Dane lowers me to the ground so I face him. “That’s what you got me for.”
For now, at least.
We both stare up into the sky for long moments before voices come from behind us. Dane clicks on the flashlight again.
“There shouldn’t be anything else you need to worry about out here,” he says as we move toward our cabana.
“Are you sure? No man-eating alligators? Or crazy jungle cats?” I try to think of some other kind of tropical predators, and come up empty.
“This island is too small to have a jungle or any cats. There are jaguars on the mainland, though. And no alligators, but there are crocs in the rivers and lagoons.”
“All of a sudden, this island thing is sounding safer and safer.”
He steps onto the pier leading to our door. “This island is about as safe as it gets. People are definitely the biggest concern here.”
There’s probably a lot of truth to that statement. “They have a reputation to protect for tourists to come here, so it’s not like they’d let anything happen, right?”
Dane stops in front of the door to the cabana, and I wobble when I reach out and the railing shifts under my palm.
He extends a hand to steady me. “Careful. I don’t want to have to go diving for you tonight.”
I look out into the blackness of the ocean. There are a few lights from islands in the distance, but not many. We’re truly isolated.
“I don’t want to go in the water at night, so we’re on the same page there.”
He shoves the key into the lock. “Good, because I can’t vouch for what’s swimming around in it when I can’t see.”
A shiver of fear creeps up my spine, and goose bumps rise on my skin. “What could be out there?”
I’m not sure why I think Dane is the authority on ocean baddies, but I guarantee he knows more about it than I do, given his love of snorkeling and diving.
He shoves open the door and flips on the light inside. I follow him in as he shuts the door.
“The worst of the bunch would probably be the hammerheads, blacktips, bulls, and tigers.”
“Sharks?” I spin around and pin him with what has to be my oh my God, tell me I’ve got this all wrong look.
“How can that surprise you?”
Intellectually, I know sharks live in the ocean and swim around and eat things, but on all of our myriad vacations where we were in the ocean, I never once considered that the ones I’ve seen on Shark Week would be so freaking close. I picture nurse sharks. Harmless ones like we’ve swam with. It’s not like I signed on to jump in and swim with the great whites.
“Does this mean you don’t want to snorkel or dive?”
There’s humor and a note of challenge in Dane’s words, and I have to admit I’m probably being ridiculous, but still. Sharks.
“Am I going to die?”
Dane reaches out and cups my chin. “Not a chance.” After a moment’s hesitation, he adds, “You’re too fucking stubborn to let anything take you out before you’re ready.”
I’m not sure whether that’s supposed to be a compliment or not, but I decide to take it as one.
“Damn right,” I whisper.
Dane’s hand lifts again, skims along my cheek, and slides into my hair. His head tilts right before his lips take mine.
God, how long has it been since he kissed me? Long enough that I’ve forgotten how much I love it. How much I’ve missed it.
Dane’s other hand closes around my hip as he deepens the kiss and pulls me against his body.
Then a jiggling of the door handle interrupts us, and we break apart.
“What the fuck?” Dane steps around me to grab the inside knob and unlock it before pulling the door open. “Can I help you?” he asks, but his tone doesn’t sound remotely helpful in the least.
“Oh, shit. Sorry, man. Thought this was our room. Guess we had a few too many drinks today. Simple mistake.”
The words carry a hint of a British accent, and I try to look around Dane to get a better view, but his wide shoulders block the doorway. Absently, I wonder if that’s on purpose and he’s being protective.
It has to be the other people from the restaurant, especially if we’re the only two couples on the island, so I can’t imagine they’re any kind of threat.
“Definitely not your room. Don’t know which one is, so I can’t help you.”
A woman giggles, and my assumption is confirmed. I worked hard to block her out at dinner, but wasn’t completely successful.
“Sir, miss. Do you need some assistance?” Another voice comes from outside, but farther away. Maybe one of the workers on the island?
“You got a flashlight? We can’t seem to locate our villa,” the man calls.
“Of course. Please come with me, sir. Watch your step.”
“Sorry. Hopefully we didn’t interrupt anything important.” The man shifts, and I finally catch a glimpse of his face over Dane’s shoulder. Icy blue eyes lock on me. “My apologies.”
Dane nods before shutting the door. A little rude, but so is trying to get into our bungalow, thinking it’s theirs. After locking the door again and checking the handle, Dane turns back around to face me.
“They really need to put some lights in or something so people can find their rooms. Or hand out flashlights when you check in.”
“Something,” Dane says.
A yawn works its way up from the depths of my soul, and I cover my mouth with my hand. I don’t even know what time it is, but I just hit the wall, and I’m sure the alcohol didn’t help.
Dane picks up a bottle of water from the dresser and hands it to me. “You need to hydrate, and then you need some sleep.”
I take the bottle from him, knowing he’s right. But with the clock ticking down on us, the last thing I want is to give in to the urge to sleep. Time feels more precious now than it has since my mom passed away.
Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
“We only have nine days left.”
Dane meets my gaze, understanding the meaning behind my words well. “We won’t waste them.”
Chapter 15
Kat