“If you like Pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain…”

Autumn startled awake at the sound of her cell going off and shot the offending device an angry glare. Summer had programmed the obnoxious ringtone into both their cells in preparation for their vacation. She needed to remember to change that. Exhaling a sigh, she flopped back in the big, soft bed. The expulsion of air from the pillows stirred Balen’s scent and she drew a deep breath, rolling over and burying her face in the downy softness. The bed was empty, and by the sound of the crashing waves outside, she was pretty sure she knew where he was. Lifting her head, she looked out the window to the water and smiled.

Yep. Found him…

Autumn had no idea what time it was, only that it was still early—too early to be up. She’d been awake most of the night and well into the early morning. After taking her a second time on the beach, Balen had carried her up to the house—which BTW, was absolutely stunning. They’d showered together, washing off the sand, before climbing into a guest bed where he’d proceeded to make love to her over and over again.

She stretched beneath the sheets, enjoying the feeling of the Egyptian cotton against her bare skin, teasing her overly sensitive nipples. She savored the dull ache between her legs, a lazy, sated grin tugging at her lips. In all her life, she’d never been so wonderfully and thoroughly possessed. By the time Balen had finished with her, there hadn’t been a part left untouched, unowned by him. Last night had been amazing, wonderful, spectacular... Only one thing would have made it more perfect—three little words she’d been hoping to hear.

“If you like Pina coladas…”

Abandoning all hope of getting back to sleep, Autumn groaned in defeat and reached across the bed, plucking her cell off the nightstand. “Hey, Summer.”

“It’s about time you answered. I was starting to get worried when you didn’t respond to my S.O.S. You left a girl hanging. That’s not like you.”

“I’m sorry. Balen and I were…busy. I didn’t see your message.”

“—ges. Messages, Autumn. I sent you like five of them, waiting to be rescued from my awful date. When I got a call that my apartment was on fire, I thought you’d finally come through for me, except guess what? My apartment was on fire!”

“Holy shit, Summer! I’m so sorry! Are you all right? Was anyone hurt?”

“Everyone’s fine, but there’s a lot of smoke damage. I’ll need a place to stay while they renovate the apartment. I hope it’s okay, I moved in with you.”

“Of course it’s all right. I—”

“Hey, what’s the deal with your next door neighbor?”

“Who? Cullen? I don’t know him. We’ve barely talked.” They’d exchanged a brief introduction while passing each other in the hall, but he’d seemed perfectly nice. “He was moving in when I left last week.”

“Well, that crazy bastard almost shot me!”

“What? Cullen pulled a gun on you?”

“Okay, well in his defense, I was breaking in. But he didn’t have to go all SEAL Team Six on my ass. I thought I was in your apartment. FYI, you two both have the same bedroom curtains.”

Autumn’s hand flew up to muffle her laughter, but she was too late. “You climbed into Cullen’s bedroom window?”

“Yeah, it was real funny, Autumn. Of course it was dark, so I had no idea I wasn’t in your room—until that maniac tackled me on his bed. I almost died.”

She couldn’t hold it in any more. Autumn fell back onto the pillow in a fit of belly-splitting laughter.

“The keycode to get in wasn’t working. If that asshole had just let me in when I asked him to none of this would have happened.”

“I’m so sorry...”

“You don’t sound very sorry.”

“You’re right. I’m not. That’s fricking hilarious!”

“Well, I’m glad my suffering amuses you. Enough about me. How are things going with One and Done?”

“Would you stop calling him that?”

“I will when you admit that you’re in love with him.”

Autumn sighed in frustration. “What good would that do, Summer? I don’t think he feels the same way about me. In fact, I think he tried to give me the ‘the talk’ last night. You know, the ‘it’s been really nice but… It’s not you it’s me…’”

“Seriously? What did he say?”

“Nothing. I cut him off. I just couldn’t do it, Summer. I couldn’t sit there and listen to him say goodbye.”

