Abi gasps, her grip on my hand tightening.

“It’s so lovely to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,” Lauren says softly.

Abi looks between the two of us with her brows pinched together.

“You talk about me?” she asks quietly as if she’s hoping Lauren won’t hear her.

“Are you kidding?” Lauren laughs, making me instantly regret allowing her to do this for us. “Last night, you were all he talked about.”

Abigail’s cheeks redden.

“He’s smitten, girl. You don’t need to look so worried.”

“B-but… I don’t understand.”

“Trust me, I’m not going to be stealing your man, Abigail. I mean, he’s pretty and all, but not quite…” She thinks for a moment before gesturing to my body. “Hot enough for me.”

“Not hot enough. Are you blind?” Abigail blurts, making me smile like a lunatic.

Lauren chuckles before spinning around and opening the double doors to our cabin. “Come on, love birds,” she shoots over her shoulder.

“Oh my God,” Abi gasps as she steps inside ahead of me.

The cabin Lauren secured for us is self-contained. It has a small kitchen, a large living area that leads out to a deck that overlooks the lake. Then there is a massive master bedroom at the rear, again with a deck that showcases the lake. Huge beams run through the ceilings and there is exposed brickwork everywhere with heavy oak furniture and soft cream accents. It’s stunning and homely. The perfect place for us to take our relationship to the next level.

“Beautiful, isn’t it,” Lauren says. “Let me show you the bedroom, you’re going to love it.”

Her eyes lock on mine, silently demanding that I stay put and give her a minute with my girl.

I told her that she didn’t need to be here tonight, but she insisted that talking to Abi would help reassure her about our relationship.

All I can do now is hope that she’s right.

I watch them both disappear before spinning around and walking out to the deck.The heaters are already on and the small table has been set up for a romantic meal.

Making my way over to the railing, I rest my forearms on the chunky wood and look out over the glistening lake before us.

The moon and stars are reflected in the vast blackness making the place even more serene.

We’re totally secluded from the rest of the club and accommodation. We could hide out here for the longest time without anyone knowing about it. It’s exactly what we both need tonight.

We need to be just us, forgetting that the rest of the world exists.

My watch vibrates and I pull my sleeve up.I find a message in our guy’s group chat staring back at me.

Reese: Enjoy your night fucker. Please, try not to break Abs, my girl quite likes her.

It buzzes again.

Theo: We know it’s been a while, maybe go rub one out in the bathroom so you don’t embarrass yourself.

I smirk. My friends are fucking idiots.

Oak: If she can walk tomorrow, you haven’t done your job properly.

Shaking my head, I pull my phone from my pocket and open up our chat.

Elliot: Thanks for the invaluable advice. I’ll make sure to ignore all of it.