They stayed like that for several long moments, eyes locked, breath held. It was too early to start the day, even though they knew the night was over. His gaze lowered to her lips and lingered.
“Evie…” he whispered.
“Ask me to stay,” she whispered back.
“Stay.”
And just like he’d done so many times since they stepped into the cabin last night, he cut off all conversation with a kiss. It was easier, and it kept them from saying what they were possibly both thinking:
This wasn’t simple anymore.
Milo, Nora, Axel, and Maisie showed up at the resort just in time for lunch. Evie was relieved for the extra time because it meant she and Slater didn’t have to jump out of bed before the sun came up so she could run to her cabin undetected.
Instead, she got to stay and make love with him again and again until her boss’s incessant texting officially told her it was time to go.
So when they all arrived, she was up at the lodge waiting for them.
“Hey,” Milo said when he spotted her. “Sorry for the change of plans. I hope you had a good weekend.”
That was the understatement of the century.
“It was nice. Slater showed me around, and I explored the town a bit. How was the city?”
“Oh my goodness,” Nora said as she joined them. “It was amazing! I got to see my first Broadway show, and I've already picked another five that I want to go back and see. Maybe next time you can come with us!”
“Uh…sure. That could be fun.”
Nora looked slightly dejected. “I was hoping for a little more excitement from you on that.”
“Well…I know it would be amazing, but…third wheel and all,” she reasoned.
“Oh. Oh! Right. Yeah. See, I didn’t even think of that. I just thought we’d all go and hang out as friends.”
“Like the flight here?” she teased. “I have PTSD about being anywhere with just the two of you.”
“Stop, we’re not that bad,” Milo argued.
“Yes, we are,” Nora corrected, and then nuzzled his neck until he started to blush.
“And that’s my cue…” Evie said, but before she could walk away, the two of them calmed down.
“You’re right. We’re not being very considerate,” Milo said. “So, how about we have some lunch and discuss the schedule for the week? I need to get over to the amphitheater and check on the progress. I didn’t get to last week since I was so focused on the office.”
Evie led the way to the restaurant and to the table she had reserved for them, a quiet booth in the corner. “Slater took me over to the site yesterday. We biked over, actually, and I finally got to meet Reece. Very nice guy.”
“And he’s single,” Nora added. When Milo looked at her oddly, she shrugged. “What? I’m just saying, Reece is single and Evie’s single. Maybe we can set them up.”
“No!” she said a little too quickly. “I mean…uh…no. No, thank you. He was definitely nice, but I’m not interested. Besides, I’m not going to be here much longer.”
“I guess. But it wouldn’t hurt to have someone to go out with a few times so you’re not always feeling like a third wheel,” Nora said. “If you change your mind, just let me know.”
With the way she and Slater had left things, there was definitely going to be another night—although she wasn’t sure how they were going to pull that off now that Milo and Nora were back. And Nora wasn’t wrong—it would be nice not to feel like a third wheel. If only…
“So what did you think of the project, Evie?” Milo asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“I haven’t been on a construction site before, but it looked impressive. I could tell what it was, and I knew enough about it because I’ve listened to you talk about it. It looks to be coming along nicely. You’re going to be happy. I know it.”
“I’m sure I will. Reece has been keeping me up to date on all the work, and you know I’m not a hands-on kind of guy with this sort of thing, but I still want to walk the site and see how it’s all coming together. And you said you biked there? How…?”
