Nina shoved her phone between the pillows on the couch as I walked into the living room, ready to start Love Match.

“Who was that?” I eyed the bumpy cushion. She seemed especially jumpy.

“You won’t be mad if I tell you, will you?” Nina was biting her lip.

“No.” I lied.

“It was Austin. He was just calling to say ‘hey.’”

“My brother is calling you now? Austin is calling you?” This was unbelievable.

“You said you wouldn’t get mad.” Nina was pleading with me. “It was just a simple phone call, but if you don’t want me to talk to him anymore, I won’t. He is your brother. I guess things could get weird.”

I laughed as I folded my legs beneath me on the couch. “Who am I to stand in the way of true love? Austin obviously likes you. And even though he might be an annoying big brother to me, I know he’s a good guy. He’s a hundred times better than Derek. At least he better be.”

I didn’t realize when I invited Nina to the hometown date over the weekend that I might be stirring the pot for another romance. My brothers constantly surprised me.

Nina squealed. “Oh yeah! I was hoping you would say that. I didn’t know what I’d do if you said no.”

I hugged her. “Probably sneak around.” We both smiled. “My brother is smarter than I thought, but just be careful. He is a lot older.” I reached for the remote.

“Yes, ma’am. Besides, if things don’t work out with Austin, Nash is next in line. He’s single right?”

“Nina! My brothers are not the next Love Match bachelors.”

She laughed hysterically on the couch. “I’m just kidding. Calm down. The only one I’m interested in is Austin. We’re taking it super slow. We’re just going to get together next weekend to see how it goes.”

That didn’t seem slow to me, but Nina looked happy, and for the most part, I trusted Austin. He wouldn’t hurt her like Derek. “Ok, so give me the lowdown on this episode. You said something about an overnight date?”

“Best episode of the season! You aren’t going to believe these dates.”

“Why? What happens?”

“It’s unreal. Ok. So, they’ll have whatever date for the day, then they’ll go to dinner and on the table is an envelope from Mitch Henderson. He leaves them some kind of note enclosed with a room key for a dream suite.”

“Dream suite? That sounds a little strange.”

“Oh my God, London. It’s amazing. They always have champagne and roses and there is usually a hot tub. It’s so magical.”

“So does Victoria choose which one of the guys she has the overnight date with?”

Nina laughed. “No, she doesn’t have to pick one—it’s all of them. Three dates, three overnights.”

I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle my one overnight date with Beau, if I could even get him to agree to it, much less how I would manage three of them. “This is crazy!”

“No, it’s called romance, London. Shhh, it’s starting.”

The rose petals fluttered across the screen. “Good evening, I’m Mitch Henderson. On tonight’s episode of Love Match, Victoria will face the most challenging decision yet on her journey to find love. Our bachelorette will have three different dates with three special men who have all professed their love for her. Who will she choose? Who will she let walk away? Will she be in love by the time these nights are over?”

I looked at Nina, who was glued to the TV. This was the last Love Match episode Beau and I had to reference for our date project. The final was due next week and we were going to have to complete our research before the finale aired. Granted, neither one of us was aware of the hometowns or the overnights when we planned the project in January, but it seemed unavoidable at this point in the semester. One last date. One final overnight before the end of the project.

I watched as Victoria spent one lavish night after another with the bachelors. I wondered if Beau was watching too. I pulled out my phone.

You watching LM?

I waited for him to respond for what seemed like ten minutes, but commercial breaks are excruciatingly long when you watch TV in real time.

Yep

Ok. He was back to one-word responses. Every time we were apart, it felt like I had to start all over again. I worried I wasn’t going to succeed in my agreement with Professor Garcia. Beau and I weren’t so far apart, we were still connecting, and I just needed Beau to remember that. I needed to erase all of the excuses that kept surfacing that he used to distance himself from me. Excuses that were interfering with us. I could remember how we felt together. He had to, too.

Where do you want to go for the overnight?

I typed the question into my phone and hit send.

Are you serious?

Very

This was my last chance. If Beau didn’t go on this date, everything I had done was for nothing. I didn’t need to channel any of my leading lady roles—this was all me—this was London James.

