NOLAN

He deleted Gina’s texts without reading them and called her again the next day.

“Nolan.” Her greeting was a little more cautious this time.

“Just stop,” Nolan replied. “Stop with the texting. I don’t want to have to block your number.”

“Then just meet up with me, please,” Gina said.

“I have absolutely no interest in doing that.”

“Well, maybe you should do it anyway,” she argued stupidly.

“I am trying to make something very clear to you,” Nolan said, keeping his voice even. “Do not contact me. You are embarrassing yourself, trying to interfere in my marriage.”

Gina was quiet. For a second Nolan thought she might have hung up.

But then she said, with a cold tone of voice, “So you do love her, don’t you.”

Nolan wrung his face in his hands. He was starting to remember something he wished he had not let slip his mind.

It was impossible to win an argument against Gina. She was like a badger. Tiny but vicious, and impossibly persistent.

“I’m hanging up,” he said.

“She must be very insecure,” Gina whispered. “Very possessive and jealous, if she won’t even let you have one innocent meeting with me.”

Then he really did hang up.

He threw the phone across the length of the limo. It hit the wall with a crack.

ADAN

“Goddess,” Lucy whispered. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah? You like it?” Adan popped the trunk of his car and retrieved their suitcases, then walked up behind Lucy.

She was standing looking out over the edge of the mountain. This area of the mountainside was covered in a thin layer of fresh white snow right now.

“I love it,” she said. “Thank you so much for taking me here. It’s gorgeous.”

They were about to check in to a tiny little retreat lodge for the night. Lucy tried to take her suitcase from one of Adan’s hands, but he kept it out of her reach, then led the way inside.

Their room was modest in size, a bedroom and bathroom only, without any other amenities. But the furniture was beautiful, all made of mahogany, and the king-sized bed was made up with plush, inviting bedding in bright white and silky golden hues.

Lucy cleared her throat, eyeing the bed as she walked into the room.

“Okay,” Adan said, setting down their bags and closing the door behind him. “They only have single rooms here, but just know that I have no expectations tonight, just because we’re here.”

“Really?” she asked him, raising one of her perfect eyebrows.

“Really. We can sleep side by side in the bed if you like, and I promise to behave myself. Or I can even sleep on the floor if that makes you more comfortable.”

She tilted her head to the side. “I would not make you do that.”

“But I would do it, if it made you happy.” Adan gave Lucy his charming little smile, and she flashed back one of her own.

“Alright,” she said. “We can sleep together and not… sleep together. You’re sure that’s okay with you?”

“Totally okay,” he said, taking her hand in his. He held it to his mouth and gave her knuckles a soft kiss.

“Thank you,” Lucy said, looking up at him with longing in her eyes.

She leaned her body in close to his. Wanting him to kiss her.

Adan gave her hand a squeeze and then dropped it to her side.

“Let’s get some dinner,” he said. “You can start getting ready while I go smoke.”

She nodded and let him leave.

Lucy was all dolled up at dinner. Adan continuously reminded himself of their deal, resolving to keep his hands off her tonight.

Because if he could make some kind of grand gesture with Lucy. Prove to her that he cared about. That’s when she’d be most open to his influence.

They had a pleasant evening with appetizers, wine, dinner, and dessert. A short, chilly walk to glimpse a fuchsia sunset. And after another fireside drink, they retired to their room.

Lucy took a bath after dinner, and Adan took the opportunity to change his clothes in and make up their bed. He got extra blankets sent up from the desk and put some effort into creating two separate spaces for Lucy and himself on either side of the bed.

She emerged from the bathroom a bit later looking relaxed, her hair damp, and wearing a long nightgown under a robe.

She smiled when she saw how he had made up their bed.

The dark of night was setting in outside, bringing with it a sharp wind and biting cold. Adan and Lucy got under the covers of their bed, curled up into separate blankets.

“This was really sweet,” she said, “but I kind of want to cuddle with you. Could we do that?”

Adan stroked her hair. “Fine with me, but it’s really up to you.”

