Page 57 of The Rules

Josh pulled to a stop in front of a little hut labeled “Main Office”,and he and Shawn got out. Sonya parked behind him. “I’ll check-in,” she offered. “You stay with the snoring cargo.”

With an evil smile, she slammed the door when she got out. Dylan bolted upright.

“We’re here,” Dani sang.

“That didn’t take too long.”

“You slept the whole way.”

Dylan’s lip curled up, baring that pointy canine tooth of his—the one that made him look a little bit like a wolf. “Someone wore me out last night.”

“You’re old. Besides, I’m sure you went right back to sleep after I left this morning.”

Against her better judgment, she’d slept at Dylan’s the night before. Then, because they were both supposed to be at Cat and Josh’s house at eight a.m. sharp, and it made the most sense for Dani to ride with Sonya,andshe couldn’t exactly tell Sonya she was already down the road, she’d had to get up at the crack of dawn to drive home, change, and jump in Sonya’s car to make the trip right back where she’d started. The things they did for this lie.

Though, last night had nothing to do with their arrangement. Neither had the last time he was at her place. They’d been together three times since their fight at Josh and Cat’s house, and she’d had a grand total of zero soulmate dates. Not that Dylan knew that.

The whole thing just seemed so exhausting after fighting with Dylan in Cat’s bathroom. Her emotions were all over the place. One minute her finger was hovering over the accept button on her newest match requests, the next, she was texting Dylan instead, inviting him over and hoping he’d stay the night. It was starting to hit her that she had three more dates to schedule and then she was supposed to stop all of this. Presumably because she’d find some perfect match. Someoneelse. Maybe Dylan would be fine with that. That was why she’d picked him, right? Because he was supposed to be fine with that? Though, after what he’d said in Cat’s bathroom, she doubted it.

It was a lot to consider, and going to Dylan’s last night, having sex in his pool, then sleeping in his bed, that just seemed like a better way to spend her weekend.

“I didn’t go back to bed, actually,” Dylan said. “I got up and went for a run on the beach.”

Dani downed some more caffeine just thinking about that. “Ambitious.”

“The cold spot you left in my bed was too sad. I couldn’t sleep without you, Dani.”

Dani’s head whipped around to see what kind of facial expression accompanied that very loaded statement, but Sonya came back, swinging a key chain around her finger.

“Got a map and a key to the showers,” she said. “Let’s go!”

Sonya was a glutton for punishment when it came to manual labor. Insinuate something was man’s work, and Sonya made it her mission to master it. As a supportive friend and fellow feminist, Dani allowed her to prove her skills by only doing the bare minimum required to help set up their campsite. She did manage to break a sweat in the hot sun, though, so after she’d unrolled her sleeping bag and stashed her bag, she headed down the dirt path to the beach for a quick swim before dinner.

When she got to the shore, Dylan was at the edge of the water, steadying his paddleboard with one foot. His tan legs were squared off and his abs flexed as he tugged his t-shirt over his head. He tipped his head to the sun and pulled in a deep breath like he was refilling his soul.

“Leaving so soon?” she asked, admiring that tan line peeking out from his shorts. The one she’d had her tongue on just that morning.

Dylan pushed his sunglasses into his hair and smiled. He’d skipped the hair product this morning. The longer pieces on top, usually meticulously arranged, flopped into a School Picture Day side-part, giving him an air of innocence she happened to know he didn’t deserve.

“Just going to take a spin around the inlet,” he said.

“Have fun.” She laid out the towel she’d brought, pulling a magazine out of her bag.

“You want a lesson?”

She gave him a look, wandering over to the water’s edge to eye the board. “Why would I want to exert that much effort when I could just lay here?”

Dylan leaned in behind her, his fingers brushing her hip. “I can give you a ride if you want.”

She startled at his lips on her neck. Minnie’s playful laughter easily breached the thin line of trees and rocks that separated them from the campsites, and she didn’t actually know where Cat and Josh were at the moment. They were hardly alone, and she didn’t add two hours to her morning routine just to get caught now. Still, the scent of sunscreen and sweat replaced his usual cologne and it was too new not to explore. She tipped her head back and he stole her lips for a quick, affectionate kiss.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, pulling away.

“That’s not what you said last night.”

Her jaw dropped and she kicked a wave of water at him. Dylan dodged it easily, reaching for her again, but the crunching of footsteps froze them both.

Cat and Josh emerged from the wooded path, both in their bathing suits. Josh had one hand on Cat’s back, a red plastic cup in his other. Cat sipped coconut water.

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