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He flashed her a smile. “Relax. I was just teasing you.”
She took her first easy breath. “That wasn’t funny.”
Xander stopped the boat. “Listen, I’m sorry. It’s just that everything between us is so complicated. And I wanted to lighten the mood. I’m sorry it didn’t come across that way.”
She shook her head. If he was going to be open and honest with her, she owed it to him to do the same thing. “It’s not you. I think I’m just a little touchy. I... I want...”
Xander moved closer to her. When he spoke, his voice came out deeper and softer than normal. “What do you want?”
She found herself staring deep into his eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest as the truth struggled to free itself. She wanted him. And that scared her more than when she’d left the only home she’d ever known to move halfway around the world to Greece. And it scared her more than the prospect of being a single parent.
“Lea?” His gaze searched hers.
Not trusting her voice or the words that might escape, she lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. She hadn’t given it much thought. But he had asked what she wanted. And this was it...
Her lips moved over his. At first, he hesitated. It was as though he was surprised by her actions. This surely couldn’t be that much of a jump for him. After all, he’d almost kissed her back at the dock.
And then his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him. Her hands landed on his firm chest and then slid up over his broad shoulders. As he responded to her, a moan swelled in the back of her throat.
It didn’t get any better than this. The setting sun in the background, the lapping of the water on the side of the boat and no one else around. Suddenly the reasons she’d been holding herself back from him didn’t seem so important. Maybe she’d been trying too hard to keep him at arm’s length. Because being in his arms was so much better.
Sputter. Sputter.
Silence.
Xander pulled back. “The engine died. I better check it.”
With great reluctance, Lea loosened her hold on him. “What do you think it is?”
“It probably just stalled.” He turned the key.
Sputter. Silence.
He tried again.
Silence.
“What is it? What’s the matter?” Suddenly their perfect romantic spot seemed rather dark and desolate.
“Give me a second.” He removed his phone from his pocket and turned on the flashlight function. He moved it around the control panel. “I checked the fuel before we left. It says there’s still enough in there to get us back to the marina.”
“I’ll call for help.” Lea dialed the marina office, hoping someone was still there. But the phone didn’t ring. “There’s no signal out here.”
Xander glanced around. “It looks like I took too long circling the island. I don’t think there’s any civilization on this side.”
“There isn’t.” Even though it was a small island, there were still parts that weren’t developed. And this happened to be one of those areas.
“We aren’t that far from shore. How are your swimming skills?”
Her mouth opened but nothing came out. By now, the sun had sunk below the horizon, sending long shadows over the land. And she had a choice to make. Staying here with Xander for the evening with the moon and stars overhead. The idea so appealed to her.
Or she could fess up about the emergency radio.
“Lea, it’s okay if you can’t swim. We can make do here on the boat.”
“I... I can swim—”
In that moment, Xander yanked off his shirt, revealing his muscled chest. Any other words stuck in the back of her throat. My goodness, he was so sexy. Her mouth grew dry as she took in the spectacular view. She really was leaning toward forgetting about the emergency radio.
She kept staring at his defined chest and his sculpted abs. Her fingers tingled with the desire to reach out and trace the lines of his muscles. He was oh, so tempting.
“See something you like?” His teasing smile lit up his face.
Heat rushed up her neck and set her cheeks ablaze. The look in his eyes tempted her to start something—something that would most definitely spin out of control. But would she just get burned in the end?
