It may have come out of left field, but he was hooked on her. Wanted to spend more time with her. To get to know her better. Turning, he smiled, meeting her warm, brown gaze. His heart flipped over. Did she feel the same way? He was afraid to ask.
She sighed and rose up on her elbows. “I’d better get back to work. There are more guests arriving soon.”
He tried not to let his disappointment show. “I’ll walk you to the lodge.”
“Sounds good.” She got to her feet, and he followed. Together, they packed the surfing equipment away.
As they strolled over the dunes toward Sanctuary, the sun heated his back, and he had a spring in his step. Pausing outside the foyer, he touched her arm.
“I had a great time just now. Thank you.”
She beamed. “You’re very welcome.” And then she dropped a light kiss on his lips and gestured for him to enter. As he did so, she swatted his backside, and he jumped in surprise. He glanced back at her and saw her eyes dance with mischief. “I’ll see you later, Sterling.”
While she headed into the dining hall, he made his way along the east wing, grinning like an idiot. He felt gooey inside, but buzzed with excitement for the future. Most of all, he felt alive.
That is, until he reached his bedroom door and spotted the burly cook lurking outside, tattooed arms crossed over his chest, scowling darkly enough to make Sterling reevaluate his life choices.
“Hello,” he said cautiously.
Tione’s chin jerked up. “Hey.” He unfolded his arms and they swung at his sides as he stalked toward Sterling. “I saw you.”
“Okay.” He wasn’t sure where this was going.
“Outside,” Tione explained, as though he was a dumbass. “With Kat.”
“Oh.”
Tione took another step forward; he wasn’t tall enough to tower over Sterling, but he was broad enough to give him pause. “Kissing Kat.”
Oh, shit. He hadn’t picked up on any romantic vibes between Kat and Tione, but maybe he’d been wrong. He wasn’t exactly known for his proficiency with body language or nonverbal cues.
“Is that a problem?” he asked.
Tione didn’t answer, just studied him from beneath thick black brows, standing between Sterling and his door. Then he said, “What are your intentions toward Kat?”
Sterling blanched. “Excuse me?”
“It was a straightforward question.”
“I beg to differ.” He winced, realizing he sounded like a pretentious prick.
“Let me put it in a way you’ll understand.” Tione’s hands went to his hips and he leaned forward. “Kat is more fragile than she seems, and if you hurt her or in any way interfere with her happiness, I’ll personally make sure you regret it. You get me?”
Sterling cleared his throat and nodded. “I get you. But from where I’m standing, you’re not giving her enough credit. She’s stronger than you think.”
Tione tilted his head. “Maybe. But less so than you think.”
Sterling pursed his lips. The fierce gleam in Tione’s eyes, combined with the wide-legged stance that was no doubt intended to intimidate, made him wonder whether there was more between Tione and Kat than friendship. Or, at least, if Tione would like there to be more.
“Do you love Kat?” he asked curiously. “Are the two of you involved?”
Tione spluttered and covered his mouth so he didn’t spray Sterling. “Hell, no. I mean, I love her. But like a sister. Her and me,” he shuddered, “it’d be practically incestuous. Jesus, man, where’d you get that idea?”
“You’re awfully protective of her.”
“Like I’d be if I had a sister,” he insisted. “I don’t want to see her get used and tossed aside by some city slicker who thinks she’s easy pickings.”
Sterling saw red. “I’d never do that to her. She’s an amazing woman, and I’m not a total asshole.”
“Just a cold fish.”
The words stung, but he couldn’t disagree. It was what he’d been accused of his whole life, and he’d never given people a reason to think differently. The fact was, he used his brain as a compass rather than his heart, and a lot of people couldn’t understand that.
“I won’t hurt Kat,” he promised, his good mood well and truly gone. “I care about her, more than I’m comfortable saying. Can I go into my room now?”
Tione glared but stepped aside, and Sterling brushed past him, closed the door, then sank against it, his heart pounding like he’d just finished a four-hundred-meter sprint. Dozens of thoughts whirred through his mind, and he couldn’t focus on any of them. If this was how most people felt on a daily basis, he wasn’t sure emotions were all they were cracked up to be.