Page 30 of Match Made in the Maldives

A minute later, my phone vibrates with a message. It’s a photo message of Lou in the bathroom mirror, bikini top removed and dangling from an outstretched finger.This old thing?

My brain restarts, and I tuck my smartphone into my pocket before Aaron can see.

“That was her?” he asks.

I don’t need to nod. My dopey grin says everything.

“Damn, you’ve got it bad.”

If only he knew.

Chapter Eleven

Luna

I close my door with the care of someone on a bomb squad, turning the handle in slow motion to avoid a cavernous click. No one in my family would find it all that strange that I’m going to Finn’s bedroom. It’s Finn! We’re friends! Everything’s fine! But at this late hour, I don’t want to invite questions.

My socks dull my steps as I tiptoe past the living room. The plush sofas and recliners face the window, but the soft glare from the lamp makes anything beyond the glass a sea of darkness and constellations.

The villa has two bedrooms on the first floor, one on either side of the common spaces, and three more upstairs. Finn sleeps at the exact opposite end of the house, so as I turn the corner and ascend the stairs, I’m almost home free.

Finn and I have had so much unplanned time together on this trip, but ever since dinner the other night, finding moments alone with him has become impossible. I had a jog around the island this morning with Dad and lunch with the girls, and Finn had his own calendar of invites and activities. That’s the wholepoint of this vacation—to be with my family. But after aJurassic Parkviewing and everyone retiring to their rooms, all I’ve done is lay in bed in my pajamas and text Finn.

You never replied to my photo this afternoon.

That pic put me in more than one uncomfortable position requiring carefully placed props to…hide things, he wrote back.

The reminder of how hard, howbighe was when I leaped onto his lap the other night made me ache, which had me throwing off my covers and making like a secret agent to his door. To ensure I wasn’t looking too deeply into his response, I also sent a lightning-fast confirmation text to my best friend, Genevieve.

If his reply isn’t code for “I have a raging boner thinking of you topless and want to do all the things to you,” then I don’t know what is.She also messaged a string of eggplant emoji and a photo of her making a thumbs up while holding my cat, Newman.

She’s right. If I want to keep Finn’s feelings from fading, now’s not the time to play coy.

With my knuckle, I tap three times on his door like it’s made of tissue paper. I only hear the shuffle of his feet as he answers and the entrance cracks open. Finn looks edible—shirtless and in a thin pair of sleep shorts, the planes of his stomach leading to the dark trail of hair below his belly button. His hand travels across his bearded jaw, eyes widening in surprise at me standing there.

I hold a finger to my lips and slither into the room.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself,” I purr. I give him a second to soak in the sight of my pajamas—an oversized tee that fits more like a dress—before turning the lock and pouncing. My breasts mold against Finn’s solid torso as I bury my mouth in his jawline. His skin has the sharp, refreshing lemongrass scent of the resort’s body wash. I reach for one of his hands and guide it up my thigh.

“What are you doing?”

“Seducing you,” I say on a giggle. “C’mon.” With my hand latched around his neck, I walk backward toward his bed and trail him behind like a fish on a line. With the roughness of his scruff on my face, I coax his mouth open with my own. Minty, strong, familiar. “I want you inside me,” I manage in between suffocating him with kisses.

“What?”

One of my hands toys with his waistband, and he sucks in a breath.

“Lou, wait.” He pushes me back by my shoulders. “Stop. I—We shouldn’t do this tonight.”

“I can be quiet, I promise.”

“It’s not that.”

“You—” I take a step away from him like a wounded animal. “You don’t want to sleep with me? But…yesterday…and the photo. And your text.”

He leads me to the edge of the bed. Once I sit, Finn kneels in front of me, a firm hand on each of my thighs.

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