Hunter crept back into her bedroom, unsure if Austin would be asleep or not. Their last discussion hadn’t exactly been heated, but it hadn’t been great, either. A night of mind-blowing orgasms, and even though they were both exhausted, they’d lain awake and chatted for a while, cuddled up under the covers, facing each other in the dark. She was finally seeing the normal Austin, the man with a heart nearly as big as his brain. He was interesting and funny, sweet and nerdy, and she really liked him. Only he’d also confided in her why the last four days had been a nightmare. Why he’d been so distant and confused, and his words had really jarred her. Despite her fatigue, she’d been unable to sleep. So instead of tossing and turning and possibly waking up the man in her bed, Hunter headed to the kitchen. Had this been Seattle, she might have gone to her home gym and run on the treadmill to clear her head, but they were in the mountains, and ice cream would have to do as an adequate substitute. But Will’s advice had helped. It’d helped a lot.

The idea of backpacking around Asia for a while was very appealing. And she’d always wanted to see more of the world, make new connections with distributors and find new organic and eco-friendly fabrics and new design inspirations. More than anything though, Hunter needed to get out of her funk and find her passion again. And now that she and Austin had found their passion, why not head off on a grand adventure together?

The light was off, and Austin’s body lay huddled under the covers, his chest rising and falling with each deep and even breath. She gently pulled back the covers and scooted onto the mattress, not wanting to disturb him. But she couldn’t sleep, not now. Her body had flickered to new life, and the idea of throwing caution to the wind, leaving the company to her general manager for a few months, and hopping on a plane bound for Cambodia seemed more and more appealing by the second. Would Austin be into it? He said he wanted to visit Angkor Wat, see the ruins. This was his chance.

He rolled toward her when she pulled the blankets up to her chin, a moan escaping past those talented lips. Was he going to wake up?

“Hey,” he mumbled, his long lashes fluttering open. “Where’d you go?”

“To eat my feelings,” she said softly.

Groggily, wiping the sleep from his eyes, he sat up against the headboard and flicked on his bedside table lamp. “Huh?

She let out a big huff and joined him at the headboard, propping a couple of big, fluffy pillows behind her. “I hate that you still don’t think you’re enough for me. That you think I’ll one day get bored with you, or think you’re not adventurous enough. We’ve had sex all of twice, Austin . . . and in that time, I’ve had eleven orgasms. No man has ever done that to me. And even if that is the case, and we aren’t a true match, don’t you at least want to see where this could go?”

He knitted his fingers together and studied the pattern on the bed spread. “Yes.”

She ground her molars to keep herself from saying something she might regret. She had come in here to either sleep or talk about traveling. She needed to stay on course. But his behavior was beginning to piss her off. When they were having sex, he was confident and wild, demanding more orgasms from her than she thought she could muster. Taking her body to heights and places she had never reached with another man before. But yet the moment the endorphins left him, he was back to being unsure of his prowess, self-deprecating and lacking confidence.

She reached for her tablet on her nightstand. “I’m going backpacking in the new year, I’ve decided. I’m going to tie up some loose ends, prepare my general manager for all possible calamities, and then I’m taking off for a few months. I need inspiration. I need to find my passion again. Find my drive. I’ve been wandering around in a fog for nearly a year and it’s starting to scare me. I’ve never been this unproductive.”

Austin’s gaze snagged hers. “S-so you’re breaking . . . ” he trailed off.

“I’m not breaking up with you, if that’s what you were about to ask. Though two fucks, eleven orgasms, and half a night spent in the same bed doesn’t really classify you as my boyfriend. But no. I want you to come with me. You said it yourself, you’ve never been anywhere outside of the U.S., and you want to travel. Come with me. Let’s get to know each other as we get to know the rest of the world. See, explore, experience and learn.”

The screen of her tablet flicked on, and within a couple of seconds, Hunter was typing away into Google Search.

“We’d definitely start in Cambodia.” She turned to face him. “Fulfill the dream, right? And then I’d like to do Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, maybe Malaysia. Head over to Indonesia and do Bali and maybe Jakarta or Sumatra. I’ve heard great things about batik from Indonesia. I might try to meet with some wholesale distributors there. Silk in Thailand of course. Plus, the beaches in Thailand are phenomenal. See?” She held up a picture of a beach, with big rock formations sticking high up out of the water. It was that quintessential postcard image. Blue sky, bluer water, white sand. Paradise in a four-by-six frame. “I’d also love to get my dive ticket. Daisy and Riley do a ton of diving, and she’s been harping on me for years to get certified. I’ll definitely do that, too. What about you?”

