Page 401 of His Virgin Romance Series

I suppressed a laugh. “I don’t need anyone feeling sorry for me,” I said firmly.

“Trust me, no one feels sorry for you,” he insisted. “Seth was only offering because he’s my best friend and you’re my baby sister, and it’s an easy favor for him to do. Plus…”

“Plus?”

“Well…he did mention that he needed to hire someone for his human resources department.”

“He’s offering me a job?” I exclaimed. “Great, just great. He definitely feels sorry for me.”

Jason shook his head. “He’s heard how amazing you are at your job,” he insisted. “In any case, there’s no pressure. You go down, relax for a few weeks, and get the lay of the land. If you feel like it would be a good fit for you…”

“Seth will hire me?”

“Only if you’re interested,” Jason said quickly. “And if you’re not, then pack your bags and come back home, having enjoyed a luxurious vacation.”

I bit my lip. “I don’t know how I feel about staying at his resort for free.”

“Seth and I have been friends for a long time,” Jason reminded me. “I’ve helped him out, and he’s done the same for me. You’d just insult him by offering to pay, trust me.”

I sighed. “It does sound nice,” I admitted.

“See?”

I bit my lip and seriously considered the offer. I wondered if my interest had anything to do with seeing Seth again.

“Okay,” I blurted out spontaneously.

“Okay?”

I nodded. “What the hell?” I said. “I accept.”

Jason smiled and gave me an approving nod. “Atta girl; it’s time you lived a little. I’ll call Seth tonight and let him know you’ll be flying down.”

“Has he changed much since the last time I met him?” I asked tentatively, remembering the smooth and savvy playboy from my memories.

“Not at all,” Jason replied. “He’s the same guy he’s always been.”

“Still a player, then?” I asked casually.

“Always.”

I smiled and waved Jason out of my room. The moment the door was closed, I turned back to my computer, but my thoughts had traveled back six years ago.

I had relived that memory so many times that it was clear and well preserved. I may have still been underage, but since it was Christmas, I had indulged in a couple of glasses of champagne and a glass of wine. I had been watching Seth all night. He and Jason were fresh off their graduation, and both were high on ambition.

I, on the other hand, felt like I was high on Seth.

For the past four years, Seth had been the star in all my daydreams. He was everything you could want in a man. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. But I had always been his best friend’s little sister, and I feared he would never see me as anything more.

But that night at the family Christmas party, it seemed as though something had changed. Seth looked at me differently, and when he smiled at me, I felt as though he were seeing me as a woman and not just Jason’s kid sister. I remembered that intoxicatingly elicit moment when Seth had grabbed me suddenly and pulled me into a quiet little nook of the house. Before I could catch my breath, his lips had come down over mine, and he was kissing me, hard and passionate, as though he had wanted to kiss me for years.

I had been walking on sunshine the whole night and the next the morning. That is, until it became clear that Seth didn’t even remember what had happened between us.

I was forced to face the fact that perhaps I had idealized the moment and that maybe, I had projected my feelings onto Seth. I had created a connection between us that was far from mutual, and in the process, I had become just another forgotten name on his famously long list.

Again, I questioned why I had agreed to go to Seth’s resort in Hawaii. Was this some desperate attempt to rewrite our narrative and win him over? Or was this just a way to find some much-needed closure? Personally, I hoped for the latter but feared that the truth was an altogether different story.

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