Page 20 of Island Whispers

“You’re welcome.”

He stared at her expectantly. “Sorry I’ve been so difficult today.”

“It’s been a helluva day,” he agreed. “Are you sorry for walking out on me?”

She closed her eyes. Still feeling exposed, she covered her face with her hands. One deep breath and a few uneven heartbeats later, she dared to look at him once more. Sure enough, he was waiting patiently.

“You’re right. I owe you an explanation.”

She didn’t feel one hundred percent convinced of that. What they’d shared was wonderful. And inherently temporary. They’d deliberately refused to share names. At least she had.

He sighed before she could find the right place to start. “You don’t owe me anything. Especially if it’s this hard for you.”

She couldn’t fault him for being perturbed. Her feelings then and now were a jumble, impossibly tangled up with her memories of the best sexy night of her life.

“I’m not going to walk away while you need protection, Nina. No matter what you say, until Jess moves me to another case, I’m here.”

The reassurance seemed to be exactly what she needed. Which might not be fair. “Thank you. Everything is off. Unbalanced, you know?”

He frowned. “Because?”

She paused, gathering her thoughts. She didn’t want either of them to be hurt—emotionally—from this unexpected reunion. “We were on even footing that night.” No need to clarify which night. “Having fun, possibly too much fun, with a stranger.”

“You said that’s not your normal routine.”

“The one-night-stands? No. I do love to go out and enjoy good music. I know how to have a fun night that doesn’t end with sex.”

“Great sex,” he said.

“Agreed.” Apparently, her quick reply was exactly what he needed to hear. His frown lifted and he almost smiled. That was just fine. She couldn’t handle the full force of his real smile right now. “I just want to be clear that I don’t make a habit of hopping into bed with every cute guy I meet on the dance floor.”

“Cute?”

Had she managed to bruise his ego? “You don’t like cute?”

“Cute is for button noses. And puppies. Maybe frat guys.”

Funny, she found him all sorts of cute and adorable right now. “Frat guys? Um, no.”

He chuckled. “Cute is also for that face you’re making.”

Now she was chuckling with him. “I’ll make a note.”

This was exactly why she’d wound up in bed with him that night. He was special, able to converse and laugh and make her feel as if she was his sole focus during a casual conversation or out on the dance floor.

In bed.

She yanked herself away from those memories again. “You’re really good at putting people at ease.”

His eyebrows lifted. “And that’s a bad thing?”

“No, not at all. It must help with the job.”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t mention your line of work when we, um, met.”

“Neither did you.”