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Ruben’s gentle laughter washed over me. “It’s okay. We were busy during the summer.”

Now I snorted with amusement. You could call it that. “We were. The sex that kept us busy probably distracted me from other things about you.”

“Hmm.” Ruben grunted, offering no real response.

I made another attempt to get eye level with him and sat up straighter with great effort, which unfortunately caused Ruben’s hand to slip off my head.

“What else is there about you that I’ve missed? Do you surf?”

Within seconds, Ruben’s expression changed from sheer surprise with his mouth open to utter amusement, his mouth stretching into a huge grin. “No. I don’t surf. I never have and never will.”

“Don’t say that,” I protested. “Why have we never done that together? I’m a surf instructor. Don’t you think it’s strange?”

“Not really.” Ruben folded his hands in his lap.

The drinking had made me melancholic. I wanted to know everything about Ruben and cursed myself for letting the opportunity slip by in the summer.

“Come on. I’m going to grab some breakfast and then we’ll go boarding.”

Ruben blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Or do you have something better to do? I have the day off today, and so do you, right?”

“More or less. I’m taking over for Madeleine at eight o’clock because she couldn’t find a babysitter, but . . . ”

I didn’t let him finish. Instead, I got up and pulled him out of bed with me.

“We’ll be back long before then. It’s the best cure for a hangover. Get on your board. The cold air will clear your foggy brain.”

Ruben shook his head and pulled his hand out of mine. “I don’t have any equipment, and most importantly, I don’t have a hangover.”

“We’ll get some from Anton. That’s why we’re here at a resort. You can borrow it without any problems.”

Grinning, I grabbed his hand again. “What do you say? If we hurry, we can still make it to the communal breakfast, and you won’t have to prepare anything.”

“That’s no problem.”

“I know,” I replied. “But this way we’ll save time. I promise I’ll take care of you. When was the last time you did something new? We never have time off together. This is your chance. What else do you do when you’re not working?”

Ruben tilted his head in thought. “I go to the gym now and then. I know you can’t tell. That’s why I go rarely. But sometimes . . . After the workout I usually feel worse than before—before I thought I had to follow through on my resolutions. Then I give up again. I’d rather read. Look for recipes. Try out new combinations.”

I studied Ruben as he fumbled for words. Was he embarrassed to talk to me about these things? Damn it. He had sucked my cock, and I had played with his ass, and those were the things he could hardly confide in me?

I didn’t even have to think about my answer. “I’m not a fan of the gym either. I prefer to be outside doing what I enjoy. If it’s good for my body, all the better.”

Ruben nodded with a bitter smile on his lips. “Yeah. And what I do is unfortunately not at all good for the bodies of the online dating age.”

Before we started anything again, we should talk. But Ruben looked so lost at that moment that I had to touch him. I put one hand around his waist. Ran my fingers over his soft sides. With the other, I stroked his cheek.

“What you do is one of the most important things in the world. No matter what dating culture dictates right now—who even is that anyway—I promise you here and now that until the end of my life, I will choose every meal you cook over a protein shake.”

He rolled his eyes dramatically and released his free, honest laugh. “Ha, ha. As if that were difficult. Those things are awful.”

He leaned toward me willingly. Those intent, dark brown eyes resting on me. Finally, he lowered his gaze and ran his hand over my bare stomach.

“But that’s easy to say if you are in your shape.”

That argument annoyed me even when I was completely sober and had had my eight hours of beauty sleep. Now I had to control myself not to rip Ruben’s head off.