Page 37 of Island Rescuer

“I am sorry. It should be easy to figure out who hates me so much to run me off a bridge or blow up a boat full of people just to make a point.”

And then there was the ransom. None of these pieces fit. “At the risk of wrecking the mood, can you take a detour with me?”

“Do we have more chocolate?”

He fished a bar out of the bag and handed it over. “I can’t shake the theory that this guy is trying to be your hero. Arranging bad things so he can dive in—literally—to help you.”

“And failing, he demands I pay him off?”

“One piece at a time,” Knox said. “We need to know who went into the water after you.”

“To what end?

“No idea,” he admitted. “The ransom feels wrong. Even the texts afterward feel lukewarm.”

“They didn’t sound lukewarm to me.” She broke off a piece of the chocolate bar. “For me, the ransom makes sense. Everyone wants to dip into my inheritance. Everyone but you.”

He was quiet for a time, hoping the conversation would spark a memory they could build from.

“Where did you go after helping Hannah and Sonya during that near-disaster of a holiday?” she asked.

Her question threw him off and it took him a second. “They sent me out to the West Coast. Why?”

“It was one of those moments I was hoping to connect with you.”

Her cheeks had gone pink again. “Connect?”

“Seduce is probably more accurate,” she whispered, her gaze on his mouth.

His entire body thrummed with a fresh awareness. With a hand that almost shook, he trailed a finger over her jaw. “Hm. What was in your s’mores?”

* * *

Harper stared at him, holding his gaze when she wanted to look away. It wasn’t like her to be this bold. But dammit, she wanted him. Wanted to know what it felt like to be in Knox’s arms, the center of his intense focus.

She respected the investment of time. The care. But this entire situation was a pressure cooker. “It’s not about the sugar.”

Then she grinned. “Well, maybe it is.” When she was tiny, her aunts would open their arms wide and urge her to race in, saying “come give me sugar”, asking for kisses and hugs. But she wasn’t looking for anything so innocent from Knox.

“Seeing you there on the dock that night brought back everything for me,” she confessed. It was impossible to hold back after this sweet surprise.

“Everything?”

“Yes.” Her thigh brushed his. “Haven’t I been clear, Knox? I’ve crushed on you—hard—for years now. Every time we crossed paths it was the same, only worse, year by year. Being adults, being here with you now, hasn’t changed a thing.”

“Why didn’t you say anything back then?” he asked.

She cocked her head. “Did you ever give me a chance?”

“No. Call it self-preservation.”

She got that. His lips tilted into an expression that wasn’t quite a smile or a smirk. Whatever it was, she found it ridiculously sexy. She was so glad this wasn’t one-sided. Her body tingled with the knowledge that he wanted her too. She’d been on edge for days and she was done waiting.

Right here, in the private cove, she was irresistibly close to one of her most frequent Knox fantasies. The beach was right there. The night was clear and soft. Rolling to her feet, she smiled down at him. “Walk with me?”

“You want to walk? Now?”

She bit her lip trying to hold back the full description of what she was hoping for most. “It’ll burn off all those s’more calories. Unless you think it isn’t safe.” She was playing with fire, but his heat wouldn’t hurt her.

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