Chapter 32
32
HUNTER
I walk into the resort’s breakfast hall, to shake off the exhaustion that’s glued itself to my skin. I spot Nina sitting by the window alone, with her usual aura of I’m up early and thriving . Meanwhile, I’ve got dark circles that might as well be permanent accessories. At least the coffee smells strong.
Nina sees me and gestures to the seat next to her. I slide in, offering what I hope is a convincing grin. My mind’s been on overdrive, and last night didn’t help. I wonder if I should’ve stayed in bed this morning—maybe for the rest of my life.
After a few minutes, Rowena joins us, looking a little rumpled but still gorgeous. Her sundress flows around her and her skin glows, but she has bags under her eyes, too. “Hey,” she greets us, her smile strained.
“How were things in the honeymoon suite last night?” Nina doesn’t even give her time to take a sip of coffee before going on the offensive.
“Not a honeymoon suite,” Rowena deflects with ease, but a catch in her tone contradicts her projected nonchalance. “You’re about two months early.”
“Oh, come on.” Nina doesn’t let it go. “That kiss last night? You and Adrian set the sky on fire!”
I nod enthusiastically to cover up the fact that I’ve fantasized a lot about Dylan kissing me like that. “Seriously, the fireworks had nothing on you two.”
Rowena looks like she wants to vanish into her pancakes. She stuffs a forkful into her mouth probably more to avoid the conversation than for hunger, as if carbs could shield her from our questions. I should follow her lead and stuff my face.
“It was just for show,” she mumbles between chews.
Nina raises an eyebrow, not buying it. “Riiiight. Because platonic fake-daters always kiss like they’re reenacting the kiss-in-the-rain scene from The Notebook .”
Rowena squirms in her seat. She has all my sympathy. I know what it’s like to pretend nothing’s wrong while your world is spinning. I’ve become an expert at it myself.
“Are you sure the farce isn’t running away from you?” My question is more curious than accusatory. Is she losing control? Am I?
Rowena gives us that practiced shrug. But I’ve known her too long to be fooled by it. I’ve pulled that same move one too many times myself. “Look, guys, I appreciate the concern, but I’ve got this under control,” she insists.
Before I can press more, she turns her attention to me. “Hey, you okay, Hunt? You seem a bit off today.”
My turn to pick at my food. “I’m fine, just tired. I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately.” Not a lie, but not the entire truth either. That’d be how I’ve been having trouble breathing around Dylan and Olivia.
Nina snorts. “Please. We all know it’s because Dylan brought his new girlfriend last night. Probably has her over at your place often, too.”
Thankfully, she only visited once, but Nina’s words are still a punch to the gut. My fork freezes in mid-air. How does she know? I thought I was better at hiding my feelings.
“How did you?—”
“Oh, come on, babe.” Nina’s voice softens. “It’s obvious you’re into my brother.”
I suck in air between my teeth. I can’t deny it, but I don’t want to discuss my pathetic crush. “But he’s clearly too blind to see what’s right in front of him.”
What’s that? A hot, confused mess?
“Honestly, I give it two months tops,” Nina declares, stabbing a sausage with unnecessary force. “Little Miss Perfect is not right for him. Even Tristan said so.”
As soon as Nina ends her prophetic declaration, a long shadow appears over the table, and Adrian greets us with a smooth, “Morning, ladies.” The sunlight dims slightly as if bowing in response to his presence. The deep, resonant tone of his voice rolls over the group, sending a ripple in the air. Rowena swallows.
Adrian asks if we mind if he takes a seat, and of course, we say not at all. He picks the spot next to Rowena and drops his plate and coffee mug on the table. His movements are smooth but purposeful, those of a man who knows how to command a room without even trying. Next, he pours an unbelievable amount of sugar into his coffee. He calmly steers the hot liquid, his silver spoon clinking rhythmically against the mug, the motion hypnotic.
I watch Adrian, taking in his thick raven-black hair, chiseled jaw that catches the light right, highlighting the faint scruff that he hasn’t shaved off this morning, and his dark, deep-set eyes. He emanates a raw, primal sort of sex appeal, combined with an aura of money, power, and status. There’s no way Rowena isn’t falling for him. Even with his ridiculous sugar addiction, he’s magnetic.
Tristan breaks the spell cast by Adrian, arriving a short while later. He stamps a kiss on Nina’s head and tells her he has news. He steals a muffin from her plate and helps himself to a sip from her mug of coffee. Nina scowls at him, her eyes narrowing with a mixture of fondness and mild annoyance.
“It’s an open buffet, you know,” Nina scoffs. “You can go get your own breakfast.”
The softness in her voice betrays how much she likes their constant banter. Tristan grins, the kind of smug smirk that means trouble, and shrugs, taking another bite of the muffin. “Okay, I’ll go get some food first, and share the juicy gossip later.”
He makes to stand up, but Nina stops him, her hand latching onto his arm. “No, no, no. You can have my pastries, my coffee, but you have to spill the gossip ASAP.” She leans forward, her green eyes gleaming with unbridled curiosity.
Tristan’s grin widens, satisfied. “Thought so.”
Nina glowers at him again. “Your news better be good, Mr. Drama Queen.” Her fingers drum impatiently on the table.
Tristan winks at her in response, and despite their having been a couple for months, now living together for one, Nina’s cheeks still color.
They’re so adorable I want to crawl under the table, curl into a fetal position, and cry.
Tristan shrugs, nonchalantly. “The gossip is great.” He pauses for dramatic effect, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “Your brother is single again. Miss Perfect got the boot last night.”
The words, so casual in their delivery, detonate like a grenade in my chest. I almost choke on a bite of my cinnamon bun, coughing heavily as I reach for my glass of orange juice. The citrus burns as it goes down, but it’s nothing compared to the fire in my veins.