She smiled and nodded at him, and sat up to start rearranging the blankets.

The extra blankets were gone, then, and the bed was back to normal.

Adan stayed where he was, and let Lucy get as close to him as she wanted to initiate.

She shrugged her robe off this time before getting under the covers. Slipped over toward Adan. And ran a hand across his chest.

He lifted his arm and let her curl her body around his.

He could feel Lucy’s pulse beating from the palm of her hand into his ribcage.

She was excited.

Might be a little harder than he thought, the whole keeping-his-hands-off-her thing.

Adan stroked Lucy’s hair.

She said, “Mmm,” and melted her weight into his body.

Adan had many special skills.

Resisting beautiful women was not one of them.

He kissed the top of Lucy’s head, then got up. Went to the bathroom. Got a glass of water.

When he came back to bed, Lucy had her head back on her pillow.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her.

“Sleepy,” she said. “But also not.”

Adan sat down on the edge of the bed, his back to the girl.

“Hmm,” he said. “We could put on a movie. Or we can just talk.”

“About what?” she asked.

“Anything.”

He slid back into bed and let her cuddle up against him again.

Lucy let out a heavy sigh.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Well,” she said, “there is something that’s been bothering me, but I’ve kind of been afraid to bring it up.”

“What is it? You can tell me.”

“It’s… well, it’s Yena,” she said.

Adan waited for her to continue.

“I don’t know, I guess ever since you and I talked about her before, and just hearing that someone else had the same reaction I did, about Yena giving up on school for Nolan…”

Lucy was breathing heavily.

Adan ran his fingertips down the length of her forearm.

“You’re a good friend,” he told her. “I know you love Yena. And you just want what’s best for her.”

“Yeah,” she replied. “But I also wanted to ask you something.”

“Of course. What?”

“I don’t know Nolan at all. I mean, Yena talks about him constantly, so I almost feel like I do. And I guess I’ve heard his voice on the phone, but…”

“You’ve never met him?” Adan’s surprise was genuine.

“No,” Lucy said. “And I was just wondering if you could tell me, I don’t know, whatever you know about him? What is he… like?”

“Huh.” Adan thought carefully. “Well, to start with, I don’t really know him either, anymore. We grew up together, of course, but he was just a kid then.”

“Well, what was he like as a kid?”

Adan paused, considering how extreme of a lie he might be able to get away with telling Lucy. She seemed pretty trusting right now.

“Nolan was… angry a lot, when we were kids. Always losing his temper. But, lots of boys are like that, you know?”

“Hmm,” Lucy said. “Were you? Angry when you were a kid?”

He chuckled. “Well, I was what my father called ‘troubled,’ but my troubles were more related to… love. And being distracted from my job.”

Lucy’s skin flushed warm.

Adan stopped stroking her arm and put his hand under his head instead.

“So, he lost his temper sometimes,” Lucy recapped. “What else?”

Adan sighed. “I don’t know, Lucy. I want to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, really, but…”

“But what?”

“But when I saw how he acted with Yena, it was kind of… troubling.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” Adan said, “he just seemed so possessive, so quick to anger. And she just stood behind him, doing whatever he said. It didn’t seem very healthy.”

Lucy was quiet.

“It’s really not my business,” Adan added. “But if Yena is going to give up her dreams of traveling and getting herself an education, I’d be willing to bet it was Nolan making that decision for her.”

“That’s what I was worried about,” Lucy said.

“Lucy.” Adan’s voice went serious. “Promise me you’ll never tell Yena I said any of this to you.”

“Goddess,” she whispered, “I should ask you the same.”

“How about this?” Adan shifted his body and turned Lucy’s face toward him, so they could make eye contact. “I’ll never tell anyone any of your secrets, if you don’t tell mine.”

She said, “Deal.”

She moved to kiss him.

Adan stopped her, putting a finger to her lips.

She swatted it away. “Come on,” she said. “Just a kiss.”

He gave her a closed-mouth smile and said, “Alright. But just one.”