Adrian and Cole are sitting nearby, bouncing withenergy as they wait their turn to jump into thenext round.
I glance at them with a smile, but my eyes betray me almost immediately, sliding right back to Esteban.
He’s wearing the same pink trunks and white shirt he had on yesterday, and I’m wearing the one-piece. I debated if I should wear the same green two piece from yesterday but decided to wear this one. It looks great on me, and Esteban has been looking at me this whole time.
He’s sweating now, a thin sheen glistening on his tanned skin, and after a particularly good serve, he peels off his shirt and tosses it to the side like it weighs him down.
My mouth dries.
Trying to act casual, I attempt to keep my sunglasses perfectly in place so no one can tell that I’ve been watching him like a woman who hasn’t had a sip of water in days.
I must not be doing a good job because Josy leans in closer and drops her voice. “Girl. You have it bad.”
My head jerks toward her. “What?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about,” she says, giving me a knowing look. “I’ve seen the way you stare at Esteban, and the way he stares at you.”
I shift in my seat, trying to sound casual. “How does he stare at me?”
Josy smirks. “Like he wants you. Not just in a ‘you’re hot’ kind of way. Like he reallywantsyou.”
Oh.
“I thought he was just messing around at first, trying to fuck with Noah,” she continues. “But now I realize he’s never acted around you. That’s why Noah keeps hounding him not to do anything.”
That makes me sit up straighter. “Wait, what? Noah’s been on his case? I thought that it was clear that we were pretending.”
She nods. “Yeah. Look, it’s not because he doesn’t think you’re grown enough to make your own choices, he knows you are. But Esteban’s never been the kind of guy who settles down. Noah’s just worried you’ll get hurt.”
I look down at my drink, swishing the ice around with my straw.
“So if I were you,” Josy says gently, “I’d talk to Esteban. Find out what this is. If it’s just infatuation or if he wants something real. Then at least you’ll know. And you can decide from there.”
My chest feels tight and fluttery all at once. I glance back toward the court just as Esteban spikes the ball and grins like a Greek god basking in applause.
Yeah. I definitely need to talk to him.
A few minutes later, Esteban jogs over, covered in sweat and sand, his hair damp and sticking to his forehead. His skin glistens in the sun, and the second he drops beside me on the towel, I catch a whiff of sunscreen and sweat and something distinctly him. He leans in and plants a soft, sticky kiss on my cheek.
