Page 26 of Island Rescuer

He blinked several times as he took her in. She was smiling. A sincere smile, in fact. “I’m making it weird.”

“You are.” She hopped off the stool and went to the coffee pot to fill a mug. She walked that full mug of coffee right over to him. He enjoyed the view way too much. Barefoot, her sunny hair piled high on her head, she wore a blue sundress that matched her eyes. Sleeveless, the hem stopping right at her knees, it left quite a bit of her available for his touch.

Not that he’d cross that line again. He took the mug, trying to match her smile and mood. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Was there an extra swing to her hips as she returned to her laptop? Most likely he was just looking too closely.

“Plenty of strudel,” she said.

“Because we didn’t share with Jess,” he said.

She laughed.

“Hey.” He leaned on the countertop, waited for her gaze to meet his. “Are we okay?”

Her head tilted and he thought the pile of hair might just come undone and spill over her bare shoulder. Wouldn’t that be a treat?

“We could be better.” Her lips twitched as she said it. “But yes, we’re okay.”

“Good.” He sipped the hot brew in his cup.

When he didn’t say more, her attention fell back to her laptop. What next? It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence and he didn’t want to risk making it that way. He helped himself to the strudel and fixed a couple of eggs to go with it while she worked.

He’d devoured his breakfast, had a second serving of strudel, and settled into the breakfast nook to review the overnight security feed by the time she stretched her arms high overhead, swaying a little side to side.

The simple motion was fluid and graceful. Mesmerizing. Then again, he found everything about her fascinating. “You danced for how many years?” he asked.

She swiveled around on the stool, then hopped down. “Most of them.” She rinsed out her coffee mug and poured a glass of water. “You looking for a partner?”

It was not an innocent comment. She was being deliberately suggestive and the spark in her eyes confirmed it. “Brookwell holds a Carolina Shag contest during the music festival,” he said. “You do lessons at the resort too, right?”

She nodded. “We do. I think we’re one of the best places to learn the official state dance of South Carolina. The tourists love it, especially when they get good enough to dance while holding their drinks like the locals.”

He chuckled. “I thought that was a myth. Some kind of origin story fairy tale.”

“Legend,” she corrected. “Rooted in truth.” She brought her water and sat down across from him. “Any word on anything?”

“Security was all clear last night.” He watched her closely. Stick to business, he coached himself. “I expect an update from Jenna soon.”

“Have you spoken to Bruce?” she queried.

“Should I?”

She shrugged. “I’m curious, that’s all. You were focused on the guy who’d jumped into the water after me. Thought maybe he’d figured it out from the multiple videos of the event. No one has recognized him?”

“Not so far.” Knox eased back. “We’ll sort it out.”

She curled her lip. “At the risk of sounding like a princess, I hope it’s soon.”

He understood. “Want me to call the doctor?”

“For what?”

“Something to help you sleep.”

Her eyes sparkled. “You don’t want me waking you up in the night?”

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