“How do you know that’s what he was going to say if you didn’t give him the chance to say it?”

“Because he hasn’t asked me to stay. And believe me, he’s had plenty of opportunities. And last night, when he said we needed to talk, I could tell he didn’t really want to do it. This is my own fault, you know. We set ground rules, no emotional attachment, remember? It’s not his fault I changed the game.”

“No, but maybe you’re playing for the same team and you just don’t know it. Pull up your big girl panties and talk to him. I don’t understand why you’re being so stubborn.”

“Because I’ve already had my heart broken once. Because it would never work between us. We live half a world apart. Bottom line, he can’t give me what I need, Summer.”

“Because he told you he doesn’t believe in love? Have you ever considered the possibility you’ve changed his mind?”

Had she? That was all she’d been able to think about. But there had been multiple opportunities for Balen to tell her he loved her. He could have asked her to stay and he hadn’t. Any of the many times he’d made love to her last night would have been a fine opportunity, and yet the words she’d been hoping to hear hadn’t come. As the hours to her departure drew closer, she had to face the realization that Balen might not feel the same way about her that she felt about him. One week wasn’t very long to undo years of heartache. It was probably unreasonable of her to expect so much from him this soon. Maybe if she’d had more time... All those things made sense in her head. It was her heart that wasn’t getting the memo.

“I won’t put either one of us in that awkward situation.”

“You’re stubborn and you’re a coward, you know that?”

“Says the woman who’s never been in love.”

“We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you. If you don’t tell him how you feel, you’re going to regret it. Besides, what do you have to lose? You’re getting on a plane in... twelve hours.”

She had a good point. What did she have to lose? The worst that would happen was he’d tell her he didn’t feel the same way. At least then she’d go home with closure. “All right. You win. I’ll tell him. I gotta go. Balen’s going to be back soon. Say hi to my new neighbor for me.”

“Ha-ha. Very funny.”

* * *

Balen rode the wave to shore and hopped off his board then disconnected the cord from his ankle. He’d hoped the waves would calm the anxiety that had robbed him of sleep, but not even the water could ease the foreboding sense of doom he felt as he made his way to the house. He couldn’t put this off any longer, and he held no false hope this was going to go well. Throughout the night, it hadn’t been easy, but he’d held onto the one card he planned to play when this all blew up in his face—his Hail-Mary. Before Autumn left his house, no matter now pissed off at him she was, he’d tell her he loved her.

Yeah? And what are you going to do when that doesn’t work?

Fuck if he knew, because God’s honest truth? He wasn’t sure how he was going to let her go.

Balen stepped into the basin of water outside the patio door and rinsed the sand off his feet before quietly slipping into the house. He stopped outside his bedroom door and was about to turn the knob when he heard Autumn’s voice on the other side.

“—because it would never work between us, we live half a world away. Because he can’t give me what I need.”

Autumn words were like a dull knife thrust into his chest, and then maliciously turned with deadly precision. He can’t give me what I need… Well, it sure as hell felt like he was giving her what she needed last night—several times. Unless what she needed had nothing to do with the physical and everything to do with the financial. Was that what she was referring to? His lack of stability and income? Had he been wrong about her all this time? It sure as hell sounded that way. So…he was good enough to fuck, even satisfactory enough to have a fling with, but when the rubber met the road, he wasn’t good enough for her long-term. Was that it?

Sea water dripped off his board shorts, leaving him standing in a puddle of water as the cold hard truth flayed him. Here he was, getting ready to come clean and put his heart on the goddamn line—something he’d vowed he’d never do again—and Autumn didn’t even believe they stood a chance. What stung worse was that she wasn’t even willing to try, because she thought he was too poor to give her what she needed. How ironic was that? If she only knew he could give her everything she’d ever wanted.

Anger lashed though him, opening old wounds that had never fully healed. He released his grip on the door and headed into Connor’s room to shower and get dressed. He didn’t need to hear anymore. Autumn had said more than enough.