Finally, he texted.

Last date, right?

I let out a deep breath.

Yes

Ok. I’ll plan it.

I almost leapt off the couch. “London, what is going on?” Nina looked at me suspiciously.

“Beau. He agreed to the final date.”

“Oh…he wants some London time.” She started making obnoxious kissing sounds. “That hand-holding definitely wasn’t enough for him.”

“Very funny, Nina. It doesn’t matter why, does it? We’re going on a date.” I smiled at my friend.

“Not just any date—the you’re-gonna-get-some date. You know he loo-ooves you. I saw him at the vineyard. That boy is smitten; he’s just too stubborn to admit it.”

“I hope you’re right, Nina. I hope you’re right.”

* * *

Date Ten: Sweet Dream Suite

It was the Carolina Inn. As in the most popular, most Carolina place to stay in Chapel Hill and somehow Beau had snagged a suite for us for the night. I shouldn’t be surprised anymore. He knew everyone and no matter where we went, people were happy to help him. That was because they had to see what I saw.

I looked down at the shiny patent leather Carolina blue five-inch heels I was wearing. My grandmother often purchased presents for my brothers and I on a whim. One of those whim gifts was on my feet now. They had been in a box in the back of my closet for a year. Tonight they were making their debut. It was nice to throw in a touch of blue with my little black dress.

The Carolina Inn was like many places on campus; I had walked right past it and never stopped to enjoy it. I crossed the parking lot and walked in through the main lobby for the first time. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t Beau standing in the lobby dressed in a dark charcoal suit.

He was holding a single stem red rose between his fingers. “Wow. You look—” He stammered. I smiled.

“Thanks. You look pretty good too.” I eyed him from head to toe. If I had known he could look like that in a suit, I would have concocted some kind of fancy Love Match date where suit wearing was a requirement a long time ago.

He held out his arm at almost a ninety-degree angle for me to loop my arm under. I wrapped myself around it tightly. “This way. We have dinner reservations that start now.” He glanced at his watch.

We entered the dining room and I steadied myself on Beau’s arm. It was incredible. The satin embroidered chairs, the candlelight, the orchids perfectly placed everywhere, and the music. I couldn’t imagine a more romantic dinner even if the Love Match crew had been in town. I felt like I was walking through a movie.

Beau shuttled me to the hostess station where the blond hostess led us to our table. He wasn’t kidding about the reservations. Taking in our surroundings, I imagined tardiness was not something the dining room was accustomed to accommodating.

I felt like I was in a trance. Beau ordered a bottle of something I hadn’t heard of and ordered an appetizer before I could read through the menu. He seemed nervous.

“I probably should have let you order the wine.”

“Why? Because of my parents? That doesn’t make me a wine expert.”

“You definitely know a lot more about it than I do. I would be happy with a beer, but I don’t think they even have beer here.” Beau glanced over his shoulder, taking note of the tuxedo-donned men doling out directions to the servers.

Our waitress returned to the table with a bottle and began the ritual of presenting the wine to Beau. I stifled a giggle as he pretended to approve the selection. Ceremoniously, she handed him a glass to swirl. I thought I saw him mutter, “Swirl, sip, savor,” to himself before tasting the red liquid. He nodded at her.

I took the glass of the freshly poured wine and held it up. “Should we toast?”

I expected Beau to squash the idea, but he held his glass toward mine. “To making it count.” He smiled.

“Oh, you’re going the classic, throwback route?” I giggled before tapping my glass to his.

“Something like that.” He sipped the wine.

Beau ordered a steak, and I selected grilled chicken with a fancy cheese I couldn’t pronounce. I wanted to savor every bite and every second of this meal. Things were suddenly feeling different.

“I read on your blog that you finished everything on your Carolina bucket list.”

“I did. It’s a pretty awesome feeling.”

“So, what was your favorite one?” I sipped my wine.

I could tell his mood was playful. “You really have to ask?”

“Yes. Tell me. All-time favorite bucket list item. Go.”

He leaned closer to me so that his low voice didn’t carry to the other tables. “I would have to say the afternoon with you in the study room.”

