“Yeah?” He held himself very still.

Another breath, then a quiet laugh slipped through. “Shut up.”

I didn’t give him time to respond—just shifted into him and tangled my free hand in his hair, drew him in for a kiss. At first, it wassoft and tentative, shared air and kitten licks, a hint of salt on his bottom lip. Then he cupped the back of my neck and tugged me closer. I got a hand fisted in his shirt and opened my mouth to his, push and pull like the steady beat of the sea.

There was more to say, things we’d need to figure out. But for now, this was enough.

15

Lights turned low. Blurred shadows from the ceiling fan rotated through my line of sight, in and out. Its lazy hum set a backdrop to the breathy gasps Logan wrung from me. His weight trapped me against the bed as he straddled the back of my thighs, his open shirt whispering over my skin, thumbs spreading my cheeks wide.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said.

Unh?I made an incoherent sound and pushed my face into the pillow.

“About how we can make this work.” His hands kneaded my ass, digging into muscle. “The long-distance thing.”

I let my head loll to the side, enough to speak without a mouthful of pillowcase. “Logan?”

“Hmm?”

“Really—now?” I hissed in a breath when his fingers skimmed over my balls. “Not a lot of blood in my brain.”

“But honest communication isimportant.” It came with a teasing lilt, but I caught just a hint of something serious underneath, like he actually needed to talk this out. Fine.

“Hey.Hey.” I reached back for a gentle push that made him moveoff me, then rolled onto my back so I could study him. The soft glow of the bedroom lamp made a halo of his hair, his face painted in a golden shimmer.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, a frayed edge to the question. Oh. Not so confident, was he? And yeah, maybe I hadn’t given him quite enough just yet. Sure, I’d told him I loved him—but as for our future, he’d been the only one making plans.

“Nothing. Just...” I framed his face with both hands and shifted closer, my lips grazing the corner of his mouth. He turned his head to make it a proper kiss.

Minutes—lost to the slide of our tongues and the faintly cool breeze that rustled the curtains.

When we pulled apart, it wasn’t by much, foreheads pressed together and legs tangled. “Anyway,” he began in a murmur. “I was thinking—I can stay longer, finish my thesis here. And bonus, if Nia accepts the resort manager job, I can help with the transition. She said it depends on whether you forgive me.” A barely noticeable pause trailed the sentence. “Feels like we’re doing okay on that end. Right?”

“Yeah, we are.” I danced my fingers down the knobs of his spine and considered how to phrase my next words.‘I’m moving back home, Logan. Back to Miami. It’s for me, not for you—I’ve been hiding long enough. But now it’s also for us.’

Before I could settle on anything, Logan continued as though now that we were talking, finally reallytalking, he needed to get it all out, everything he’d been holding back. “So, I can help Nia with the transition, give her time to see her sister, too. And we’ve got to keep the dive center running—I’m not certified as an instructor, but I have a boating license. I can drive the boat and Tom can work with you while we hire more people.”

I smiled—couldn’t help it. “Working with the lowly peasants?”

“I hear it’s a good way to learn how things really work. Much better than posing as a guest.” Humor glinted in his eyes and voice, and I should stop this—tell him that yeah, I’d stay until thingssettled, but even rush hour in Miami didn’t count as long distance. Then again, maybe he needed to get this out. Prove himself.

“Smart advice,” I told him.

“I thought so.” He bumped our noses together, a sweet gesture that made me swallow against something stupid that felt close to tears. “Oh,” Logan added, “and I asked my aunt and uncle to amend your contract. Clarify that your photos really are yours.”

“You…” It didn’t quite compute. “You told the big bosses about me?”

“Well, yeah. Needed to explain why I was stepping back, didn’t I?”

“And you asked them to amend my contract?”

“Of course.” Just like that—no big deal, nothing in his tone suggesting he’d want to lord it over me. God, I’d never stood a chance, had I?

He moved on without even waiting for a thanks. “They agreed to hire a bit more staff in general. Locals, if we can. There’s no need to stretch the staff quite that thin. And I’d like to see what we can do to improve our environmental footprint. I mean, still running a profit, obviously—it’s not a charity. But I believe we can do better.”

A hot swell of affection washed through me. I caught his mouth for a quick, light kiss before I asked, “And they’re good with that?”