Until I Met You

‘Actually, yes.’

‘Well, you’re wrong. Come with me.’

The heated whirlpool was located in a remote corner of the property. Samantha slipped into the warm, churning waters, and sighed with delight. ‘I can’t believe this oasis was here all this time. How do you know about it?’

‘The guys hung out here the night before you arrived, drinking beer and talking trash. A low-key bachelor party.’

‘Not fair! Naomi didn’t get a hen do.’

They should have insisted on a girls’ night out. Sheet masks and Chardonnay didn’t count.

‘It wasn’t planned. Her doctor didn’t approve of her simmering in a tub of hot water in her condition.’

‘You knew about the pregnancy.’

‘I was sworn to secrecy about that, too.’

Roman came closer. Water swirled between their bodies. His hand found the curve of her hip and rested there. ‘What’s the matter? You look upset.’

‘I’m not … it’s just …’ He waited expectantly while she grappled with what to say. ‘It took this trip for me to realize that my friends and I are not as close as I thought. We keep so much from each other.’

‘I don’t believe that,’ he said. ‘There’s so much love there. I’m envious.’

‘All you have to do is say the word and they’ll count you in. They love you, too.’

‘That love is conditional,’ he said. ‘They’d kill me if I ever hurt you. I can see it in their eyes.’

Samantha took his newly smooth-shaven face between her wet hands. ‘Don’t hurt me, then.’

‘I don’t plan to.’ He studied her quietly. ‘Did they hurt your feelings?’

‘They wouldn’t. Not intentionally, anyway. So many secrets have come out these last few days, it’s made me wonder. I had no idea they were dealing with so much. I thought their lives were perfect.’

Roman was pensive. ‘Is that the measure of a friendship? The number of secrets you share?’

‘Not a measure … an indicator. If not, what do you have? Just gossip and small talk to fill the time.’

‘Not everything is worth sharing.’ He kissed her neck, sending a shiver down her body. ‘Some things are better left dead.’

He would say that. ‘How many bodies are you hiding, Roman Carver?’

He grinned. ‘A whole lot. I won’t lie.’

‘Are you secretly married?’

‘No.’

‘Secretly divorced.’

‘No.’

‘Are you in the CIA?’

‘I’d like that, but no.’

‘What is it, then?’

He kissed her shoulder. ‘Right now, you like me. I don’t want to mess with that.’