I felt the heat rising to my cheeks.

“Wait, no that’s not the one. Probably trying to undress you in front of Gimghoul Castle.” It looked like he was undressing me with his eyes right now at the table.

“Ok, that’s not fair. It wasn’t that. It was definitely the fifty-yard line. I will never forget the fifty-yard line.”

I was having trouble breathing. My skin was tingling all over and I wanted to kiss him so desperately it hurt, but I kept my hands folded in my lap and tried to act as if what he said didn’t stir a burning for him in the center of my body.

“What about you, London? Do you have a favorite memory on your bucket list?” Oh my God, he was being so devilish.

“I. Um—” I wanted to say something sultry and seductive, something that told him that every memory of him kissing me was my favorite Carolina moment. “It wasn’t on my list before, but I think the night at the planetarium.”

He laughed. “Yeah, we almost burned down the place, but it was pretty hot.”

The waitress cleared our plates and turned for the kitchen. I played with the napkin in my nap, not sure what was supposed to happen next. Beau slid an envelope across the table and left it where my plate had been.

“What’s this?”

“Open it.”

I pulled on the inner flap of the envelope and freed the note from inside. I held the card close to the flickering candle and read the words aloud. “London, enclosed is a key for an overnight date with Beau in the dream suite. It is yours if you choose to use it. Signed Mitch Henderson.” I laughed at the pretend signature of Mitch Henderson.

“Mitch signed this?”

“That’s what it says. I don’t make the show rules.”

I looked at Beau and then at the card. I wasn’t sure what had caused his one-eighty attitude change tonight, but I hoped it had something to do with our amazing dinner, my little black dress, and what could happen if I accepted this key card.

“What do you think, Beau? Should I accept?” I wanted him to say yes, then pick me up and run to the suite, but I was trying to show some kind of restraint. Playing hard to get was getting harder and harder for me to pull off.

“I want you to do what you really want to do. This is our last date for the project. Do you want to go to the suite with me? It’s up to you.”

Something in the way the words left his lips made me sad. I didn’t want this to be our last anything.

“Yes. Absolutely. I accept the date card from Mitch Henderson.” I held the key card up.

He reached for my hand and gently led me from the table. “Then, let’s go.” He didn’t need to say another word. I was ready to follow Beau anywhere he wanted to go.

* * *

Outside of the room, I handed him the key card and waited with heavy anticipation for him to open the door. Beau fiddled with the card and slid it into the mechanical slot. The light blinked red. He looked puzzled, and then inserted it again. Another red blinking light appeared. He rattled the card in the opening, but the red light persisted.

“Do you want me to try?” I offered.

He looked doubtful as he retrieved the plastic key and placed it in my palm. I raised it to my lips and blew on it like a pair of dice. With the arrow pointed toward the floor, I placed it in the door. Green light. I giggled. “Follow me.”

“London, wait.” Beau reached for my arm, but I pushed the door to the suite open.

I couldn’t believe it.

A foyer divided the suite. On one side was a living room with a bar and on the other was a bedroom. I walked into the living room. It was like every Love Match date we had ever had was here in this space. I turned to look at Beau, who was having a hard time keeping his gaze off the floor.

“You did all of this?”

“I kinda wanted to talk to you before you walked into the suite.”

On the bar was the glazed championship platter and cylinder from Pottery Paints. I had forgotten to pick them up after the first week. I smiled. Resting on the end table was a climbing harness, the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, and two margarita glasses. There was a blue and white pom-pom in the chair with the tickets from our basketball game. I laughed when I recognized the half-burned picnic basket on the couch. There was a postcard picture of Gimghoul Castle next to the CD we recorded. The Bayou Brothers latest album was propped on the coffee table next to a baseball. At the edge of the table was a bottle of Pinot Noir from Mystic Vineyards. There was something from each of the nine dates right here in this room.

I spun around. “I can’t believe you saved all of these things. This is amazing, Beau. More amazing than any single one of the dates we had.” I raced toward him, ready to throw my arms around his neck.

“Whoa. Whoa. London. I thought we could use it for the project.”

