Page 58

On the other hand, it wasn’t the first time I’d been approached in a similar way. Until now, the praise had completely satisfied me. It was an option I could exercise. Or not. But now my thoughts immediately turned to Ruben.

The resort was cool, and I could imagine spending another season or several here. At the same time, though, I wanted to know what Ruben was planning. If I had the choice, I might go where Ruben would be. The mere thought of making any future decision dependent on him unsettled me. There was neither time nor space for that. Damn.

But what had become clear to me in the few days since our discussion was that I wasn’t going to give up on Ruben easily. That he meant more to me than I realized at the moment. That there had to be more for us than a few seasonal fucks.

The most surprising thing was that I wanted it. This “more” that irritated, frustrated, and fascinated me in equal measure.

But then I thought of Ruben sleeping next to me. How he lay in my arms. How he challenged me. How he let go when I held him. How he busily made breakfast for the staff and gave instructions on how best to eat his latest granola. Only to shake his head and accept that we were all gourmet philistines and still serve us the best food he could find.

No. I wanted to make Ruben a factor in my life. Anything else was unacceptable.

“You are thinking quite hard.” Adriel sounded amused and frustrated at the same time.

“No,” I hastened to emphasize. “It’s not that. It’s a fantastic offer. And I’m interested. But I need to clarify something first.”

Adriel waved it off. “Take your time. I don’t need an answer right away.”

“Sure. The last thing I want to do is string you along. There are a couple of things I need to sort out with myself and . . . ”

Adriel laughed. “Do what you have to do. Let’s talk about something else. What do you think about the area? How are things going with your roommate? So far, the team is getting along well.”

Yes. Let’s talk about something else.

“Good. Everything’s fine. Great.”

If that meant Ruben writhing beneath me like a cat and his moans in my ears.

George approached us with a ladder in tow.

“Adriel. You’re my assistant now,” he said.

Adriel nodded. “Lead me on the right path, Padawan.”

George dropped the ladder and stretched his hands toward the sky in a desperate gesture. “Holy George Lucas. What did I do to deserve this?”

Adriel winked at me. “You too will have committed sins that need to be atoned for, George. Ha. You have the same name.”

While the two of them got lost in a war of words that I couldn’t follow, I was preoccupied with a completely different question. How did I ask Ruben how he planned to spend the rest of his life without coming across as a complete stalker?

Thanks to Ruben’s late shift, I was already back from getting drinks with Chloe and Mason and had been watching videos on my phone for a good hour when he finally returned.

He snorted and rubbed his arms. His cheeks and the tip of his nose were red from the cold. Dressed only in his chef’s outfit, it was no wonder he was freezing.

I put my phone away and stretched.

He smiled briefly in my direction and then ran to the bathroom.

“Hey. How was your day, honey?”

He grunted something, which only encouraged me to talk more nonsense. “Seriously. You’re out of the house all day and I’m waiting here. All alone. What am I supposed to think when you come back like this and don’t even greet me properly?”

A suppressed curse came from the bathroom and Ruben poked his head out of the room. He had already taken off his shirt, if I was reading his shoulders correctly. Was he still wearing his pants?

“Hi,” he said and disappeared again.

Grinning, I pushed myself up and ran after him.

“Babe. That only makes it worse. I’m crushed.”