He quickly added, “I’m staying with my parents in Olympia for a bit, so the apartment would be empty. If you feel comfortable. It would place you closer to work and give you time to look for an apartment. No pressure whatsoever. And if you like, or need, I can stay with my parents longer until we figure things out. I don’t mind.”

“That’s a lovely and extremely helpful offer.” I pecked his cheek. “But I thought you meant return to how things were, just coworkers. Isn’t that what you told your friends?”

“Come here.” He walked me over to an empty counter and hoisted me up in one effortless, fluid movement.

I gasped, grasping his forearms as he slipped in between my thighs. Something that did not go unnoticed by him.

Sunny glanced down and a surge of heat ignited between us. “Damn if we don’t fit perfectly together.”

He pressed his forehead against mine. “I don’t want you to think last week was some fantasy and nothing more. The truth is, I’ve always noticed you. What you’re wearing, what you’re doing, how you smell. You make it hard to concentrate on anything else. You make me want to ignore everything and everyone and get lost in you. You were always the highlight of my day, even when we were bickering. Days without you are meaningless episodes until the next time I see you. Holding patterns waiting for a CTA to be activated.”

“Sunny…”

He brushed my cheek, his touch gliding down my throat, inciting a wave of shivers. “I love when you say my name.”

My legs instinctively tightened around him.

He inhaled. “I love the smell of you.”

I dug my fingers into his sides.

He kissed my neck. “I love the taste of you.”

I gave in to the dizzying sensation.

“You are absolutely the most beautiful, intelligent, creative woman I’ve ever known.” He pressed a kiss to my jaw. “You are a goddess.”

I gasped, heady, my thoughts blooming with euphoria.

Sunny gripped my hips, adding in that deep, gritty tone, “I don’t want to be anything less than a couple. Do you?”

I vehemently shook my head. “I want you.”

“You have me.”

My mouth crashed against his. My body caved to the need of him.

He wound his fingers through my hair and pulled back. His gaze skimmed from my swollen lips to my eyes. “God damn, I am so fucking in love with you.”

“Sunny,” I moaned.

“Keep saying my name like that, Bane, and see where it gets you.”

“I hope it gets me into bed with you and a tray of ube.”

“Then let’s go.”

I yelped, clinging to him, my legs and arms wrapped around his body, as he carried me into the bedroom.

“I remember which door,” he said, walking me into my room.

He gently dropped me onto the bed and backed away. I grabbed the waistband of his sweats and asked, “Where are you going?”

“The ube.”

I yanked him toward me and leaned back so that he had no choice except to crawl onto the bed, his body a delectable heaviness pressing down on me.

“Yes?” he teased.

Trailing kisses across his throat, I declared, “I love you, too.”

“More than ube?” he jested.

“Let’s not get out of hand.”

With Sunny in my arms, and new jobs and a real relationship on the horizon, the anxiety of moving forward in life seemed like a wondrous dream spilling into reality. Like adept code changing the user interface to enhance flawless UX, we embraced the perfect design of us.

Acknowledgments

I had such a blast writing this book! I had so much fun taking you from my old stomping grounds in Seattle/Tacoma to my home in beautiful Hawaii.

Not so long ago, I studied UX design. Those long nights staring at kanban boards, getting “high” on Sharpie fumes while scrawling across endless Post-its, learning that color-coordinating systems are my jam, and losing my crap trying to code from scratch…well, it all led to the spark that eventually turned into The Design of Us.

Thank you to my amazing editors, Cindy and Angela, for sharpening this story, and to the entire Berkley team. To Taleen (hi, fellow UXer!) for being an early reader.

To my agent, Katelyn, who is hands down the best of the best.

To my husband for planting the seeds of the locale and random things that happened on island that ended up in the book. To all the honu, I adore you so much and try my best to protect you and spread awareness. And ube. Where have you been all my life? I’m madly in love with you.

A big THANK-YOU goes out to all the readers who loved The Trouble with Hating You, because your enthusiasm brought this new story to life. Did you catch the Easter eggs? I hope you enjoyed The Design of Us and will join me on the next ride!

Discussion Questions

Bhanu struggles with social anxiety and can get overwhelmed in groups. Are there certain situations where you feel easily overwhelmed?

Sunny and Bhanu love to hate each other. Have you ever had an enemies-to-lovers romance of your own?

Bhanu loves ube, a popular food in Hawaii. When you travel, do you travel for food as well as destination? What are some of your favorite culinary discoveries?

Sunny’s father has recently been ill, and Sunny is struggling to share the burden of an ailing parent with his siblings. How do you handle sharing the burden when life throws hardships your way?

Bhanu and Sunny find themselves competing for the same job but manage to not let it come between them. Do you think you would be able to do the same?

Bhanu is dedicated to her job and struggles to take time for herself. How do you achieve your work-life balance?

Despite her feelings for Sunny, Bhanu steps in to pretend to be his girlfriend when she sees him struggling with his ex. Do you think you’d be able to maintain that kind of charade?