Hunter’s pulse was racing as she checked flights and visa requirements, Googled hotels and dive companies, silk and batik distributors. Within a matter of ten minutes, she had over a dozen tabs open on her desktop. Austin still hadn’t said a word.

“So?” she finally said, her chest heaving from excitement. “What do you think? You in?”

Austin shook his head. “I—I can’t.”

An invisible arrow pierced her heart, and it immediately began to wither and seep. Her jubilation from earlier drained faster than it came on. “Oh.”

He let out a big sigh. “I mean I want to. But I can’t. I have work. And we’re trying to get this project finished. And then Reggie probably has another project. The man always has new contracts and projects. He never stops. And he needs me. I can’t abandon him. I can’t abandon my job.”

She swallowed hard. “Oh, okay. I get it.”

She pulled the cover of her tablet back over the screen, then sank down deep into the covers, pulling them up to her ears as she turned away from Austin and put her head down on her pillow.

Fine.

She understood the importance of work, the importance of deadlines and being accountable to your staff. But practicality aside, she couldn’t deny the deflation and disappointment that surged through her, the feeling of loss and defeat that squeezed around her heart until hot tears trickled down her cheek and on to the pillow.

Seconds later the light flicked off, and she felt Austin move in the bed beside her, shuffling down deep into the covers. The bed jostled a bit as he struggled to get comfortable, then all was still, all was dark, all was quiet. Silence reigned. Hunter pinched her eyes shut, clenched her teeth, and prayed for sleep.

Austin knew he had blown it with Hunter. Again. The look on her face had shattered him. Torn his beating heart from his chest and stomped it to smithereens on the floor. And yet he didn’t know what else to say. It had been the truth. He couldn’t just pick up and take off. He had a responsibility to Reggie, to their project, to their clients. And yet the pure heartbreak on Hunter’s face had made him want to quit his job right then and there and follow her to the ends of the earth and beyond. But he couldn’t. He just couldn’t.

She had still been asleep when he awoke the following morning, the image of his head between her legs as she slowly regained consciousness driving him mad. That was how he wanted her to wake up. That was what he had envisioned. But no, he’d gone and broken her heart last night. He was surprised she hadn’t kicked him out. A part of him thought that might have been better, but instead she’d just shut down, and it’d destroyed him. It’d taken him forever to fall asleep again. He kept rolling over to stare at the back of her head, her hair fanned out like a beautiful golden veil behind her on the pillow while her back moved slightly with each breath. He wanted to wake her up and apologize. But somehow, he knew that wouldn’t be enough.

Slowly, trying not to wake her, he slipped from the bed and headed to his own room. He’d vowed to power down for the week, but something inside him made him turn his phone on. He hadn’t gone this long without talking to Reggie in ages. It felt weird.

Ten missed calls. Six voicemail messages. Thirteen emails.

He checked to see who the majority of the calls were from, and sure enough, they were from Reggie. Something had to be going on with the Smythe account. He needed to call him.

“Hey, Sheldon, mah boy!” Reggie answered, his British lilt heightened by his excitement. Reggie had always been an eccentric and larger-than-life kind of guy, but something in his tone was different. He not only sounded happy, he sounded . . . relaxed.

“Hi, Reggie. Merry Christmas.”

“Happy Christmas to you. Are you having a nice break?”

“Yeah, it’s been pretty great. Nice to de-frag and decompress, you know?”

Reggie scoffed on the other end, followed by a chuckle. “You’re telling me. This has been the best week of my life.”

Austin couldn’t stop the squeaky tone of surprise that took over his voice. “Really?” Reggie was a workaholic. The fact that the man practically ordered Austin to take some time off had come as a total surprise.

“I’m in love, mah boy. Absolutely, head-over-heels in love.”

“W-well . . . that’s wonderful,” Austin stammered, nerves prickling beneath his skin. Something was up. Reggie, although a great guy and full of pep, was never gushy, never whimsical, and right now his entire tone was laden thick with whimsy and cheer.

“Isn’t it? It’s bloody brilliant. We got married on Christmas day.”

“Wait . . . WHAT? You got married?”

“That’s right!” Reggie cheered.

“How long have you known this woman? What if she’s after your money?”

