One Week with the Marine (Love on Location)

“No, it’s not that. It’s, you know, I booked this thing already.”

“Thing?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I booked this thing for us to do. It’s nonrefundable and—”

“What time is this thing?” he asked.

“Um, it’s sort of an all-day event.”

“Is lunch included?”

“And breakfast. And, you know, dinner.”

“Wow, this really does take all day.”

“Yeah. It does.” She unscrewed her mascara and flicked the brush over her lashes, the gears of her mind working double time.

“And you’re not going to tell me what this thing is?” he asked.

“It’s a surpris

e.”

“Right.” She watched in the mirror as Holden laid back on the pillows behind him and let out a deep sigh. He’d never call her on the lie, not if he thought she really didn’t want to go. And yet…he looked so dejected.

“Does their sudden itch for sun and sand have anything to do with the fact that you’re spending all your precious home time with me?” she asked, smoothing gloss on her lips as she kept watch on him in the mirror.

He sat up a little straighter, the muscle of his bicep pulling as he moved. “They’ve never been the subtle types. But it might be nice to see them.”

“That sounds…it sounds nice. For you to be able to see them again.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek.

“Yeah, but if you’ve got other plans.”

“Oh, come on, you know I don’t have other plans.” She rolled her eyes.

“I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do.”

She turned and met his clear, dark gaze. She knew he was being 100 percent sincere, knew that if she said no right now, she’d never hear about his mother or her visit again. But she’d think about it. After all, she’d kept him from them, refused to be a part of something that clearly meant so much to him.

And if it meant that much…

“Okay, what the hell? Let’s do this.”

“Are you serious?” he asked. “You hate my mother.”

“I didn’t say I was going to be sober. I just said I would do it.”

For you.

She left the last part unspoken, but it still lingered in the air between them.

“Let’s not make this an all-day thing, though, okay? Dinner. It’ll be…fun.” As much fun as the Romanov family had that night they were massacred. Except they got to wear cool Russian hats first. She just had to sit there and let Holden’s mother verbally ice pick her over and over again.

Family.

“You’ve got a deal,” Holden said. Then he got up from the bed and dragged her back to the mattress along with him. “Now, forget your makeup. I’m only going to mess it up anyway.”

He opened her robe, and she breathed him in, torn between hating the idea of tomorrow and loving that she’d get to spend another day with him.