Michael couldn’t help but glare at Javier as he led them down the boardwalk to the huts. Another guide had been waiting for them when they got to the resort to show McKenna and Sam to theirs. That left Michael alone with Anna and Javier, and he was having a hard time not hating the guy.

Javier was talking to Anna about the history of the resort, and she seemed enamored with whatever he was saying. When she laughed, Michael tried hard not to roll his eyes. Right now, shoving their guide into the water seemed like the best idea.

Javier walked up to a door and stopped. “This is your hut.” He pulled out a key, unlocked the bolt, and pushed opened the door. Anna’s eyes widened, as she looked around, and then met Michael’s

“Are you serious?” she asked as she walked inside.

Michael followed her. His mouth dropped open as he took in their accommodations.

Floor-length windows made up the far wall. A small hot tub sat in the middle of the deck, overlooking the crystal-clear ocean.

The living room had a small sofa with a coffee table in front of it and a few armchairs next to it. A bed covered in a plush comforter sat against the far wall. From where he was standing, Michael could see little chocolates had been left on the pillows.

“Look at this bathroom,” Anna called out.

Michael followed her voice. She was standing next to a huge, two-person soaker tub. Her eyes widened when he met her gaze.

“Two sinks. And check out that shower.” She waved toward the glass enclosure on the far wall. Two nozzles came down from above and a few more dotted the walls.

Michael tried not to think about how well he and Anna would fit in there together. And then he cursed himself. He should not be thinking of Anna like that at all. Trying to dispel how awkward his thoughts were making him feel, he said, “Eh, I’ve seen better.”

Anna stared at him. “I doubt that.”

“Can I get you anything else?” Javier asked, stepping into the bathroom.

“I think we’re good. My wife and I should be just fine.” Michael emphasized the word wife, but Javier didn’t seem fazed.

“Well, if there’s anything you need from me, feel free to pick up the phone and dial. My number is on the table. Dinner will be served at the Rekindle Resort restaurant at seven. You should be receiving a call from the itinerary expert with your first activity shortly.” He tapped his forehead with his fingers, saluting them and then gave Anna a wink, and left.

Michael stilled his frustration as he turned back to Anna. “What is with that guy?”

Anna’s gaze fell to the spot where Javier had just been standing. “I like him. He’s nice.”

Michael leaned against the counter and folded his arms. “You can’t be serious, Anna. He’s flirting with you.”

Her cheeks reddened as she glanced over at him. “Really? You think so?”

He scoffed. There was no way she was this oblivious. “It’s pretty bad.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Maybe I should tell someone. I mean, couples are here to help fix their marriage. What is a vulnerable woman going to do against that?” He waved his hand toward the door where Javier had left.

“Wow. I’ve never seen you this fired up. Afraid the cute, exotic man is going to take away your fake wife?” Anna asked, moving away from the bathtub and glancing over at him.

“I’m not afraid. I just don’t like the way he was leering at you.”

Anna laughed. “First, we are not married. Or even engaged.” She waved to the ring on her finger. “This is all fake. And second, I think I can take care of myself.” She walked over to the sink and turned the water on.

Michael stared at her. Was she serious? How many relationships had he helped her get over? Her taste in men was about as refined as a McDonald’s burger. “You have to be joking,” he said, turning toward her.

She splashed some water on her face. “I’m not joking.”

“What about Carl? Tom? Chad?” All the guys in high school who broke her heart.

She paused and glanced over at him. “That was a long time ago.”

“And this new guy? The one who was your boss?” He shook his head. “You have to admit, you really pick the bad ones, Anna.”

She grabbed the towel next to her and started blotting her face. “Well, it’s not like I don’t try. There aren’t a whole lot of good ones left.” Her shoulders tightened as she glanced at him. “And you’re not the expert on relationships. You go through women, like you would tissues during a cold. One use, and you throw them away.” She threw the towel onto the counter for emphasis. He could see the fire in her eyes as her gaze raced over him.

Suddenly, he felt badly. He hadn’t meant to make her angry. He just wanted to protect her. Even if that meant protecting her from herself.

He stepped forward and reached out his hand. “I’m sorry, Anna. I didn’t mean to make you upset. Truce?”

Her gaze dropped to his hand, and then back up to his face. She hesitated and then sighed. “This is not what we are here to do. We can’t turn on each other now. McKenna and Sam need our help,” she said as she extended her hand to meet his.

Warmth spread up his arm from her touch. He wanted to tease her about her obvious attempt at a firm handshake, considering how small her hand was in his. But she looked serious, so he just nodded.

“Deal?” she asked.

“Deal about what?”

She studied him. “I won’t talk about your past relationships, if we don’t talk about mine.”

He nodded. That worked perfectly for him. The less she knew about his mistakes, the better. He shook her hand up and down a few times. “I can get on board with that.”

“Good.”

They broke contact, and Michael made his way out of the bathroom and into the room. His gaze fell to the deck, and suddenly he had a desire to jump into the hot tub. Let all the stress from the last few days melt away.

He grabbed his suitcase and plopped it on the bed. As he glanced around, he realized there was only one bed. “So, what are we going to do about the sleeping situation?” he called toward the bathroom.

“Sleeping situation?” Anna appeared in the doorway. She’d let her hair down, and it moved against her face.

Michael forced his mind to focus on their conversation and not on how soft her skin looked in the light. “Yeah. One bed. Two single people?” He motioned between the two of them.