Oh, shit. Filter, Austin, you socially inept fucker, filter!

But fear that poor Reggie was going to be fleeced of his millions by some gold-digging harpy who flashed him a smile, some leg and sat through one of his many long-winded explanations about wind energy verses solar energy shit-kicked any form of social grace. He was looking out for his friend.

Reggie chuckled on the other end. “Since I was eight. She’s my childhood love, Sheldon. The love of my life. Her husband left her for a chippy half his age, and now Rita’s got his millions. She called me up a few weeks ago, told me her story, said she should never have done as her father demanded and married the miserable Lord of Who Gives a Rat’s Ass, and married me instead. We met in Barbados for Christmas and got married.”

Austin caught his reflection in the mirror. His head was shaking so quickly, he looked like one of those ridiculous bobbleheads or a hula girl on the dash of a car.

“Married?” he continued to say. “You’re married?”

“Mhmm. And it’s the best feeling in the world. Something more important, more incredible, more fulfilling than work, money or success. It’s love!”

“B-but . . . how?”

“When you know, you know. No sense wasting time. We wasted over forty years. We’re not wasting another second. We’re taking off on an extended honeymoon.”

“But what about the company? What about the Smythe account, the project for Audi?” Austin was starting to panic. Did he have a job to go back to? All his hard work, hours and hours spent trying to figure out the new biofuel eco-efficient engine . . . he’d been eating, sleeping and breathing this thing for nearly two years.

“We’ll finish all of that, don’t worry.”

He let out a heavy sigh. Thank God. At least he still had a job. At least Reggie hadn’t fallen completely off his rocker.

“And then we’re done. You can have the company or I’ll sell it, or dismantle it. But once the current contracts are done, once we figure out this engine bullshit, then we’re done. Rita and I just bought a sailboat, and we’re going to sail around the world.”

“Do you even know how to sail?” Fuck, filter! “What I mean is, Reggie, are you sure about all of this?”

“One hundred percent. I’m in love. Best feeling ever. I have my millions, Rita has hers. I’m done working. I’m sixty-three years old. I have no children and nothing but a lifetime of work and incredibly successful and world-changing inventions to show for it. I want more. I want the exhilaration of waking up next to the woman I love every day. I want to be able to wake up and ask her, ‘What do you want to do today, honey?’ And for her to say, ‘Whatever the fuck we want, dear. We’re retired and rich.’ And then we make love, drink kombucha on the bow of our boat, then go scuba diving and spearfishing for our supper.”

Jeez, the man painted one hell of a picture, that was for sure.

“I want you to find love too, Sheldon. We’ll finish the project, and then if you want the company, it’s yours. But we’ll be making enough from Smythe and Audi that you’ll be set for some time. The check will be millions.”

Austin had to grab the phone with both hands. Millions.

“I think you should take off for a bit. See the world. Travel. Fuck. Experience. Spend some of your millions on frivolous things. I wish I had at your age. Now I’m sixty-three and having to play catch-up.”

Austin swallowed. Travel. Fuck. Experience. Millions.

“Anyway, Sheldon, I just wanted to wish you a Happy Christmas and tell you the good news. I’ve been trying to call you for a couple of days now. You getting laid, too?”

Austin made a garbled noise in his throat. “Yeah. Good news.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, congratulate me! I’m married.”

Fuck.

“Right. Uh, sorry. Congratulations, Reggie. Rita is a lucky woman, and I can’t wait to meet her.”

“That’s better.” Reggie laughed loud and carefree. “Maybe next time you say it, it will sound like you actually mean it.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Think about that glitch with the wiring, and when we meet in a few days, hopefully we can hammer out the problems and wrap this puppy up. We set sail for the Baja on Valentine’s Day!” He chuckled again, and then the sound of a woman’s voice followed by what could only be described as a seductive growl filled the receiver. “I’ve got to go. The wife is needy . . . if you know what I mean? Happy New Year, Shelly. Cheerio.” Then, without waiting for a fare-thee-well from Austin, Reggie hung up, the final sound on the other end being the high-pitched girly squeal of a woman before the line went dead.

Austin tossed his phone on to his bed, staring at it wide-eyed, his head continuing to shake. Married. Millions. Travel. Fuck. Experience. The words continued to rattle around and around and around in his head. Millions. Travel. Experience. Fuck. Married.

He ran his hands through his hair, then caught his reflection in the mirror. He was smiling. Grinning. From ear to goddamn ear, he was happy.

