She rolls her eyes and snatches both keycards from the desk, thrusting one into my palm. She also takes the cocktail I didn't finish, downs it in three sips, and places the empty glass back on the desk before walking away with a polite smile toward Elena.
“We need rules before one of us commits a crime.” She pauses as we step outside, then turns to look at me. “I don’t know about you, but my record is clean—unless you count the time I was almost arrested for public indecency. In my defense, I didn’t realize my dress had slipped, and I was flashing my nipples to half of Miami.”
I nearly choke, my eyes subtly drifting to her chest before catching myself and looking away. Why doesn’t that surprise me?
Sienna Harlow screams chaotic, and I just know she’s unapologetic about everything in her life.
“Agreed,” I reply with a single nod. “Rules. I’m not about to tarnish my record for someone who?—”
“Who what?” she cuts in, arching a brow. “Is the epitome of perfection?”
A short laugh escapes me before I can stop it, but I quickly cover it with a cough. “Sure… keep telling yourself that.”
“I will,” she grins sarcastically. “Rules: knock before entering any non-shared space. I don’t care if the villa is on fire—knock first. I’m not about to be mid-orgasm and get interrupted by you and your… broodiness.”
I shove the mental image of her using one of her three vibrators out of my head, then clear my throat. “No bringing people back to the villa?—”
She throws her hands up. “I feel like I’m on vacation with my parents. One wrong breath, and I’ll be punished, right?”
“—withouttelling the other person first,” I finish with an eyeroll.
She purses her lips, considering, then gives a reluctant nod. “Fine. Deal.”
We go back and forth on a few more rules—some ridiculous, some almost sensible. Sienna makes it abundantly clear that our cohabitation will be strictly professional. No sex. No kissing. Absolutely nothing sexual, because that would be messy and complicated, and she isobviouslya paragon of responsibility.
She delivers the whole speech with theatrical emphasis, then finishes it with a blindingly sweet smile and declares it a “fun-only” vacation.
I nod in agreement, even though something twists uncomfortably in my chest.
“Oh, and shirtless wandering is not only permitted,” she adds on with a wicked grin. “But alsohighlyencouraged. Staring is, of course, mandatory.”
I raise a brow, fighting the grin that tugs at my mouth. “Staring is mandatory?”
“Equity, baby.” She shrugs one shoulder, casual as ever. “You get to look. I get to look. But no whining when my eyes linger. Not that I’ll be looking… much.”
My gaze deliberately drops to her mouth for half a second before returning to her eyes. “My ego appreciates the clarification, but don’t lie to yourself—you’ve already cataloged the viewmultipletimes.”
She lifts her chin, spins on her heel, and starts walking. “Keep telling yourself that, and maybe one day it’ll come true.”
I follow closely behind her, the keycard warm in my hand. Palm fronds brush overhead, and the ocean grows louder, a steady hush-hush that should calm me but only amplifies thepulse in my ears. Sienna’s knee bounces with every step, even though she’s standing.
That constant motion of hers is exhaustingandmagnetic.
“You’re staring,” she says without looking back. “It’s giving serial killer vibes.”
“I’m observing.”
“Observing what, exactly? The way my hair is staging a full rebellion against the humidity?”
I let out a quiet laugh as the villa comes into view. Hibiscus bushes line the path in bright pink and yellow, and a large archway covered in vines frames the door.
Sienna taps her keycard and steps inside. “Okay… this is obscene.”
She’s not wrong.
The open living area features pale wood floors and a curved cream couch facing a TV with the resort’s logo glowing on screen. A small, fully equipped kitchenette sits off to one side. My eyes go straight to the coffee machine, knowing I’ll be living on caffeine for the next fourteen days if I’m forced to share this beautiful space with someone as chaotic as Sienna.
Speaking of chaos, she bounces—literally—over to the sheer curtains and pushes them aside, revealing our deck. Both sides are framed by hibiscus bushes, and a tangle of vines attached to a wooden structure with flowers blooming, creating a perfect private area.
