I felt the temperature on my face heat. I stood to head to the buffet line, even though I’d just sat down. But Chance grabbed my wrist and stopped me. “Don’t ever be embarrassed by pleasuring yourself or enjoying a lap dance. It’s beautiful, and so are you.”

Taking an early afternoon stroll, we’d just returned back from visiting the goat. Sweet boy got really excited and jumped all over Chance, licking his face when we arrived. Poor thing probably thought we were never coming back.

“Esmerelda Snowflake was so cute when he saw you.”

“My face is still sticky from that attack.”

“You know you missed him.” I chuckled.

“What are we gonna do with that thing anyway?”

“That thing? Don’t refer to him like that. He’s like our adopted child.”

Chance came to a halt and looked up at the sky, cracking up. “Our child?”

“Yes! He has no one but us in this entire world.”

“Seriously, though, Aubrey. After we part ways, what are you going to do with him? You can’t keep him.”

My heart suddenly dropped.

After we part ways.

My mind was trying to grapple with the fact that he’d implied that this trip was definitely it for us. In typical Chance fashion, just when he’d given me a little bit of hope that something was developing between us, he’d go and ruin it.

I was silent for a while before I forced myself to speak. “I’m gonna try to find a farm that I trust. I’ll keep him with me somehow until I’m certain it’s the right fit.”

“Fair enough. He’s lucky to have you.” He was searching my face, trying to read my sullen expression. “Have you thought about what you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?”

“You know what? I really don’t care. You decide.”

Chance stopped walking again and turned to me. “Wait. You want to forfeit your ability to choose whatever we do today? Why on Earth would you do that?”

Because you just basically admitted that I mean nothing to you, and I don’t really want to be around you at all right now.

“I’m just not in a decisive mood.”

“There’s a dark cloud in the air, Princess. I don’t know what I did or said this time, but I feel like I know you well enough now to know that something suddenly pissed you off.”

“Drop it, Chance, okay? We don’t have much time left here. Don’t waste it trying to read me. Sometimes people get into bad moods. End of story. Just pick something.”

His face turned serious. “Are you alright?”

“Yes. I promise.”

“I know I was joking about it earlier…but is it your time of the month?”

“No!”

He scratched his chin as we stood facing each other in the crowded promenade. “I think I have just the idea of what you need, something that’s going to relieve all of the tension that has been building up inside of you over the past few days.”

“Oh really?”

He wiggled his brows. “Oh yeah. Wait here.” He walked away to make a phone call out of earshot.

As I stood there in the middle of the dry heat, I vowed to try to keep my mood in check moving forward. I had to accept this situation for what it really was—a road trip, nothing more, nothing less. I needed to enjoy these last hours with him and stop overreacting.

Upon his return, his mouth spread into a wide smile. Those dimples. A reminder that my new stance wasn’t going to be easy.

Grabbing my hand, he said, “Come on.”

I had no idea where he was taking me. I couldn’t have told you if it was out to ice cream or up to his bedroom. After a five minute walk, we ended up back at the hotel. Following him into the elevator, I noticed that he pushed the button for a different floor than where our rooms were located.

“What’s on the third floor?”

He winked. “You’ll see.”

When the doors slid open, I saw the sign: Tranquil Waters Spa.

“We’re going to the spa?”

“Well, we’re getting you a rub down.”

Before I could ask him to elaborate, he walked up to the receptionist. “Couples massage appointment under Bateman.”

I couldn’t help but laugh and shake my head. “Couples massage?”

“Yes. We’re getting one together. I could use some tension relief myself.”

An attractive woman approached and batted her eyelashes at Chance. “Right this way.”

Bitch.

We followed her down a long hallway and into a room with dimmed lighting. “Take off everything but your underwear and wrap yourself in these towels,” she said. “Your masseuses will be in shortly.”