But the first wasn’t real. And the second... He didn’t need a best friend lusting over him or making things weird just because they got carried away with the romance of being stranded on a desert island, and the adrenaline of running out on yet another wedding. He didn’t need a friend idealising him, or imagining him naked all the time.
He just needed her to be his friend. And she could do that.
With a sharp nod to herself, Zoey quickened her step. They’d check out the boat and head back to the hotel—not so she could marry David, but so she could set things right there.
Then she could go home, and she and Ash could go back to being friends again. Just friends.
The only problem with her plan, she realised as she reached the jetty, was that she wasn’t entirely sure which of the two Ashes she’d slept with last night.
The ideal or the best friend.
CHAPTER SIX
‘HOW’S IT LOOKING?’ Zoey’s voice called out, closer than he expected, and Ash spun around so fast he clocked his head on the side of the boat. ‘Ouch.’ She winced. ‘Sorry.’
Okay, that was not going to help his headache. One he was pretty sure was caused more by stress and confusion and the lack of a pillow than alcohol.
‘You surprised me.’ Rubbing his temple, he stepped away from the boat and closer to her, eyeing her warily. Which Zoey was this? The carefree one he’d made love to last night, or the frightened one who’d run away from him this morning?
Careful scrutiny revealed neither. This Zoey looked cautious, but not afraid. She also looked determined.
Ash decided not to worry just yet about what she was determined to do. As long as it wasn’t marrying David, how bad could it be?
‘I’m sorry I ran out on you before.’ She bit her bottom lip as she watched him from under her lashes. ‘It’s sort of a bad habit of mine.’
Ash couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped from him. ‘Well, at least you were wearing a towel instead of a white dress this time.’
Zoey laughed and the sound made his heart feel lighter.
‘So? How is the boat looking?’
Okay, so they were avoiding the subject of them for a while. Probably for the best, Ash acknowledged. He wasn’t sure he could talk rationally about it until the urge to kiss her again had left his system.
He just wished he knew how long that would take.
It was crazy. He’d never looked at Zoey this way before last night. And now...now it was all he could see.
For distraction, Ash glanced back at the stolen yacht. She wanted to know how it was. He needed to focus on that, and how they were going to get off the island. If that was actually their best move, right now.
‘Well, that depends,’ he said.
‘On what?’
‘On what you want to use it for.’ He was not above some boat sabotage if it meant keeping her from a wedding he knew she didn’t really want to go through with. Especially not if her reason for going back was because he’d screwed up and kissed her last night. Not to mention all the other stuff he’d done to her...
Focus on the boat, Ash.
Zoey rolled her eyes. ‘I’m not planning on marrying David, if that’s what you’re worried about.’
‘Good.’ Relief washed over him. ‘Because I was starting to worry about how truly awful last night was for you if your first instinct was to run back to him.’
Colour flooded Zoey’s cheeks and Ash started to regret the joke—until she said, almost to herself, ‘That wasn’t the problem at all.’
Interesting. Very interesting.
Okay, so not thinking about it and not talking about it wasn’t working—in fact, the not thinking part seemed pretty much impossible.
Which meant they needed to deal with it head-on.
Moving closer, Ash couldn’t stop himself pressing the point. Male pride, perhaps, he admitted to himself. Or maybe just a desperate need to fix things with his best friend.
‘So what was the problem, Zo? Why did you run away from me this morning?’
‘I wasn’t running away—’ she started, then broke off and sighed. ‘Okay, fine, I was. I just... I needed to figure some stuff out in my head. Last night was...unexpected.’