Page 49 of Weddings, Revenge & Fake Dating

The bathroom door opens the exact moment I slide the box under my pillow.

Nathan appears in nothing but sleep shorts while rubbing a towel over his wet hair. “You okay?” He pauses in the middle of the room after assessing my frenzied state.

I’m paralyzed in a strange stance, my brain still considering the box of sex toys. Nathan’s silicon tongue probably vibrates. His penis!

I nod too enthusiastically.

“Okay . . .” He draws out the word, sounding skeptical.

“I’m going to get ready for bed.” I take two steps and reconsider. “This side of the bed is mine,” I say robotically.

“Territorial. I like it.” He hangs his towel on a hook.

I rush to pick up my night clothes and hide in the bathroom.

After dressing, I pace the small room to calm my nerves. Everything is moving very fast. I’m excited and on edge at the same time. Antsy, I sit on the closed toilet seat and then stand to stare at the door, knowing Nathan waits on the other side.

When an acceptable amount of time spent in a bathroom has passed, I inhale deeply and rise, ready to face my fears. Nothing has to happen. I open the door and step through.

My steps falter when I find a bare-chested Nathan in bed reading a book. He’s wearing nerdy black-rimmed glasses and his hair falls forward, partially covering his face. The darkness of the room accentuates his golden tan.

On my newly formulated hotness scale, he hits peak numbers. Not so much for the way he looks, though that’s a major selling point, but because of the intimacy of the private moment.

Bobo the blow-up Wolf Savage, who I’ve now renamed Mini-Wolf, sits beside him. At the center of the bed, he’ll be acting as a barrier wall between us as we sleep.

If I can sleep. I hold my breath for several seconds.

Nathan removes his glasses and scans my outfit. “You’re sending intense 1970s vibes with that muumuu. It’s hot.”

I laugh because it’s the furthest thing from hot. This beach covering was the closest thing I could find to a respectable nightgown. Though flimsy, it serves as an additional barrier between us.

Maybe I should put on a sweatshirt too?

“It’s impressive you know what a muumuu is.” I open the slider doors, allowing the breeze in. Crashing waves loop on a soundtrack.

“I’ve always had a thing for muumuus,” he says.

I pause as I’m folding back the sheets on my side of the bed. “Maybe now is a good time to go over the rules,” I say primly.

“Can’t wait to break them.” He closes his book and removes his glasses.

“It’s easy. No touching behind closed doors.”

Nathan lifts his hands as if saying, Can you blame me?

I squint, undecided on whether to trust him. Knowing I can’t, I slip under the sheets and take my time carefully constructing a wall of pillows between us. I place Mini-Wolf at the top to guard my new fortress.

Nathan laughs. “You done?”

I hike the covers to my chin and say, “Yes.”

Nathan turns off his light and settles on his side.

“Do you mind if I face the doll in your direction? It’s creepy looking at myself,” he says.

“Fine by me.”

I turn away to lie on my side and snuggle into my pillow. My hand slides beneath, and I realize something’s missing. The treasure box of sex toys I hid from Nathan is gone.