"Acker! Move." I shouted at him. "It's sixteen hours away!"

I swear if he doesn't hurry up I'll go without him.

I got up at six in the morning so I could pack my things and be ready to leave.

A few minutes later, a sleepy Acker appeared at the door of the room. "Why are you yelling?" He ran his fingers through his hair and yawned.

"I want to get there today. It's a sixteen-hour drive. Why aren't you dressed yet?" I frowned. Do not tell me he just woke up because he looks just like that.

"Because we're going there in over ten hours, that's why."

"And how? Did you learn to teleport overnight?" I put my hands on my hips. "Or fly?"

"It's called a plane, Maya. Two hours by a plane."

"You think I'm stupid to not check the flights? They were all booked."

"Maya." He walked up to me. "Let me introduce you to something that my brother owns, and so do I." He stopped right in front of me. "A private jet. That means we can go whenever we want." He grabbed the travel bag on my shoulder and threw it to the ground. "Go back to bed, we leave at seven in the evening."

I'll murder him.

*****

I have never flown in a private plane. Correction. I've never flown on a plane.

I was squeezing the leather seat the whole time. I'm not a fan of flights. Good to know.

When we landed, I wanted to fall onto solid ground and kiss it. Oh god, I love it so much.

We got into a taxi at the airport and I gave the driver the address of the motel where we have a reservation that I made yesterday.

He dropped us off and Acker took our bags out of the trunk while I went to reception. The receptionist greeted me with a warm smile.

"I have a reservation for the name of Maya Carter." I said slightly tired. "Two rooms."

"Just a second." She turned to the computer and typed something on the keyboard. "Here it is. Maya Carter. Room...two hundred and six." She frowned. "There must be a mistake. You only have one room booked." She looked up at me.

"What? No. I asked for two rooms." This cannot be happening. It's almost ten o'clock and I'm ready to go to bed. "Don't you have another room?"

"I'm sorry, but all the others are taken."

You have got to be kidding me.

"Could you take another look?" I breathed out hard.

"Of course." She said tensely and looked at the computer again. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, God." I lowered my head. "Fine. It doesn't matter." I took the key with the number two hundred and six from the table and started walking away.

"I wish you a pleasant stay!" She shouted after me.

"Yes, yes, thank you." I left the reception and found Acker at the entrance with our bags.

"Why do you have that expression?" He frowned.

"Don't ask." I started walking according to the signs and soon found the room with our number.

I unlocked it, and when I turned on the light, I wanted to die.

"Oh no." I looked around the small room with one door that probably led to a bathroom and a bed. One bed. This is a nightmare.

"Maya." I heard Acker behind me. "Tell me you have another key to my room."

"This is the only room they have available."

"Then I hope you don't snore." He slipped past me without another word and threw the bags on the bed.

Did he just not say anything more about us sharing a room? One bed?

I will not sleep in the same bed as him.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" He said while taking something out of his bag.

I rolled my eyes at his comment and closed the door behind me. I walked over to him and took out my pajamas from the bag. I locked myself in the bathroom and took a quick shower.

I put on a gray tank top with straps and gray shorts of the same design.

As I was leaving the bathroom, Acker was just walking in through the front door, carrying the smell of cigarettes with him.

He didn't even look at me, he just shut himself in the bathroom.

Should I take that personally?

I threw our bags off the bed and lay down. I covered myself and adjusted the pillow under my head.

I couldn't sleep because the lamp on the bedside table was on and I could hear the water.

When I heard the water stop and the door opened after a while, all I thought about was sleep. It's late and I'm getting up early tomorrow so I can still wash my hair.

Acker's steps began to approach and I felt the mattress on the other side of the bed sag.

"What are you doing?" I turned around only to see him trying to get under the covers.

"Going to sleep?" He looked at me confused.

"Yes, there." I pointed to the floor where I had thrown the pillow and blanket a moment ago.

"Yeah sure." He snorted and pulled back the duvet.

"Hey." I snatched it from his hand. "On the floor."

"Maya." He exhaled. "I will not sleep on the fucking floor."

"Be a gentleman and..." I couldn't finish as he cut me off.

"If you think I'm a gentleman, I'm doing something really wrong." He grabbed the duvet and lay down. "And if you're afraid I'm going to try something, you don't have to worry." He reached for the lamp and turned it off. "You're not my type."

I remained half sitting with a view of his exposed back and my mouth half open.

"You're such a dick." I snorted and pulled back the duvet. I sat down and took another pillow. I got up and went to the foot of the bed, where I threw it.

I lay down on the hard ground and had to breathe deeply so I wouldn't get up and go back to Seattle at that moment.

You're not my type?

Guess what Sebastian, you're not mine either.

Asshole.



I have to stay away from Maya.

The fact that she sleeps just a few feet away from me doesn't help much.

