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Avril chuckled and leaned in. So did he. “If you do, you might wake up to a very annoyed version of me. Ruining my evening plans by passing out.”

“I’ll do my best to stay conscious. Do you want us to come back here for it, or?”

“There’s a romantic beach dinner we can set up,” Avril said, then eyed him suspiciously. “But I’m gonna guess you already know about it.”

He admitted it with a nod.

“Who?”

“Tess.”

“Figures.”

“I can learn some lessons tomorrow, maybe make use of what I learn then for our romantic evening.”

“You better.Iwant to be the one in danger of swooning.”

Liam couldn’teversee Avril swooning. Shock slid off her like ice on ice; she was never down for the count for more than a few seconds. She had a very different kind of poise than Victoria did, but he supposed they were about equal in terms of effectiveness.

Still…

“I’ll do my best to make it as romantic as possible,” he promised. “You deserve nothing less.”

“I do, don’t I?”

He could see that response in the gleam of her verdant eyes. And yes, she did. He’d have nodded had she spoken those words. However, to his surprise, she opted to say something else. Something more earnest.

“It’ll lead to some unforgettable memories, I’m sure.”

Hestillnodded, agreeing with those words too. “That’s the hope. Today, too. Tomorrow. The next day.”

Avril hit him with a dazzling smile, and it was enough to launch his heart into his throat. Their waitress started back their way, appetizers in hand, ready to ask after what main courses they’d like to try tonight. Liam didn’t notice. Even Avril, who did, still had one more arrow to deliver to his heart.

“I’m looking forward to them all, Liam.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Clink

The meal was spectacular, but the company was what made it a five-star experience. Clinking their glasses together—at Avril’s prompting, of course—they dove into their meals. As it had been last night, everything was delicious. He went with the lobster risotto tonight, and he wasn’t the only one at his table eyeing the bright red tail sitting on top of his bowl. Avril stole a few bites before all was said and done.

She also used their mealtime to finally grill him about how he’d “landed” Victoria. Supposing it ought to be fine bynow, he offered her a general summary of events. In doing so, Liam acknowledged the perfect storm of circumstances that had allowed him to end up where he now stood. There was Avril’s vacation voting thing, of course, but there’d also been Victoria’s bad date, which had synced up remarkably well—though he still knew it’d be bad form to celebrate Victoria having a lousy date—with when he’d initiated his ploy. One that had Avril grinning when he finally revealed it to her.

“The pupil becomes the master,” she teased, though there was a hint of truthfulness behind her smile. She seemed earnestly impressed that he’d risked such a bold gambit. And a mix of shocked and intrigued, much as Tess had been when she’d learned about these same things, that Victoria had responded positively.

“Do I get a championship belt or golden plaque?” Liam asked.

“And what should I have inscribed on it? ‘For excellence in seducing four gorgeous women with his big cock?’”

Liam’s face heated up, though he grinned at Avril. He’d allow himself at least that much pride. His situation allowed him a little bit of hubris, didn’t it?

“Keep that momentum strong,” Avril said, winking. “We’re not even halfway through the trip. There’re plenty of sights andactivitiesleft to experience.”

“And then the summer,” Liam said, nearly trembling with anticipation.

“Where you’ll spend all your days gardening, from the sound of it,” Avril said, sipping her drink.

“If you swing by, maybe we can get done faster, then move on to other things.”

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