‘I call it a life lesson,’ she admitted.
‘Will it make you bitter?’
‘No,’ she said without hesitation. ‘It will make me cautious, and determined never to make the same mistake again.’
‘Easy to say, harder to do,’ Kris observed.
‘You don’t know me,’ she assured him.
‘That sounds like a challenge,’ he said lazily.
An idea had begun to brew in Kris’s mind. He’d have to explore the possibility a lot more before deciding to progress things further, but this unexpected encounter, coming hot on the heels of a conversation he’d had with his uncle, made him feel as if fate was lending a hand.
‘Well, if you’re not going to join us, I guess I’ll see you around,’ she said pointedly.
‘It will be hard to avoid you on such a small island.’
‘I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.’
‘Starting now?’ he suggested, shooting a meaningful glance at her friends.
She sighed. ‘Not that again. I promise we’ll be ultra-careful. I’ll be personally responsible for making sure that every grain of sand is returned to its rightful place before we leave.’
He huffed a laugh. She’d won. Whether that was because she was so unusual, or because she’d stood up to him, he didn’t know and didn’t care.
‘Make sure you do that,’ he warned lightly. ‘Or you’ll answer to me.’
The blush on her face suggested that wasn’t an entirely unwelcome proposition. She was extremely attractive, like no one he’d ever met before. He liked a challenge and he admired her grit. With their stares locked in mutual interest, he wondered if her body ached like his. Animals would have cut to the chase by now, but humans were bound by rules of convention. Getting to know her would take time.
‘Why don’t you introduce me around?’ he suggested.