Page 8 of The Lightkeeper

“Mr. Kinkade, I’m sorry—” I called, stumbling forward through the door and straight into him.Again. “Oomph!”

I felt the rumble of his chest more than I heard it this time. And the heat… the heat of him soaked through me as though I’d been doused by that wave. A giant masculine wave that oozed amber and sea salt into my nostrils, and I inhaled deeper, the scent fueling the rolling bang of my heart against the front of my chest.

“I’msosorry.” I gulped, blinking up at him, his expression even more stern than the first time he’d saved me from falling.

Big, strong hands gripped my upper arms and slowly pushed me back.

This time, in addition to the hardness of his chest muscles, I also observed the slight bump of his shirt where it rested over a necklace, the chain peeking out ever so slightly from the collar. But before I could determine anything more, his voice demanded my attention.

“Have you considered pursuing a master’s in balance instead of biology?”

My jaw dropped a little, and then I smiled. “That was my first choice, but I decided on something I’d have a chance of succeeding at.”

His lip twitched as though it wanted to crack a smile but was held back.He released me and took another full step back, his gaze raking down me once more. Now, it was my turn to feel… nude. I wasn’t.Obviously. I had on black leggings underneath my waders; they were comfortable and convenient, but the subtle flare of his nostrils reminded me that they also revealed every one of my curves.

I wasn’t ashamed of my body—or anything about myself, really. Plump and peculiar were just fine with me.But his stare made me hot; it made me feel like I was under the microscope. Not for my body to be picked apart, but for him to assess how best to devour me.

“Is there something else you needed from me, Miss Cross?” he rumbled, andI watched the dark centers of his eyes widen.

A kiss.

My breath caught. No. That was wrong. So wrong. Impossibly wrong.

“I just wanted to tell you that I can move my things to a different room if you want,” I said, backpedaling toward the kitchen and pointing through it to the desk where my stack of folders, books, and my laptop sat on the desk. “I put everything there when I got here because you weren’t here, and I didn’t know where to go with it,” I babbled on, wanting to distract his focus from me. The intensity of it was making my mind go haywire.Wanting to kiss him. How ridiculous.I’d only just met him. And he was as congenial as a crab. “I’m not sure where you work from in here, but I can set up anywhere—even in the bedroom?—”

“No.”

Okay then.

“If you’re sure?—”

“I… store things in the bedroom. It’s off-limits. You can use the desk.”

“Thank you.” I swallowed and nodded. “I promise I won’t be in your way. I’ll be outside and around the lighthouse most of the time. I mean, I do have to collect some specimens and analyze them, which I’ll do inside. Also my notes… and importing photos and things?—”

“I don’t care what you do, Miss Cross, just don’t disturb me.”

“Oh, of course, I would never?—”

“And don’t fall in the ocean,” he growled. “I’m the lighthouse keeper… not yours.”

My jaw dropped for an instant. The words stung. More than Ireally wanted to admit. So, I scooped up my indignation with a defiant tilt of my chin. “You’re very unpleasant, you know that?”

His eyes crackled with something electric, and my skin sparked.

“I hate to break it to you, but social butterflies aren’t native to lighthouses,” he said lowly. “There’s a reason only certain animals live at the edge of the world.”

My breath hitched.Why did he live at the edge of the world? Was there a reason he was so… prickly all the time?

“And what is that?” I asked, wanting to hear his answer.

“You’re the expert.” He zipped up his jacket with a flick of his wrist, and the room felt like it lost several degrees of heat. “What time will you get here in the morning?”

“Early. Around seven or seven-thirty, if that’s okay?—”

“I’m here for the dawn, Miss Cross.”

Right.“I’ll finish up outside by sundown, and then I just do my notes for the day if you want me to lock up?—”

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