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But almost stronger than the guilt was another emotion. Xander couldn’t quite place it. He just kept thinking, over and over, of the fact that Maisy didn’t love Niko. She never had. She hadn’t wanted to marry him. She even thought he was boring, for goodness’ sake. Xander knew he should feel offended for Niko’s sake, but he just felt… something else. It was like a weight had been lifted.
Xander sat, alone on the porch and lost in his thoughts, until the sky was inky black and dotted with a smattering of bright stars. His body was tired and ached for sleep — unlike Maisy, he hadn’t napped on the flight — but he wasn’t quite ready to sleep yet. He was thinking of how he could make this trip better for Maisy. Slowly but surely, he came up with a plan that he thought could work.
Only then did he clean up the table and load the dishwasher. Once the kitchen was clean, he found a spare blanket and made himself as comfortable as he could on the sofa. It wasn’t all that comfy, but it would do. Finally, Xander surrendered to sleep — and to dreams.
CHAPTER 10
MAISY
Maisy’s alarm went off far too loudly. She reached out and managed to swipe it off without opening her eyes. Then she let out a soft moan. Her head hurt from the tequila in the margaritas last night — Maisy rarely drank and even a little alcohol hit her hard. Then she moaned again as she remembered her confession to Xander and the conversation they’d had.
It had been a mistake. Maisy had kept her thoughts and feelings to herself for years, even hiding them from Lily. She didn’t want to hurt anyone. But she’d been tipsy enough and upset enough to tell Xander, of all people. And now he knew that she didn’t want to marry Niko. What a mess.
Slowly, Maisy pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. A bright ray of sunshine fell across the end of the bed, and a warm, salty breeze blew in through the open window. It should have been the perfect vacation scene, but she didn’t feel it.
She rolled out of bed and found her suitcase. According to the schedule, today would include snorkeling and a romantic picnic. Great. Just great. She had to spend the whole day with a man she was not only furious with but who also knew her deepest secret — that she’d wanted to call the wedding off too.
Maisy let out another groan and dropped her head into her hands. What had she been thinking last night? Opening up to Xander had been a terrible idea. He knew nothing of responsibility — and he was the one who’d ruined her plans in the first place.
Still, he had been trying hard at dinner yesterday to soothe her feelings. Maisy knew she hadn’t exactly been kind to him, but he’d still cooked her dinner and made conversation with her and even been relatively sympathetic during her big spill of feelings. It wasn’t like Xander could change the past or undo his mistake. Maisy might as well try to enjoy her time on Kanalea. And she should try to avoid Xander as much as she could. Something about his presence made her open up in a way she wasn’t used to or fond of.
Maisy changed from her pajamas — a lacy nightgown she’d packed when she’d thought this would be a honeymoon — into a yellow sundress printed with small flowers. Then she exited the bedroom, ready to slip into the bathroom before Xander could catch her for another awkward encounter.
Yet when Maisy stepped into the living room, she paused. Xander was still sleeping on the couch. He was wearing a frayed T-shirt and boxer shorts and nothing else, leaving his long, muscular legs bare. One hand was thrown over his head, and his chest rose and fell slowly with sleep. His face was smooth, his long eyelashes splayed across his cheeks.
Maisy knew it was creepy to stare at Xander while he slept, so she tore her gaze away quickly. Still, as she hurried into the bathroom to brush her teeth and prepare for the day, the memory of Xander on the couch stayed with her. He’d been, well, sexy. It was an odd thing to think about one’s brother-in-law/husband, but Maisy couldn’t deny the stirrings she’d felt.
Nor could she deny that she’d never felt that way about Niko. Niko and Xander might be identical, but they sure were different — and they sparked very different reactions in Maisy.
The realization was yet another reason she should stay away from Xander. Not only had she spilled her secrets to him; she apparently found him attractive. This mess was going from bad to worse. The best way forward was to ignore him.
Dressed, Maisy exited the bathroom and crossed the living room to the kitchen. She began clattering pots and pans as she prepared to make herself a cup of tea and a piece of toast. It was time for Xander to wake up, and she sure wasn’t going to stand above him, softly calling his name, or shake those broad, muscular shoulders…
“Huh?”
Maisy turned just as Xander sat bolt upright. His hair was sticking up on one side, which made Maisy smile despite herself. As she watched, hands on hips, he scrambled for the sheets that had fallen on the floor.
“Good morning, sunshine!” she trilled. Then she clanged a pot onto the stove in one final crescendo. Xander scowled. He was clearly not a morning person. This was good. As long as Maisy was antagonizing him, her thoughts weren’t wandering anywhere else.
“What time is it?” Xander grumbled.
“Eight thirty. Safa will be here in half an hour for our first excursion.”
“Great.” Xander hardly sounded enthusiastic. His voice was a low growl more than anything else. He dropped the sheets he’d gathered onto the couch and stalked off to the bathroom. Maisy tried not to watch him go and only partially succeeded. Once he was out of the room, she returned to her breakfast-making. At the last moment, more out of pity than anything else, she poured a second cup of tea and made a few more pieces of toast, which she put on a plate on the counter.
When Xander stumbled back out of the bathroom, he was completely transformed. The boxers and frayed T-shirt were gone, replaced by a pair of board shorts and a T-shirt printed with pineapples. His hair had been tamed, and he looked refreshed and far more awake.
“Do I smell breakfast?” he asked hopefully.
Maisy nodded to the plate of toast. “Yours is on the counter. There’s tea, too.”
“Thanks.” Xander crossed to the kitchen and swung himself gracefully onto one of the barstools. Then he drew the plate of toast towards himself. “Is there anything to go on this?”
Maisy gave him a look. “The toast wasn’t enough?”
“It was very kind of you.”
“Fine. There’s jam and butter in the fridge.”