Dylan is single? How? When? Why? What happened? He and Olivia were the perfect couple yesterday. I have a million questions, but I’m stricken mute.
Nina has no trouble talking, though—even too much. She turns to me, a foxy grin spreading across her face. “We need a plan.”
I play dumb, not wanting my infatuation for Dylan to be paraded in front of everyone, especially Tristan, his fucking best friend and also the worst gossip around. “A plan for what?” My voice stays impressively steady despite the flutter of nervous energy crawling up my spine at the idea of Dylan being single again.
Possibility and excitement wage war in my chest against confusion and disbelief. I take another sip of my orange juice, the cool liquid doing little to quench the burning thirst for answers.
Nina rolls her eyes, oblivious to my attempt at deflection. “A plan for you to seduce my brother, duh.”
The word “seduce” hits me like a slap to the face, unexpected and way too public. The directness of her statement makes my cheeks heat, the flush creeping all the way to my ears. I hiss at Nina, “Shut up.”
The eyes of the entire table fix on me, Tristan’s included. The weight of his curiosity sharpens my embarrassment. Nina looks surprised. “Why?” she asks, then repeats, “You have to seduce Dylan before he starts dating someone else completely wrong for him.”
I grit my teeth, to keep my voice low. “I’d rather not discuss my feelings for Dylan in front of his best friend .”
Tristan raises his eyebrows, his mouth quirking into a smirk as he points at his chest with mock innocence. “ Moi?”
Between gritted teeth, I reply, “Yes, you.”
Nina hurries to reassure me. “Don’t worry, there’s a Chinese Wall in place.” She turns to Tristan, her expression serious. “You won’t repeat to Dylan anything you hear this morning, right?”
Tristan makes a cross-my-heart gesture. “I’m sworn to secrecy.”
I grip my glass tighter than necessary, as though it could anchor my swirling thoughts, still unconvinced.
But Nina smiles wide again. “Now can we move on to the plan?”
I hesitate, doubt creeping in. “Is there any point? Dylan has known me for years and never made a move. Why should he suddenly realize he’s into me now?”
Rowena counters, “But you’ve had a thing for Dylan for ages and never made a move either. You can’t be sure how he feels.”
Tristan low whistles. “Really, Hunt? You’ve been into my bro for years and never said anything?”
“He’s my brother.” Nina swats him. “And don’t be a dick; can’t you see she’s head over heels in love and had to live with him for a month while he was dating someone else?”
“And here I thought I was the one with the big news.” Tristan focuses his glacier-blue eyes on me. “You’re seriously that into him, like in love?”
I reluctantly nod, unsure of what to feel. The possibility of Dylan loving me back is both tantalizingly close and impossibly far away. I press my nails into my palms to steady myself, but my pulse continues to race, fueled by a potent mix of hope and fear.
Nina jumps in, her eyes gleaming as she taps her fingers against her coffee mug. “You should take advantage of it being summer and parade around the house as little dressed as possible. Maybe even sabotage the air conditioning.”
I nearly spit orange juice on her. And as I cough the liquid down, Rowena replies instead, her voice carrying a sharp edge. “She could strip naked in front of Dylan, but if he’s not ready for a relationship or has his own holdbacks, he won’t be seduced by her.”
For the first time since arriving, Adrian speaks. He levels Rowena with a stare so scalding, I’m tempted to intercept it with my mug of lukewarm coffee to have it re-heated.
“He might not act on what he’s feeling, but he’ll be seduced alright.” Adrian’s voice is velvety and rough, and his dark eyes smolder with an intensity that shifts the mood in an instant, like a slow-burning match nearing a wick, making the air between him and Rowena ablaze with something raw and unspoken. They are having an entirely different conversation only they can understand.
Rowena blushes and looks away, her fingers fidgeting with her napkin. Adrian, cool as a cucumber, takes another sip of his over-sugared coffee, looking unaffected.
We all blink for a stunned, suspended moment at the end of Adrian’s declaration until Nina jumps right back on topic, turning to Tristan with a mischievous grin. “You’re Dylan’s best friend. You should know what will seduce him.”
Tristan raises his hands in mock surrender. “Whoa, it sounds like treason to divulge the man’s secrets.”
Nina pokes him in the ribs. “Come on, Montgomery. You’d better start talking.”
“What’s in it for me?” he asks playfully.
Nina whispers something in his ear, and Tristan’s face turns sheepish. “I am a man of principle, but I have my limits. What do you ladies want to know?”
* * *
Half an hour later, my mind is spinning with newfound knowledge. Apparently, Dylan is into legs, and can’t resist crew socks, messy buns, or off-the-shoulder tops—even better if it’s his old basketball jersey. He likes women who are into video games. I can’t play, but that’s a plus, apparently. I should ask him to teach me and use the opportunity to be close to him. Nina assures me he’ll be more than happy to mansplain to me all about boring video game stuff.
Basically, all I have to do now is put my hair up in a messy bun, steal Dylan’s basketball jersey, and wear it off the shoulder with no bottom piece and only crew socks on while asking him to teach me how to play Halo .
The plan is simple, but at the thought of going through with it, a prickle of unease creeps up my spine. I feel ridiculous just thinking about parading my assets around the house.
Can I pull this off? Will Dylan see me in a new light, or will I make a fool of myself? The questions swirl in my mind, but despite the doubts, I won’t let this opportunity slip through my fingers. Not again.
I glance around the table, taking in the faces of my friends. Nina is bouncing in her seat, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. Tristan leans back, his signature smug smirk on his lips. And then there’s Adrian and Rowena, still lost in their own world of unspoken secrets.
It’s now or never, I decide. I’m going to seize this chance and force Dylan to notice me.