Page 96 of The Plus One Contract

“Yes,” I grind out.

She exhales. “Good. A walk is…good.” There’s a breathless quality to her voice that doesn’t help the fire in my gut.

“Uh, hey, Nathan?” she calls as I step back into the living area.

“Yes, Sienna?”

She points at the towel still precariously low around my hips. “You planning on walking around the resort like that?”

I arch a brow. “Why? Worried?”

She levels a flat stare. “Worried someone will call security on the half-naked man prowling the halls.”

I grab a T-shirt and swim trunks, stepping back into the bathroom for a few minutes.

Focus, Nathan.Keep your head in the game, not between her thighs.

After slipping into clothes, I emerge. Sienna’s perched on the edge of the bed, tapping something on her phone, pretending she’s oblivious to the tension thrumming between us.

I snatch my wallet off the nightstand and clear my throat. “I’m grabbing coffee,” I say, edging toward the door. “Be ready when I get back.”

She waves, not looking up. “Sure.”

Lingering, I glance at her, half hoping she’ll say more, but she’s fixated on her phone like it’s her lifeline.

I blow out a breath, head out of the room and toward the elevator.

Two more days.

We can survive two more days.

Thirty-Five

I’m beginning to regret every choice that led me to volunteer for this family volleyball game. Right now, I’m slogging through warm sand while Sienna’s dad, Tim, waves me over like I’m about to be drafted into a war.

“Hey, Nathan!” Tim calls, shading his eyes with one hand. He’s decked out in a bright Hawaiian shirt—pineapples and all—and a pair of board shorts that seem to have survived the Reagan years. “You’re with me, son. We’re taking on Jeremy and Daniel.”

Beside him, Jeremy snorts while bouncing a volleyball between his palms. “Careful, Dad. I don’t think Daniel’s going to go easy on the new guy.”

Sienna is planted on a lounger a few feet away. I catch sight of her long legs draped in a towel, phone in hand. It’s midday, and the sun is blazing. The ocean whispers nearby, and an assembly of extended family and wedding guests is scattered around. Some are tucked under umbrellas, some wading in the shallows, others laughing with fruity drinks in hand.

This should be a simple game. It should.

“Don’t worry,” I say to Jeremy, forcing a grin that feels more like a grimace. “I’m up for a challenge.”

Meanwhile, Daniel, standing just behind Jeremy, sizes me up with a half-smile that barely conceals his irritation. Sienna’s ex has been watching me since I arrived.

It’s best to let him stew.

I brush sand from my swim trunks and follow Tim to the makeshift court they’ve outlined in the sand. A small crowd forms a loose semicircle, drinks in hand, ready for this showdown. The family patriarch and a random boyfriend against Sienna’s brother and her ex. The stakes are sky-high in absurdity.

Before we begin, Tim leans in, grinning conspiratorially. “We gotta show these boys who’s boss, right?” He slaps the volleyball into my chest, nearly knocking the air out of me. “You serve first.”

I raise an eyebrow about to reply, but out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Sienna. She’s pulling off her thin cover-up in what I swear is slow motion, revealing a bikini that might be devilishly provocative. My breath gets lodged in my throat as her golden skin glistens under the sun, and her curves threaten to upend my self-control.

“Hey, Nathan,” Jeremy calls me out. “Eye on the game. Or at least take your eyes off my sister for five minutes.” His tone tries to mask a warning, and I notice Daniel stiffen, his eyes burning with a challenge. I’m not the only one who can’t look away.

I feel the corner of my mouth curl into a smirk. “I can multitask. One eye on the game, one on Sienna.”

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