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“About what?”
“This situation. Between us.”
“There’s no situation between us,” I said.
Again, he smiled, and again, my stomach went into butterflies mode. I had to stop this before I let it get any further.
“I was talking about the room mix-up. But I guess we’ve already discussed that.” He tilted his head to one side, and it was like I was a bug under a microscope. Where had he been all these years?
I’d made a point of never discussing that with Emilia. I’d tried not to ask, and she’d only ever told me out of her own volition. The most I knew was that he’d been in the army, and that he was in big business now.
“You’re staring,” he said.
“So are you.”
“It’s good to see you again, that’s why.”
I tried not to go weak at the knees. “Good? That’s what we’re calling it now?”
“What else would you call it?” he asked and tucked hair behind my other ear. The gentle brush of his fingers was strangely familiar. He withdrew his hands, shaking his head. “Shit, it’s like no time has passed.”
I nearly agreed with him. Christ, I nearly leaned into his touch. “Twelve years have passed. And I haven’t seen you for a single one of them. You know what? It’s fine. You keep the room. I’ll go find another one and—”
Matt stepped away abruptly. “That’s not necessary,” he said. “Of course, I’ll go downstairs and talk to them and sort it all out.”
The hot and cold of the moment left me jaw-dropped. It didn’t help that he’d just seen me naked. Oh god, he had actually seen me naked. Again.
Matt walked to the door and lifted his bag. “Sorry for walking in on you like that.”
I licked my lips, trying to harden myself up inside. I didn’t like this guy. Sure, I wanted him like crazy, but I didn’t like him at all. He’d slept with me and left for the military, and I had carried the guilt over doing anything with him because of Emilia. I’d broken her trust—she would flip if she found out about us.
There is no us.
“I didn’t mean to fluster you,” Matt said, casting one last grin back at me. “Looking good, by the way.” He gave a cheeky wink then slipped out into the hall, shutting the door with a light snap.
“Oh god,” I groaned and crawled onto the bed. “Oh god, here we go again.” I let the emotions settle—anger, irritation, lust, nostalgia. I had to find a way to deal with being around Matt Baker this week.
There was no point coming on vacation to celebrate if all I did was stare at him from afar like a googly-eyed idiot.
“I’m not making the same mistake twice,” I muttered, slipping off the bed.
If I’d learned one thing in my thirty years on earth, it was that dealing with confrontation was better than avoiding it.
I stormed toward the door.
Chapter Two
Matt
Christ, she was beautiful.
She was sumptuous.
She was feisty and funny and intelligent and so much more than I’d remembered. And remember, I had. For years in the army, my thoughts had been fixed on her, and time had only served to make the old wound fester.
Until, eventually, I’d moved on. Shit, I’d been sure coming out here for Emmy’s wedding would be the perfect bookend to all that crap in the past.
But it had torn the fucking bandage right back off.
So fucking gorgeous.
I’d finally gotten the mister downstairs to relax, though it had taken the better part of five minutes—all the way to the elevator, the ride down, and then across the lobby to the guy at the front desk.
I strode up the hallway toward my new room, clutching the keycard. I was on the same floor as her, a couple doors down, and through no request of my own. I didn’t want to get involved with Summer again.
The first time had been an education in what not to do with a woman. Apart from the sex. That had been fucking mind-blowing. Every time after, no matter who it had been with, had suffered by comparison.
No one could compare to that instant connection between Summer and me. And that was exactly why I’d stay away from her.
I swiped myself into the hotel room and dropped my bags on the floor. The interior was typical of a tropical resort—glossy tiled floor, white linens on the bed, and glass balcony doors that looked out on the aquamarine ocean and white sand beaches.
I rolled my shoulders, trying to ease the tension out of them and failing miserably.
She was here.
That shouldn’t be your focus, dipshit. There are more important concerns now.
Protecting my sister was primary. Protecting her from my mistakes so her wedding would go off without a hitch.
I drew my phone—bought on arrival—out of my pocket and sent off a text to my assistant so she’d have my number.
