First message
Alexander had been dating Marian for six months. He knew she had an adult daughter, but until a few days ago, she had been nothing more than someone Marian occasionally mentioned.
Then they met at a restaurant.
Alexander liked her immediately. Too immediately. Enough that when he invited her to join them for ten days in the Maldives, he thought he was simply being friendly.
He had no idea what he was getting himself into.
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Two villas. Maldives. Ten days.
The flight felt endless because she was sitting right behind him. Every time she leaned forward to say something to Marian, Alexander became painfully aware of how close she was.
He turned away.
She’s young, he reminded himself, staring out the window.
Then she squeezed past him in the narrow aisle between the seats, her body brushing dangerously close. His jaw tightened. Every instinct told him to turn, catch her, pull her against him and kiss her until neither of them remembered where they were.
Instead, he moved aside and gave her a perfectly normal smile.
“Let me move.”
By the time he and Marian finally entered their villa, Alexander felt like he’d spent the entire flight fighting his own body.
The door closed behind them.
He exhaled, pulled Marian close and kissed her.
He needed somewhere to put all that tension.
Immediately.