Page 63 of Broken Deal

“Hey.” I sit up, turning around to look at her. “Where the hell are you going?”

“It’s cold,” she complains, hugging herself to keep the warmth. “Every night, the ocean breeze makes me freeze to death.”

“Stay here,” I order, darting into the living room and grabbing the blanket that’s draped over the couch.

She shakes her head. “That blanket sucks. I’m just gonna go to bed.”

I grip her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks, andgently turn her around, guiding her toward the hammock strung between two palm trees with a view of the ocean. “No, come on. You disappeared on me all day, you owe me some quality time.”

“Aw, did you miss me?” she asks jokingly.

My heart stammers at her question, because, honestly? Yes, I did.

I take off my shoes and hop on the hammock with the blanket then open it and pat the space next to me, completely ignoring her question. “Come on.”

“Are you asking me to cuddle, Ace?” she asks with an amused look on her face.

“Oh, get over yourself. You don’t want to share a blanket with me?” I fake gasp. “Do I make you nervous, Blue?” I wiggle my eyebrows playfully.

I absolutely want to be close to her. The hammock is perfect and comfortable for both of us. The night is clear, the ocean is calm, and I can’t think of a better way to spend my time.

She narrows her eyes at me then hops onto the hammock beside me. I drape part of the blanket over her.

“For the record, no. You don’t make me nervous,” she retorts.

“If you say so.”

She turns to face me, her hand resting on her cheek as she leans into it. “Stop assuming things.”

I mirror her pose, and as soon as my eyes find hers, I want to slap myself in the face for looking. Her eyes, even at night, are the same haunting unique shade of blue. “Then stop lying. You can keep telling yourself these things, but we both know you don’t mean them.”

She looks at me for the longest time without saying a word, her gaze burning me with an intensity that makes mefeel almost too exposed. We stay silent, our breathing slowly syncing. Around Sophia, being quiet brings me peace and comfort. I don’t mind it. It feels personal. Everyone gets the loud and confident version of her, but only I get this. And while I like when she’s loud and unapologetically herself, I also like this. The real her. She can’t bullshit her way through me anymore. I know she puts on a front; I just keep letting her get away with it.

“Interested in making a deal?” she asks suddenly.

I raise my brows, caught off guard. “Am I going deaf, or are you trying to strike another deal with me? Here I thought you hated them.”

“Don’t be so sure of yourself. Chances are you’re going to say no.”

“Have you forgotten who I am? I can’t turn shit down. I thrive in the chaos. Webothdo.” I give her a pointed look.

What she doesn’t know is I can’t turn down anything when it comes to her.

She lets out an exasperated breath. “Never mind, I don’t know what I was thinking,” she mumbles quietly.

I hit her shoulder playfully. “No. Come on, tell me. Since when are you shy?”

Her eyes find mine with a silent determination, and she straightens her back while rasping her throat. The movement is so cute it makes me laugh. Dare I say she looks nervous? The way she twirls her hair with her index finger and purses her lips in contemplation, it’s a new look on her.

“We have to spend a lot of time together this summer,” she starts.

“Yeah?” I prompt.

“Why not have fun, then? Friends with benefits until we’re done writing this article. Or, if you want to break it offbefore, fine by me.” She waves her hand with a small, nervous chuckle.

I sit up so fast I nearly knock her over. If I hadn’t grabbed her by the waist in time, she would have fallen. “What did you just say?” I grip her waist tightly.

She needs to repeat it, because there’s no way. I must have heard wrong. My desire for her is so deep, my brain is coming up with all these crazy scenarios.

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