Chapter 24
The next morning, I wake in bed alone and devastated. Did I seriously have another sex dream about Nate? No way, this one was far too realistic to be a dream. Plus, there is a clear indentation on the pillow next to mine, so someone has slept there. Either that, or I move a lot in my sleep.
I look around the bungalow, but there’s no sign of Nate. Or his running shoes. We do have a rare day off from filming, but that should mean sleeping in and lounging, not getting up early and disappearing.
“Gnat?” I call out, far too hopefully, but there’s no response.
I slip out of bed, wrapping my bare body in a fluffy bathrobe before padding out to the deck. No sign of Nate there, either; just a sunny day I’m prepared to take for granted if Nate doesn’t show up soon.
I stand at the railing, staring out at the crystal-blue waters, the only witness to what transpired between Nate and me last night. Because something did happen, and now…
Had Nate woken up with second thoughts? Or is he not as different from Brody as he likes to pretend? Maybe he, too, enjoys keeping his options open and dating around. Though that doesn’t explain Nina.
A sound gets my attention, and I step back inside as the bungalow door swings open to reveal Nate. He’s dressed in gym shorts and a t-shirt, holding a carrier tray with three large coffee cups and a bag of what smells like food.
More importantly, his face lights up at the sight of me, and a tingling sensation dances across my body. Perhaps I won’t need coffee for an extra jolt today.
Who am I kidding? Of course, I need coffee.
“I come bearing gifts,” he announces, holding up the tray.
“Hopefully, you mean bearing as in producing and not baring as in stripping down.”
Nate frowns, then arches a brow in challenge as he holds up the coffee carrier. “I literally hold your coffee’s fate in my hands, and I even got you two cups.”
“I’m kidding! Please don’t hurt the coffee.”
“Fine, only for you.”
I can’t explain why my heart flutters at those words as I follow Nate back out to the deck, but it does. I am straight up mush around this man, and I don’t mind it for a second.
Out on the deck, we enjoy a delightful breakfast of pastries Brody would never go near while I undress Nate with my eyes. Not subtly, given his smirk, but who’s the real winner?
“So, last night…” Nate starts, then bites into a glazed pastry, leaving me to finish his thought.
My mind races to figure out the ending before I put myself out there, but I can only hope Nate’s feelings are like mine. That isn’t enough, though.
“If you’re about to say it was a mistake…”
“No!” He chokes on his pastry, trying to get the word out. He clears his throat, finishes chewing, and then clarifies. “It wasn’t a mistake. At least I don’t think it was.”
“Same. Still, it’s complicated.”
“Are you and Brody still over?”
I nod.
“And we had fun last night?”
I nod again. “Although?—”
He raises a hand to stop me. There’s a light pastry glaze on his fingertips, and I fight the urge to lick it off him. “I don’t want us to regret this, and I sincerely hope it wasn’t a one-time thing. But if you’re having second thoughts or concerns?—”
It’s my turn to interrupt him. “I’m not.”
I don’t feel guilty about last night with Nate. If anything, it’s the opposite. Completely right. Something I want to hold on to for as long as I can.
A smile blooms across Nate’s face, making my heart flutter. “Good.”
“Good.”
We split the last pastry, a lemon custard one that’s love at first bite. While my mouth is full, Nate broaches the topic I’ve been avoiding.
“It’s not ideal morning-after talk, but there’s something else we should discuss.”
It’s obvious what he’s getting at, so I save him the trouble. “Brody.”
“Yeah,” he says on an exhale. “How do we tell him? When?”
“Maybe we don’t need to yet?” At least not until we figure out what this is. If Nate and I are real or if it’s just something in the Fiji waters.
“He’s going to find out eventually, Gingersnap.”
“This is going to sound…” I search for the right word, “strange, but I don’t think Brody is going to care. Not as much as we think he will.”
“Yeah, that does sound strange.”
I shrug. Nate and I may have both thought about the ripple effect of us getting together, but we had drawn very different conclusions.
“Brody dated around quite a bit before me, so it would be presumptuous that our breakup would throw him off his game.” Five months or not, he’ll fall right back into old dating patterns, and I’d get to see just how little I meant to him.
“This is different. You and I both know it.”
“Not really.” Not after learning about Jamie.
“Brody cares about you, Abigail. Even if it feels damn near impossible to recognize at times.”
“I’m not saying he doesn’t care about me. I’m saying he doesn’t care enough. His top priority is his career—the show, his growing fan base, his brand. Family too, which is why you bailing on plans to meet me hurt him. It had nothing to do with me.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s a prime example of something I didn’t think Brody would care about but did.”
“He cares because you’re at the top of his list. Beyond supporting his job, I’m not.” I let out an abrasive laugh. “I’m not sure I’d make the top five.”
Nate opens his mouth to interject, but I cut him off at the pass.
“The point is, Brody will not care that he and I dated. He cares about you and your happiness. If that means dating me, I can’t see it being a problem.”