He had to tell Hunter the good news!

“What the heck?” Rowan said with a yawn as he wandered into the kitchen, Juney right behind him.

Will looked up from where he stood at the counter. He was busy whisking eggs in a bowl while bacon sizzled on the griddle next to him. “May have taken a couple of days, but I got the hint. Sorry, guys. Breakfast and cleanup are on me today. Just sit back and enjoy.”

Amber, who was also in the kitchen, was busy cutting up some strawberries. She grinned over at Rowan and Juney before giving them a wink and putting her head back down.

“I like a little Tabasco in my scrambled eggs,” Rowan said, wandering over to pour himself some coffee. “And maybe some jalapeno jack grated on top.”

“Yes, Chef!” Will said with a big smile.

“What’d you do, fuck the cantankerous freeloader’s brains out until he’s now no more than a happy helper?” Rowan asked, wrapping an arm around Juney as she sidled up next to him at the bar, thanking him for her coffee.

Amber laughed. “Yep, pretty much.”

“All night long,” Will added with a smug smile.

A scuff-scuff sound from down the hallway drew everyone’s eyes, and Hunter, with a messy bun and pillow creases on her cheeks, schlepped forward, wiping sleep from her eyes and yawning wide.

“Well, this is a lovely sight,” she said dryly. “Giving back to the little people, are we, Dr. Colson?”

Will snorted. “I’m pretty sure you make more than I do, Miss Kingsley, so I’m not sure who you’re referring to as little people.” He placed a cup of coffee on the bar, and she sat in front of it. “So, you and Boy Wonder going off to paradise? What did he say?”

Hunter’s face pinched tight, and she looked down into her coffee. “He said no. Said work was too important. And I get that. I respect that. Doesn’t mean it still didn’t hurt.”

Juney reached over and rubbed her back.

Hunter looked at Rowan and then Will, blinking several times. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. “I’m still going to go, though. I emailed my general manager this morning, told her my plan, and when I get back to the city, I’m going to get the ball rolling. You said it yourself, Will, it’s okay to travel alone. You find people who are like-minded, and you travel with them. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll find my match abroad.” She attempted a smile, but the struggle to turn up the corners of her mouth appeared to be too much, and her eyes still held shadows of pain.

“Hunter?”

All heads swiveled to look down the hallway to where the sound was coming from.

“Hunter?”

“In here,” she called.

Just then, like a cyclone of plaid pajama pants and enormous smiles, Austin came careening down the hallway. “Hunter!” he hollered, even though he really didn’t need to. She was only a few feet in front of him. “Hunter, there you are!”

“I’m here. What’s wrong?” she asked calmly. Rowan couldn’t blame her for not feeding off of Austin’s excitement and smiling. The man had kept her waiting all week, then when everyone thought he’d finally come to his senses, he’d hauled off and broken her heart again.

Austin shook his head. “Nothing! Nothing is wrong. Everything is right! For once, finally, everything is right.”

“What?” she asked.

“I’m coming with you. To Cambodia. To Thailand. To Bali. I’m coming. I want to come. I can come. Can I come?”

Finally, a smile. Hunter’s eyes lit up as she took a step off the barstool and stood in front of Austin. “What do you mean? Last night you said you couldn’t, you said work was too demanding and you didn’t want to abandon your boss. What’s changed in the last few hours?”

“Everything!” he said, his chest rising and falling as if he’d just sprinted down the hallway. Maybe he had. “My boss . . . Reggie, I just talked to him on the phone. He’s retiring. After we wrap up this project, we’re done. He got married to his childhood love over Christmas, and they bought a boat. He’s either selling the company, or he said I could buy it off of him. But either way, I can come with you. I want to come with you. I want to travel, explore and see the world. . . with you. Travel. Experience. Fuck. Millions.” He was gasping for air now. The rest of them stared at him, and Rowan wondered if he was having a stroke or possibly drunk.

Hunter opened her mouth to say something, but the flash of the television on the wall above the hearth had all eyes pivoting from the drama in the kitchen to the cozy sunken living room.

“Hello!” came Daisy’s voice over the surround sound. “Anyone there?”

