Page 32 of Meet Me in Tahiti

But soon, he wanted more.

Because yes, the feelings were all there between them. He could feel the fireworks on the verge of explosion in his chest. The intensity. The wanting. Exactly as he’d imagined. He kissed her more firmly, and she returned his affection with faster, deeper kisses.

His heart pounded as his arms tugged her in closer.

But finally, he pulled back. He had to stop, before stopping became even more difficult.

Yes, it was all there for them. Everything. He let out a heavy breath. Now, only time would tell if they had a future together.

Still, he wanted one.

He wrapped his arms around her again and pulled her in for a hug, wrestling with the emotions in his chest.

Finally, she drew back and gazed up at him. “I should go. I don’t want to do anything to put your job at risk.”

Even at a time like this, she was still trying to be considerate. His heart softened. “About that, Tess’. We can’t let on… about this. To anyone.”

She nodded firmly, as if she expected him to say that. “I know.”

“But maybe we can meet here again tomorrow night?” he said. He knew he was pushing the limits, but they only had so much time together before her trip was over. He needed more time alone with her, where he wouldn’t be pretending that she was just another passenger.

Another nod came from Tessa. “Definitely.”

He squeezed her hand once more, then touched her cheek.

At the top of the stairs, she turned and smiled back at him, zipping her lips—then cast him a gentle but even sad smile before she disappeared down the steps into the night.

A jumbled mix of all those emotions, too, Russell stayed there, staring out at the dark water. Was it wrong that he felt more hopeful than he’d been in a very long time?

Chapter

Ten

It was latethe next morning, and the sun was already high and brilliant, spilling over the glittering lagoon like molten silver. Tessa adjusted the strap on her bikini top but kept her gaze peeled on the scenery as the catamaran cruised, its sails high. Russ and Malik were both busy, maintaining their speed.

The water was impossibly clear, a patchwork of blues and greens so vivid it hardly looked real. Towering volcanic peaks rose from another island in the distance, swathed in lush green and mist at the top. She gazed at it, shaking her head, almost in disbelief at the sheer sight.

Rainforest volcanic peaks loomed in the distance, postcard-perfect. The girls were gathered on the bow with second cups of iced coffee in hand, hair up, sunhats and sunglasses on, soaking in the kind of morning that didn’t seem to belong to real life.

Tessa sipped slowly, letting the cold coffee settle the fluttering in her chest. Her lips still tingled from thekisses she and Russ had shared last night. Real, breathtaking, long-awaited kisses, as well as the quiet heart-to-heart conversation, of which she craved more.

She smiled, lost in her thoughts. The way his hand had curled around hers. The plans they’d made—to figure out how to do this, even if they had to keep it quiet.

She was reeling.

A little terrified. But happy.

But she couldn’t tell anyone. Not yet.

Not even Marin or Jenna or Avery, who stood on either side of her at the bow, wind tugging at their swimsuit coverups and hair.

“Would you look at those bungalows?” Jenna said, raising her phone for another photo.

They were gliding past a resort on the island of Taha’a, where the iconic Tahitian over-water villas fanned out like a necklace over the lagoon, each one perched on stilts with a private deck and a thatched roof.

“I could stay in one of those for a month,” Marin said, squinting through her sunglasses. “With Kyle. Preferably with room service and no obligations.”

“You just had a honeymoon,” Tessa teased. “Need another one already?”

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