“Well, this is awkward because you actually make me miserable,” Nate says, fighting back a smile before leaning in for a kiss.
“Yeah, I can see that,” I say against his mouth, kissing him again. “Real miserable.”
After another lingering kiss, Nate sits back in his seat. “There is one thing we can agree Brody is going to really care about.”
The answer could go unspoken, but I say it anyway. “His career.”
Nate nods. “The potential impact of this on that.”
I gesture between us. “This doesn’t have to change my working relationship with Brody.
” Especially if our breakup didn’t. “I’ll still represent his brand and help to surpass all his goals.
I just won’t be dating him anymore while I do it.
” It occurs to me Nate may not have been on the same wavelength as me with that conclusion. “That doesn’t bother you, does it?”
“You not dating my brother? Absolutely not. It’d be weird if you were also dating him.”
I roll my eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“You working with Brody doesn’t bother me in the least. We just need to make sure he knows you’re still fully committed to his brand and career. That’ll at least soften the blow.”
“I don’t think there’s anything to soften. It’s probably a matter of days before he moves on, if he hasn’t already. It’s only fair I get to do the same.”
Nate’s about to contradict me but then decides better of it. “I don’t want to hurt him. Won’t. Let’s tell him as soon as we get back, and make it clear you’re still there for him professionally and that I’m still his brother. Then we can go from there.” He waits a beat, then extends his hand.
I reach out and shake it, striking a deal I couldn’t possibly understand the full impact of until much too late. “I should take a shower and get ready for the day,” I say, pulling my hand away from his, but he grips me tighter.
“We can shower together,” he says with a wry smile. “I know that’s what you were trying to do that first morning, which would have been totally weird given I was only inviting you to breakfast.”
“Oh, so now I’m allowed to shower with you.”
He shrugs, his lopsided smile never leaving his face. “Water conservation is important.”
“If that’s the case…” I use his hand to lead him back inside toward the shower.
Who am I to stand in the way of water conservation?
Has a shower ever been so luxurious? Sure, it had been nice the rest of the trip when Nate and I weren’t having sex in it. But now? That shower is absolutely everything.
I could have stayed in there all day with Nate, but after my second orgasm, he insists we need to leave. I’m slow to rinse off my remaining body wash, follow him out of the shower, and dry off.
“Come on,” Nate says, once we’re both dressed, motioning for me to follow him to the door.
“Where are we going?”
He grabs my hand. “On an adventure all our own.”
“My arms are so sore,” I wail from the bathroom later that evening, a smile still on my face.
We had spent the afternoon paddle boarding in the lagoon, pulling through crystal-clear waters and watching schools of fish swim beneath us.
It was truly spectacular; even gliding over water I would’ve been terrified being in not that long ago.
Though after last night, could this water be anything but miraculous?
“Will you survive?” Nate calls back from the other room. Even with a closed bathroom door between us, I can tell he’s smirking.
“No.”
There’s no reply as I finish toweling off and wrap myself in my fluffy white bathrobe. As I exit the bathroom, I can see why there was no further response.
A halo of tea candles dot the deck, starting at the back door. At the center, Nate crouches on a blanket as blue as the water surrounding our bungalow.
“What’s all this?” I ask, stepping outside as Nate lights the last candle.
He clicks the lighter off and rises to his full height, gesturing to the space, including a stuffed paper bag. “I thought we’d have a picnic. Partly because it seems fun, but I’d be lying by omission if I didn’t also admit I really want a burger made of actual beef.”
“Here I was thinking it was because you wanted me all to yourself!”
He pulls me to him, careful that neither of us gets too close to an open flame. “A bonus, for sure.”
“And look!” He takes a few steps back and reaches behind the takeout bag, producing two tiki glasses filled to the brim with a white blended beverage topped with a cherry. “Pi?a coladas to celebrate.”
I laugh at his pure joy and take a glass. “What are we celebrating?”
“Surviving this long without getting caught? Finishing another chapter of my book? Last night or this morning? Take your pick!”
“All the above, then.” With our perfect day destined to be followed by another perfect evening, I’ll celebrate just about anything.
Nate’s smile is contagious as we clink the sides of our drinks. A knock at the front door punctuates the sound.
Nate frowns at the stuffed paper bag on the deck. “We should have all our food. Are you expecting someone?”
I shake my head. Everyone I want to see tonight is right here. “Are you?”
“Not in the least. It’s got to be someone from the crew then, but it’s our day off.”
“Or someone has the wrong bungalow number? Let’s ignore it and they’ll go away.”
There’s another knock, louder this time. “Or not,” I say. “Let me handle it. If it’s someone from the crew, I’ll be able to get rid of them more quickly.”
I hurry to the front of the bungalow, gripping my robe closed as I open the door, prepared to send Jamie or whoever else away.
But I can’t.
My smile falters, stumbling in a way only a genuine smile can, as my greeting falls out in a hoarse whisper. “Brody.”