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She scoffs, stepping closer and invading my space.

‘Warned about me? Oh, please. You’ll be begging for more before the day’s over.’

‘Doubtful.’

Her eyes narrow and I don’t flinch. I don’t step back, and I certainly do not move my eyes from hers, despite how desperately she wants me to look at her body.

‘Doubtful?’ she repeats, amusement creeping into her tone. ‘Oh, I like that. You think you’re untouchable, huh?’

I shrug. ‘Not untouchable. Just not easily impressed, despite the assumptions you have about me.’

Her smirk falters for a fraction of a second – a crack in her flawless confidence – before she recovers with that same sly tilt of her head. ‘Is that a challenge, Ash?’

I meet her gaze evenly. ‘Call it a fact. This,’ I lazily gesture to her half-naked body, still keeping my eyes on hers, ‘doesn’t work on me.’

Isla looks downright frustrated now. I step a fraction closer.

‘Listen carefully, Isla. You can try all the games you want, all the teasing, all the … whatever this is.’ I let the words hang between us, so she feels the weight of them. ‘But Bryn? She’s not yours to mess with, and I’m not going anywhere.’

Her eyes flash with a mix of surprise and annoyance.

‘You push her around, and you’ll answer to me. Got it?’ She opens her mouth, but I cut her off. ‘Try something like this again, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.’

Her posture stiffens, the confidence she flaunts so easily suddenly tempered. I can see that she knows she’s met her match, and for the first time, she’s not in control.

Turning, I stalk back up the stairs and into the safety of Bryn’s room. It was a risk reacting like that to Isla, who can easily expose me, but something tells me that she enjoyed the interaction, and that she will enjoy dangling this secret over our heads. I’m not worried about Isla. She doesn’t scare me. She is a piece of work, but she’s nothing in comparison to what I’ve dealt with before.

A splash cuts through the air. I move to peek out the window. Isla is in the pool, her hair slicked back, still partly undressed. She emerges from the water, turning to stare up at me, knowing already that I’d be there. She looks straight at me.

‘I’m not done with you yet,’ she mouths, and I let out a short, dry laugh under my breath. Of course she’s not done. Of course she’s going to push. She’s relentless. Raising my middle finger, I turn my back to her and pull the curtains closed.

She has no idea who she is dealing with.

24

BRYN

Now

The restaurant is vibrant with chatter, the clink of cutlery and laughter bouncing off the walls around us. I push my hair behind my ear and glance at Tess, who’s poking at her salad. She’s quiet tonight, clearly still carrying the weight of her recent breakup. Elodie, on the other hand, is loud enough for all three of us, swinging her fork like a conductor’s baton and spilling half her wine onto the table.

‘Honestly,’ she says, shaking her head at nothing in particular. ‘Boys are so predictable. They’re either amazing but don’t want to commit, or they’re idiots and the ones who want to settle with you.’

Tess nods. ‘Agreed.’

‘Despite that, I think you need to get back out there,’ she says, pointing her fork toward Tess. ‘Your boobs are too big, and your face is too pretty to be wasting away. You’re in your prime.’

‘Or she can take a breather and time to heal,’ I point out.

‘No, that’s boring. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.’

I let out a snort of laughter. ‘Maybe you’re right.’

‘I’m always right.’ She grins.

Tess smiles. ‘Honestly, I think it would help me stop thinking about it. It would be a nice distraction.’

Elodie leans in, elbows on the table, eyes sparkling with mischief. ‘How’s your sexy masked man going, Bryn? I know you’ve been going back to the park almost every night. You’re clearly obsessed. We need details!’