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“You know how you thought of the security cameras?” he says, leaning forward to rest his arms on his thighs.
“Oh no.” I bring my hands up to my mouth, another nervous giggle escaping me. “Did the security team see?”
“Probably. But also, Oliver.”
My cheeks burn hot again. “Oh no. Oh no, no, no.” I stand, drop my arms, place my hands over my cheeks, and bend at the waist. “I feel so exposed.”
“Don’t. He’s not going to be talking about it with people, or showing them. But it was a good reminder.”
“So no contact here. And no contact there. That’s a conundrum.” I fold my arms across my chest and tap a finger on my mouth.
“I’m hoping we can figure something out.” His blue-eyed gaze burns into me, and a dark, glossy lock falls further down his forehead.
He’s more attractive than I’ve ever seen him—this raw, upended version of him. But something uneasy tears at my insides. That sharp sense ofdeja vu.
I can’t get caught up in all of this. I can’t make the same mistakes of my past.
Chapter 22
Alec
I startle out of bed when my alarm goes off, cringing as I silence it. I hope it didn’t wake Oakley. I scrub my face with my hands and grab a t-shirt to throw on.
Sleep did not come easily last night. Every movement that Oakley made on the floor above me was a siren song, luring me into thinking about her even more.
This morning, I’m tired. Both from lack of sleep and from trying to school—to white knuckle—my thoughts and actions where Oakley is concerned.
We can’t kiss here, we can’t kiss there…I feel like I’m in some Dr. Seuss book right now. Except instead of a funny children’s book, it’s a horror novel because…I can’t kiss Oakley.
And it’s fine. It’s for the best. I’m not ready for a relationship yet, but there is some hope on that front because knowing I could possibly develop feelings for a woman like Oakley gives me hope that I could move beyond Callie one day.
It’s a step in the right direction.
Except, that thought about possibly developing feeling for a womanlikeOakley? Nah. That’s completely wrong. Because I don’t want a woman like Oakley. I wantOakley.
In a different life, maybe I could date her. Maybe I could fall in love with her.
The lack of sleep and the pressure in my stomach that that thought brings means I don’t feel like eating any of the eggs I scramble up for a quick breakfast. When Oakley comes downstairs, she smells and looks amazing wearing leggings and a loose, denim shirt tied at the waist. So put together and yet casual at the same time.
“Morning,” she says to me. She eyes the eggs and I lift up the pan and a plate, asking her with my eyes if she wants some. She hesitates and then shakes her head.
“I’ve got this.” She holds up a protein bar. “But thanks anyway.”
I’m about to bring up the fact that she’ll need more energy than that, a reference and homage to her earlier words to me, when the front doorbell rings. We both jump, like we’ve been caught doing something wrong.
I walk towards the door. The only people who ever visit me are my brothers, and they usually take the walking path from the resort, so they come in through the back door.
“Alec!” It’s my aunt Stella on the doorstep. She wraps me up in a hug and I have to bend down to fully reach her. She didn’t get my dad’s—her brother’s—height. She smells the same as always, a floral lotion, and her spiky, sculpted silvery hair scratches my face.
Oakley joins us at the door, her smile kind. “Stella, this is Oakley,” I say. “She’s staying here for a little while. She’s just been hired as the resort’s fitness instructor and personal trainer.”
“I heard a little bit about that, yes.” Stella reaches up to pat Oakley on the arm, grinning from ear to ear.
“And Oakley, this is my aunt, Stella. She practically raised us Tate boys.”
She harrumphs while straightening her oversized shirt. “No. They came and kept me company during the summers, that’s all.” She walks past us and into the room. “This place is nice. No wonder Sebastian didn’t want to tear it down when he bought the property.”
“I’m glad he let me buy it.” I think, with a jolt of surprise, that it’s been over nine months since I moved in. For a long time, every day felt the same. But now with Oakley here, time is speeding up.