But I have to keep my distance. Whatever my head and my body thinks it's doing, it has to stop.

I'm starting to think about her in a way I never thought about someone.

Only her smile does something to me. I won't even mention what her body does to me when I look at her.

I tried to ignore her the entire flight, but I couldn't help but notice that she was tense non-stop. I don't think she likes flying.

And when we stepped into the room, where there was only one bed, it was either a nightmare or a dream.

Maya said there was some mistake with the rooms at the reception which I believe as I doubt she would want to share a room with me or god forbid a bed.

I needed to clear my head while Maya was in the shower, but when she came out just as I was coming in, I tried to ignore her.

I was supposed to sleep in the same bed later, what else was I supposed to do?

Another amazing idea of how I could get rid of her was to tell her that she is not my type. Which is funny since I got an erection just from being so close to her.

But that quickly changed when she took a pillow and lay down on the place that was prepared for me.

Maybe it was better that way.

I have to get her as far away from me as possible.

That's what I've been saying to myself all day. Sooner or later I will go back to New York and all this will be gone with the snap of a finger.

"Maya!" I shouted at her when I noticed the time. We're already running late. I don't think she is trying to make it to the wedding.

I didn't even bother to call her anymore. It would be useless. I don't know what she's doing in the bathroom for so long, but whatever it is, she should move.

I took my cell phone out of my pocket when it started ringing and I noticed Theo's name on the screen. I picked up. "Look who finally decided to call back. No offense mate, but I understand Maya. I don't know why you have a cell phone if you don't use it anyway."

I called him a hundred times after what happened with the stalker. A day later, he texted to me if everything was okay and that he was sorry, but he didn't have time at the moment.

That was over a week ago.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." I heard him exhale heavily. "But I have good news. Lyssa is back."

"You don't say." I snorted. "If you forgot, you said that about a month ago!"

"No." He laughed. "I mean she's back. She's okay."

"Oh I'm so glad and I have good news for you too." I stood up from the bed. "Your father is getting married today."

"Today?" He said in surprise.

"No, on the thirty-second of August, you dumb fuck. Yes, today! And because you chose not to attend, I have to go to a wedding. You know I don't like weddings."

"I wonder why?" He laughed. "Maybe because you slept with the bride on the last one. My guess."

"Funny, really." I rolled my eyes.

"I have another good news for you." Tell me he found the stalker. "You can go back to New York."

"What?" It slipped out of my mouth.

Sooner or later I would go away. I knew that.

"I'm going back to Seattle. They don't need me here anymore. I'm sure she's getting on your nerves. Maya sure isn't the nicest."

"But wait...what do you mean? That I should leave?" What are you doing Sebastian you wanted to leave.

"I'll come in a few days and..."

"No." I cut him off.

You should really get your head on straight. Sometimes you want to leave and sometimes you don't.

"No?" He said in surprise. "What do you mean no?"

"I mean...." What do I mean? What am I saying? "I can handle it here." I got out of myself. "And I was actually talking to Maya about you. Today." I'm so deep in shit, it's too late to turn around now. "She said she needed a little more time to be ready to forgive you." I held my head and hoped he would believe me.

He was quiet. It seemed like hours before he finally said something. "All right." He exhaled heavily. "If she said she would be ready to forgive me, but she needs more time, fine. But the question is, for how long?"

Think Sebastian, think.

Don't think, nothing good ever came of it.

"A week. Or two. I'll keep you posted." I nodded, satisfied with my lie.

"Thanks, Seb..." He continued to speak, but my attention shifted to the bathroom door, which began to open.

It's probably too late for me to tell Theo that I'd be better off leaving, isn't it? Why did I even think of telling him not to come?

"Shit," I muttered under my breath as Maya walked out the door. "I will call you later." I canceled the call while Theo was still talking and put the phone in my pocket.

I swallowed hard before scanning Maya's body.

A long black strapless dress with a really big neckline that showed off her tattoos, it was tight so it showed her narrow waist and her curves.



"What?" She frowned and walked over to the long mirror in the corner of the room.

When she turned around, I had a view of her bare back, which featured her tattoo.

"Fuck." I adjusted my jacket and cleared my throat.

What did I even think?

I should never have stayed in Seattle.

Look where that got me!

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Julie has good taste." She turned to me and ran her hands over her dress.

I don't know if I should thank Julie or ban her from getting more gifts.

She looks absolutely beautiful.

No. Stop it, Sebastian. Beautiful? You don't use words like that.

"Yes, she does," I said quietly, with a look on her face.

I really thought I could stay away from her. But how can I when she looks at me like that?

Like I was her fucking dessert.

I can't look at her differently either.

If she was like any other, I would rip her clothes off before she asked what I was doing.

But I can't do that.

Keep your distance, Sebastian. Don't do something you'll regret.

I feel like it's too late for that.