Page 99 of Ex Marks the Spot

“I think we saw it,” Haylee says.

“See? I told?—”

“But it wasn’t in our hotel.”

Hartley’s forehead creases as Kadeeja adds, “It was the one between the gas station and the fountain gazebo thing, right?”

Hartley nods.

“We saw it when we walked to the gas station from our hotel to get some snacks after we checked in.”

“What hotel were you in?”

“I forget the name, but it was about a five-minute walk down the road.”

Hartley slowly settles against the back of her chair. “Why would we be at a different hotel?”

“Hang on,” Alexis says. “In Nepal, was everyone at the hotel with the row of huge chandeliers by the reception desk?”

We all nod.

“Then our upgrade was in the same hotel. What was your room like?”

“It was a corner suite with a wraparound balcony, a Jacuzzi, and an insanely nice shower.”

Gianna lets out a soft laugh. “We had a nice room, but notthatnice. Sounds like Wendell was rooting hard for you two.”

“That would certainly explain why our room had one bed.”

“Actually”—I lean in and give her a wolfishly unapologetic smirk—“that one was me.”

“My man!” Boyd raises his arm for a high five but pauses halfway in. “Why do you have a rubber duck on your arm?”

After being together twenty-four seven for the last twenty-one days, our time is down to a matter of hours.

Fifteen to be exact, and I fucking hate it.

“I’ve never seen a man pout while he shaves.”

“I’m not pouting,” I say, even though we both know I am.

Hartley’s been sitting on the bathroom counter watching me shave because apparently it’s sexy? I don’t know. Whatever keeps her close for now is fine by me.

“You are and it’s adorable. Also, I have a small confession. Do you remember the morning we were in Costa Rica?”

I nod.

“I snooped through your toiletry bag and saw your razor. I couldn’t believe you still had it.”

I finish a pass on my cheek and rinse the lather from the blade. “It’s the only one I’ve used since you gave it to me.”

Her cheeks pinken as she pulls the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth. “Really?”

“Yep.”

Still smiling, she goes back to watching me shave. I finish the left side of my face and move to the right while thinking about the private hell I’d been in that morning. How badly I’d wanted to touch her. To crawl into her bed and do all the things I’d thought about doing over the last six years. Well, maybe not all of them, but a good three or four at least.

“Since you shared your confession about that morning, I suppose it’s only fair to share mine.”