I stopped just short of his perfectly pressed suit. “What? The project?”

“Yes, that thing we’ve been working on all semester. It’s due next week and this is the last weekend we have to put together any ideas.”

Was he having fun torturing me? He couldn’t possibly think I could lay eyes on these memories and not feel more than I already did for him. Our entire journey this semester was on display in the suite of the Carolina Inn, and he didn’t seem to care about the effect it was having on me. Maybe I had misjudged who he was all along.

My eyes started stinging, but I fought the tears harder than I ever had. I wasn’t going to break down in front of Beau. Not in my beautiful black dress and killer heels. He wasn’t going to see me come undone because of a class project.

I stepped around him and headed for the door.

“Where are you going? We have a lot to work on.”

I couldn’t turn around. If I looked at him, I would fall apart. I needed to keep it together at least until I got to my car. I tried to calculate how many steps and breaths it was from the suite to the parking lot.

I reached for the handle. “London, wait.” Beau’s warm hands gripped my shoulders. I inhaled deeply, holding the tears at bay for at least another second.

“What’s wrong? Why are you leaving?” He sounded worried. He sounded like the Beau I had grown to— I couldn’t even finish my sentence. I didn’t want to think it was love. If it was love, I was in serious trouble, because my heart was broken in a million tiny rose petal pieces.

Feeling his hands on my skin interrupted my escape plan. I couldn’t turn the handle and I couldn’t form any words without crying. I pivoted slowly to face him.

“London, just say something.” His forehead was furrowed in concern. And there it was—the look. The one Nina was always talking about.

I let one hand slide along his arm and encircle his neck, grazing the sliver of skin above his starched shirt. I tugged him toward me just as I tilted my gaze. He leaned down, taking my mouth with a fury I felt him wanting to unleash. Both his arms wrapped around my waist, pressing me against him. The hurt and devastation wracking my spirit faded away with each kiss. My body didn’t care that my heart was broken. It only wanted one thing—Beau.

His hands explored below the hemline of my dress, shifting the layers higher up my thighs. My body bowed back as his fingers played along edges of my skin, driving me crazy with anticipation. With my body leaning away from him, his mouth trailed along my collarbone and planted gentle kisses against the skin on the parts of my breasts exposed from the sweetheart neckline of my dress. For the first time in weeks, everything felt right again. I missed him so much, his kisses, the way he played with my hair, and the way he made me wait for what I wanted most.

I sighed as the heat of his breath sent chills along my arms. I wanted his mouth to keep moving downward and take my dress with it, but before I could remove the dress I had so painstakingly chosen, I felt his hands slide up my back until they landed on the zipper. I redirected his lips to mine and playfully slipped my tongue in his mouth. I urged him to unzip the fabric. Slowly, he peeled the dress from my chest and pushed it over the curves of my hips, making sure I felt the pressure of his fingers splayed against my stomach and forcing their way into the inner softness of my thighs. My knees grew weak until the dress was a heap on the floor. Careful not to trip in my heels, I stepped over the black pile and pinned my body, clad in a matching lace black bra and panty set, against Beau. If he didn’t know what I wanted by now, I would write him off as the campus idiot.

I caught my breath as he lifted me against him, tucked his arms under my knees, and carried me into the bedroom. There might have been rose petals arranged in a heart, but everything was blurred once I knew Beau’s intentions. Heart-shaped petals didn’t seem to matter right now. His lustful eyes devoured the little bits of satin fabric I was wearing, although I knew I wouldn’t be wearing them for long. He wanted me. Everything he was doing screamed that he wanted me as badly as I needed him. The weeks that had come between us faded away.

He gently lowered me on the bed, as if I was fragile, but I felt anything but breakable. I sat up, frantically tore at the buttons on his shirt, and loosened his belt buckle until his pants were on the floor. So much for the pressed suit—it was now a wrinkled mess. My hands roamed around his torso and back. The piles of embroidered designer shams flew across the room as Beau swept the pillows out of the way and pulled the covers back. I didn’t have time to think about why we were ripping each other’s clothes off or how we ended up under the sheets when only a few minutes ago I was ready to drive home. It didn’t matter. I wanted to be close to him again.

