Page 59 of The All-Inclusive

“No.” She says it with no hesitation. “Even though he kissed you, I think it surprised him.” There’s that pretty pink blush again. “It surprised me a little, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Not in a bad way.” She’s nibbling her lip again. “His family’s not very supportive of…well, they call it ‘that lifestyle.’ Like someone choosing to live in a city instead of a town.” She scoffs and a little relief rolls through me. “Both of our families believe who you love is a choice.”

“Do you?”

“No.” She looks in my eyes and my heart sparks a fire. “Wouldn’t life be easier if it were?”

“Maybe.”

She lets out a shuddery breath but doesn’t say anything more.

“Okay.” Cupping her cheek in a palm, I brush my lips over hers. I’m trying to give her a soft, friendly kiss.

But Sara clings to my neck, kissing me deeply with her tongue brushing mine. It goes on a lot longer than I was expecting and by the time I pull back, my dick’s hard again.

“Go,” she says softly, nudging me back. “See if you can talk some sense into him.”

“I will.”

I get dressed in silence, replaying her words in my mind.

Talk some sense into him.

I still haven’t decided what’s sensible here as I tuck in my shirt and walk to the door. Sara’s beside me, nibbling her lip as I reach for the knob. She touches my hand with a meaningful look in her eyes.

“Logan?”

“Yeah?”

“I know Trent. He’ll be hating himself pretty hard right now,” she says softly. “Don’t let him beat himself up.”

Nodding, I open the door. “I’ll do my best.”

It takesme a while to find Trent. He’s not in his room and not hunkered down at any of the bars.

I finally spot him a mile down the beach. It’s only dumb luck that led me this way to a thick thatch of palm trees near the edge of the water. He’s stripped to his boxers, dark hair dripping rivers of water down his broad chest.

He looks wretched and lost, like an angel shot down with a dart and plunged into the sea. His head doesn’t lift as I approach, but I know he senses me coming. I see it in the set of his shoulders, in the raggedy way he draws a deep breath.

“You found me.” His voice sounds raspy, like he’s been screaming.

“You went for a swim?”

“Yep.” He sits with his knees bent in front of him, glistening forearms folded on top. “My mom always accused me of being half fish. Guess it figures I’d become a SEAL.”

It’s the opening I’ve spent the last fifty minutes hoping for. “You’re close with your mom?”

“Yeah.” He lets out a long, shaky breath. “She hasn’t had it easy. I’ve tried to protect her, but?—”

“From your dad?”

“Yeah.” He lets out a long, shaky breath. “He’s always been a dick to her—to everyone, really—but it rarely got physical. I’ve done what I could to keep him away from her, but she’ll never divorce him.”

“It’s a hard cycle to break.” My mom works with victims of domestic abuse, so I get it. “Is it mostly that divorce is a sin?”

“That’s the biggest thing, yeah.” He sighs and squeezes his eyes shut. “One of many sins in their book.”

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