Page 109 of The Plus One Contract

Now, hours later, I’m still wide awake, my pulse too fast, my mind refusing to settle.

When we got back to the suite, Nathan kept looking at me like he was waiting to find something—an injury I hadn’t mentioned, a bruise I was hiding. He scanned me over, his gaze sharp, his expression unreadable, like he wasn’t convinced I was really okay.

“I’m fine, Nathan,” I had told him, brushing past him toward the bedroom. “Really.”

He didn’t believe me at first, but I just wanted to forget about it.

Eventually, after what felt like a full body scan, he let it go. I changed into pajamas, and when I finally emerged from the bathroom, the tension had eased. We settled into easy conversation—small talk, stupid jokes, anything to pull me away from the weight of the night.

Somehow, we ended up laughing. Like really laughing.

Nathan, of all people, had me doubled over, clutching my stomach, tears in my eyes. I don’t even remember what started it. I think it was something about Grace’s grandmother and how Nathan nearly choked on his drink when she smacked her husband’s ass at the rehearsal dinner. It spiraled from there. He had this look on his face, a mix of disbelief and reluctant amusement, and I couldn’t stop teasing him about it.

Which is when I blurted it out. Right there, between gasps of laughter, I confessed the one thing I never planned to tell him.

“I wrote into a dating podcast before I met you.”

He had been mid-sip of his drink. He froze, glass hovering inches from his lips, before lowering it slowly. “You what?”

I groaned, pressing my face into a pillow, already regretting it. “Forget I said anything.” I was obviously possessed.

But there was no chance of that, so I told him everything. I told him about the email I sent. I even let him listen to it because he had never even heard of theSkeptically In Lovepodcast. Weirdo.

He just stared at me before shaking his head and laughing under his breath. “Jesus Christ. This just keeps getting better.”

I hid my face as he kept pushing, kept grinning like he’d just uncovered my deepest, darkest secret.

Maybe he had.

For once, I didn’t care.

I wasn’t thinking about Daniel, or the pool, or the way my heart still pounded from the confrontation. I was just here, curled up on a couch, trading secrets with a man I had no business enjoying this much.

That should’ve been my warning sign.

Instead, I soaked it up.

Now, hours later, I’m paying the price because every time I close my eyes, I’m still thinking about him. About the way he looked at me, the way he laughed with his whole body. About the way he tipped his head back, exposing his throat, looking so at ease in a way I don’t think he ever lets himself be.

This is a problem. A big one.

Nathan is supposed to be a business arrangement. A short-term fix. Not someone I stay up all night thinking about.

I roll onto my side, hugging my pillow tighter. My body won’t settle, and my mind won’t stop spinning.

Worst of all? He’s on the other side of those doors, probably sleeping like a baby while I lie here wide awake, overanalyzing everything.

A frustrated groan escapes me. If I’m not sleeping, it’s only fair that he suffers too, right?

Before I can talk myself out of it, I shove off the covers and pad across the plush carpet. My pulse skitters as I crack open the bedroom door, stepping quietly into the dim living area.

Moonlight filters through a gap in the curtains, illuminating the couch.

He’s sprawled out, one arm draped over his eyes, the other across his chest, long legs taking up most of the cushions.

He shouldn’t look this good sleeping. It’s unfair.

Am I really about to wake him just because I’m losing my mind?

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