Anna’s cheeks flushed as she glanced around. “There’s a couch?”

Michael turned to see the small love seat on the other side of the room. It couldn’t have been longer than four feet. “I’d need that to be about twice as long.”

Anna walked over and sat down. After a few attempts to get comfortable, she sighed. “Yeah, there’s no way I can sleep on that either.” She squinted at the bed. “I guess we can share.”

He forced a smile. “Sounds good,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She held up her finger. “I don’t think so, Michael Jones. No shenanigans.” She walked over to her purse and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen.

He shook out his swim trunks. “Of course. Ms. Anna, always making lists.”

“Well, I figured we should get the specifics down before we continue with this fake relationship thing.” She emphasized her words with the click of her pen.

“Alright, if it helps you feel better, I’ll try to stick to rules. But just remember, I may not be able to keep from breaking them.” He held up his hands in surrender and made his way over to the couch where he sat down. The material barely moved as he leaned back. He could see why Anna didn’t want to sleep on it.

“Okay, no shenanigans is number one,” she said, moving to the arm chair across from him.

“How would one classify a shenanigan?”

She glanced up at him and her cheeks reddened. “Well, you know. No. . . bed stuff.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Bed stuff.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “Yes. Bed stuff. Like what real married people do on there.”

Was it bad that he thought she looked adorable sitting there, stumbling over her words? He couldn’t help the smile that played on his lips. “I wouldn’t know what married people do. I’ve never been married.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you’ve acted like you were,” she said as she studied the pad of paper in front of her.

“We should probably talk about sex. Seeing how that will probably be a question they ask us in therapy.” There, he said it. And he loved watching her squirm.

“They will not.”

Michael leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He nodded his head. “Yes, they will. Sex is a huge part of marriage. It can also drive a wedge between a couple.”

He thought her face would ignite on fire with how red it was. “Okay, fine. We’ll say we believe in sex for procreation, and that’s it.”

He sucked in his breath. “That’s a bummer.”

Anna waved him away. “Anyway. Moving on.”

Michael laughed as she listed a few more things on the paper. Something to do with bathroom usage and nighttime schedule. He wasn’t really listening to her. Instead, he watched how her hair fell down, veiling her face when she wrote. Or listened to the familiar tones of her voice.

When silence surrounded him, Michael sat up. She’d stopped talking and was staring at him. Shoot. He didn’t know if she’d asked him a question, or if she wanted him to talk now.

“I think no shenanigans with other people here should be a priority on the list,” stumbled out of his mouth. Michael watched her as she thought, and then nodded.

“Sounds like a good idea. Even though we aren’t technically married, we don’t need the resort finding out.” She brought the pen to the paper. “No relationships with other people here.”

He nodded. Good. Now he had a reason to tell her not to flirt with Javier without looking like a crazed person.

She hesitated as she brought her gaze over to meet his. “Do you think you’ll be able to do that?”

“What?”

She shrugged and tapped the end of her pen on the paper. “Not flirt with other people while you are here. I know most of the women are married, but I’m sure you’ll find the single ones who work here,” she said. Her voice was barely a whisper.

He studied her. Was that really her worry? What did she think of him? “I would never cheat on my fake wife.” He smiled over at her hoping to dispel some of the tension that seemed to surround them.

She met his gaze for a moment and then rolled her eyes. “Right. Yeah, I get it.” She set the pad of paper down next to her and stood. She walked over to the desk that sat against the far wall and fiddled with the phone and lamp that were sitting on it.

Just as her fingers grazed the receiver of the phone, it rang. She jumped, and Michael smiled. She had always been easy to startle.

“Um, hello?”

Michael sat back as he watched Anna twirl her finger around the phone cord. There was something about her. The way she’d seemed so nervous during their conversation got him wondering just what she was thinking. Could it be possible that she had feelings for him? Or was she just uptight about sex?

“Right now? Really?” She turned to look at him, drawing his attention over to her.

“I guess. Yeah, I’ll let him know.” She set the receiver down on the base and pinched her lips together.

“Everything okay?”

She smiled at him, but it felt forced. “We are expected at our massage in ten minutes.”

“Massage?”

“Couple’s. . . massage.”

Michael’s stomach lightened at her words. He’d dated enough women to know that those massages meant getting naked in the same room. How could he convince Anna that was not what he wanted to do, even if it was? He worried he’d just come across sounding like an idiot.

So, he stood and slipped on his sandals. “Sounds great. I’m super tense from life. Getting rubbed down sounds amazing.”

Anna just nodded as she passed by him. “Yeah. Sounds great.”

He followed her as he shut the door. He couldn’t help but stare at Anna. She seemed so calm. Did the thought of this not have any effect on her? Probably not. He was a fool to think that it might.

McKenna and Sam were walking up the boardwalk at the same time they got there. McKenna looked as tired as Sam. That was strange. Both of them had slept for most of the trip here.

“Massages?” Michael asked.

McKenna nodded. “You too?”

Anna turned around to shoot McKenna an uneasy look. “Yeah.”

McKenna wrapped her arm around Anna and pulled her close. “You’ll be fine.”

Michael wanted to ask why Anna felt so strange about this, but then shrugged it off. Not everyone was comfortable with having another person touching their body.

Maybe it was time to start showing Anna the fun part of life. To loosen her up a bit. Besides hockey, living a carefree life was about the only other thing Michael was good at.