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She sits up and puts her hand on my knee. “Really, Dax? An asshole who wanted to have fun? I don’t believe that. I know you want everyone to think all you care about is having a good time, but I see a guy who cared enough about a stranger that he gave up three weeks of his life to be shackled to a woman he finds annoying and to sleep in sleazy motels.”

“You’re not exactly a stranger. Your best friend is married to my brother,” I tell her.

She lays back on the grass, her hands tucked behind her head. “Stop deflecting. You know what I meant.”

“It wasn’t too much of a hardship to be shackled to you for three weeks. There were some parts that were pretty damn enjoyable, wouldn’t you say?”

“Maybe.”

My right eyebrow lifts in disbelief. “Maybe? That’s all you have to say?”

The corner of her mouth lifts in a smile. “Okay, yes, fine. There were some exceptionally enjoyable parts to the trip. I hate to admit it, but there are times I wish the trip wouldn’t end. That we wouldn’t have to go back to reality. We could just stay in our little bubble forever.”

I sit up and look down at where she’s lying. She has a faraway look on her face, and I wonder if she even realizes what she said. “Why does it have to end? Let’s do it. I can have us booked on another trip in minutes. Where should we go? Tahiti? Fiji? Maldives?”

Her unfocused gaze continues looking up at the sky. “Is that how it works for you? You snap your fingers, and wishes are granted?”

“I’m serious, Jess. We don’t have to go back yet.”

I reach down and rub her bottom lip with my thumb, wanting nothing more than to lean down and kiss her. It’s been over thirty-six hours since she last kissed me. That’s almost two entire days of not being allowed to touch her. And now she’s here, and we’re alone.

Her eyes flicker to mine. “Why delay the inevitable? We can’t ignore our real lives forever, much as I would like to sometimes.”

I sigh, and the sound is loud in the quiet night. “You’re probably right. As much as we don’t want to, we have to go back to reality.”

We’re both quiet for a moment.

“Dax? Do you think you could kiss me one last time?” Jess surprises me by asking.

“I can kiss you, but it won’t be for the last time.”

“Dax . . .”

I shake my head at her. “No. We’ve danced around this long enough, Jess. I know you’ve been through some shit with your ex, and I’ve tried to let you have space. I’ve let you think that all I care about is sex and having fun, but surely you’ve guessed my feelings by now?”

Her lips tighten in a tight line, and I know her response before she can even say it.

“You don’t have feelings for me. We’ve both been caught up in the excitement of everything. Once we get back to our normal lives, all of this will be nothing more than a crazy dream,” she says fervently.

“I don’t think you believe that,” I respond with equal fervor.

“Did you forget our deal?” she asks. “Sex with no ties. You were supposed to be my rebound guy,” she accuses.

“And is that all I am? Your rebound?”

“No,” she mumbles grudgingly. “But I wish that were the case.”

“You may not want to face this yet, Jess, but we’ve got something special here between us. I’ve never felt this way with anyone else, like I can’t get enough of being with you. When I think of never seeing you again, it’s like a burning hole opens up in my chest. So, no, I won’t kiss you one last time.”

Before she has a chance to respond, I lean down and press my lips against hers in a soft kiss. I move my mouth against hers gently, undemanding. When I coax her lips apart, she doesn’t resist. Instead, she sighs into my mouth and tries to pull me closer.

And then I do something neither of us expect.

I break away from her and hop to my feet as though I didn’t just lose a piece of my heart in that kiss. If I don’t get away from her now, we’ll end up doing something we shouldn’t be doing outside her parents’ house.

“That wasn’t the last time,” I promise her. Then I swivel around and head back toward the house.

Something has shifted. I can’t put my finger on when, but at some point, our relationship changed. Jess may not be ready to see it yet, but I have no doubt how our story will end. I’ve done something I never thought I’d do.