Under the covers, the kisses grew deeper, and with each one, I thought I would explode if he didn’t give me what I wanted. With talented finesse, he maneuvered me under him until my only view was his broad chest and shoulders. I couldn’t keep my hands from rubbing his chest and sliding over the disciplined tightness of his stomach. I loved how he felt under my touch. Each of my strokes brought him closer to me, and I smiled with each growl I elicited from his lips. If I couldn’t tell him how I felt, I was determined that he would feel it every time I moved, every time I moaned, and every time I came.

Every touch of his fingers was sending me farther away in a spiraling wave of sensations. I couldn’t wait much longer. I arched toward him, rocking my hips against him until he was groaning in my ear.

“London, I missed you,” he whispered before pressing his palms into mine until our hands were locked in unison.

I wanted to tell him how much I missed him too, but my body took over and shook with abandon as he moved against me, throwing me farther and farther into a heated spiral of vibration. I felt the core of my body open to him and hold on to him with everything that I had. I didn’t want to let go. All I wanted was more of him. I gripped his back and ran my fingers through his hair, forcing his mouth back to mine. Just when I thought he had fulfilled every craving burning through my body, I opened my eyes. Looking into his gaze, I knew then that I was so deep in love, there was no way out.

“Again,” I whispered. I didn’t want the night to end or for Beau to be anywhere but right here, fused with every part of me.

He nuzzled into my neck and squeezed my hands, lulling me into total stillness before his rhythmic movements started again. I sank into the bed, closed my eyes, and gave my body over to Beau, hoping this never ended.

* * *

Morning came way too early. I shielded my eyes from the sunlight filtering through the curtains. Beau was stretched out across the bed with the pillow securely pinned under his head and chest.

I rolled to the edge of the bed and cautiously placed my bare feet on the floor, careful not to wake my sleeping partner. I watched his back rise and fall with long, steady breaths. He was out.

I tiptoed to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. Hot and wild sex did not make for a glamorous morning after look. An enormous tub spanned the length of the bathroom. I decided to add and then immediately check off something on my personal bucket list: luxurious bath at the Carolina Inn. I turned the silver-handled faucet and doused the rising pool of water with a stream of bubble bath.

Gingerly, I eased myself into the tub and let the warmth envelop my body. I submerged my head under the mountain of bubbles and popped back up for a breath. I knew there was a big smile on my face. Last night was incredible. Beau and I were—well, I wasn’t sure what we were. Defining it didn’t seem as important as the fact that we had finally reconnected after all of these weeks of circling each other.

I traced the tops of the bubble peaks with my toes. Beau felt the same way I did; he didn’t have to say it with words. Every touch he made last night told me. I thought about the room full of artifacts from our dating journey that was on the other side of the door. He had saved all of those tokens from the dates. But we still had to finish the damn project. Shit! I had an agreement with Professor Garcia. There had to be a loophole. There had to be a way I could tell Beau how I felt and still keep my promise to the nutty professor.

I slid deeper into the water until the ripples lapped around my neck. I drifted, suspended in the tub. If I waited until the project was turned in to tell Beau how I was feeling, I risked losing this place we had just found. I thought about the grade I needed to graduate. The grade I needed to start living my dreams in California. But did those dreams even matter if Beau wasn’t in my life?

My hands and feet were officially pruned. I had soaked myself right out of this pensive state. I knew exactly what I was going to do: dry off and tell that boy sleeping in the other room that this was the most incredible semester of my college career, and I had been falling head over heels in love with him since the day he ran me over on his bike. I wrapped the spa-like robe around my chest and fastened the white tie in a knot. My hair shook out over my shoulders. I was ready. This was it.

I pulled open the bathroom door, ready to tackle Beau with the emotions pouring through my heart. Why hadn’t I done this sooner? I had wasted so much time worrying about grades and graduation that I had let the most important part of my college life fall to the side.

“Beau?” I surveyed the empty bed. The sheets were scattered and his suit was missing from the floor. I padded out to the foyer then walked into the center of the dating display.

Beau wasn’t in the suite. Shit! I had waited too long.