Slowly, everyone made their way into the living room. Amber and Will settled on the couch, Juney and Rowan in the love seat, and Hunter and Austin stood next to each other behind the couch. Daisy’s beautiful face appeared up onto the screen a second later, big smile and bright eyes flashing wide and happy. Cat-eye sunglasses were pushed up into her strawberry-blonde hair, and a turquoise bikini peeked out from beneath a white beach wrap. She looked tanned, content and gorgeous.

“Hi, guys!”

Everyone murmured, unsure if they should respond. Was she live?

“I’m live, and there’s a camera on the top of the television, so I can see everyone. How was your Christmas?”

Juney’s head bobbed. “Great!”

Rowan smiled next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulder. “I’d say it’s been one of my best Christmases ever.”

“Mine too,” Amber added.

“Hands down,” Will agreed, pulling Amber closer to him and planting a big kiss on her temple. She nestled in more tightly to his embrace.

“Hunter? Austin?” Daisy asked, one faint blonde eyebrow drawing up in equal parts curiosity and maybe even a little motherly concern.

Will, Juney, Rowan and Amber all craned their necks around to look at the other two. Waiting. Hunter hadn’t given Austin an answer yet. She hadn’t forgiven him or welcomed him to join her on her adventure again. And if she didn’t, the only person to blame would be Austin. He’d toyed with her emotions enough this week. If she was ready to call it quits, she had every right.

Hunter took a step to her right and laced her fingers with Austin’s. The look he gave her could have set the house on fire. Scorching hot. Lust, passion, conviction. It was all there. This boy was a goner. He’d never say “no” to Hunter again.

“Wonderful Christmas,” Hunter said with a smile. “Austin and I are going to the Arkells concert, and then we’re taking off to go and backpack Southeast Asia.”

Austin pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “And that’s only the start of it,” he said when they came up for air. “Hunter’s made me curious about everything, and I can’t wait to explore. We’re going to see the world!”

Well, holy hell, where’d this bit of bravado come from? Rowan shook his head and chuckled to himself. Mr. Mensa finally found some cojones and was ready to be worthy of little Hunter. Good.

Daisy’s eyes scanned each couple again, and she hummed methodically. “This is very interesting. I’m happy for everyone, of course, but, well . . . hmmm.” She waved a piece of paper in front of the screen, then pulled it away and waggled her eyebrows up and down salaciously. “Are you at all curious to see if you found your match?”

Austin shook his head. “No, thanks. I know I did.”

Hunter beamed at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Me too.”

Will agreed with a big grin. “Me too.”

“I know I did,” said Amber.

“Me too,” said Juney.

Rowan nodded. He didn’t need a piece of paper or some fancy algorithm to tell him Juney was his perfect match. He felt it in his heart, knew it in his very bones that she was the woman for him.

Daisy continued to smile. “Well, good. As long as you’re all happy, that’s what matters. And now for some bad news. I’m afraid with the snowstorm and the fact that a couple of big trees have fallen down across the highway, the shuttle is unable to come and get you guys today. The weather is just projected to get worse for another few days, and they’re not sure they can get the trees cleared until at least the first. Are you guys okay sticking it out a few more days? There should still be enough food. The freezer in the garage is loaded with food, and besides maybe milk for your coffee, you should be all right.”

Will pulled Amber into his lap. He grabbed her ponytail and tugged until her neck was exposed to him, and he leaned in and nipped her. “Oh, I think we’ll be quite all right, Daisy. Plenty to do.”

Rowan hauled Juney into his lap as well, until she was straddling him. She draped her arms over his shoulders, her fingers twirling around the hair at the nape of his neck. He glanced around his lady love to the woman on the screen. “Loads to do, Daise. Don’t you worry about us.”

Juney giggled as his hand made its way up her torso and he squeezed her breast. “Rowan’s right, Daisy, we’re all good here.”

“Yup!” Hunter laughed. “Ring in the new year in a log cabin, someone to kiss at midnight. New friends. Sounds perfect to me. Nothing to worry about. Enjoy your time in the Caribbean with Riley.”

Rowan let go of Juney’s waist for a moment and reached for the remote from the table behind the couch. “I think we’re all pretty content with the bad news. In fact, it’s not bad news at all. But if you don’t mind, Daise, I think we’re going to say Merry Christmas, have a Happy New Year, and goodbye. We all have some celebrating to do.”

Daisy chuckled. “All right, guys. Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year,” they cheered.

“Turn the television off, Rowan,” Austin said. As he glanced up, he noticed the piece of mistletoe hanging above him. Then he smiled, dipped Hunter low and finally made a move.