She looked just like the other tourists, and that was the whole point.

A few days of blending in, a few days away from reality—and even if the weather didn’t cooperate. The last couple of days, there had been a tropical storm, but Harper didn’t mind.

Lying in the hammock she’d read and napped and sipped on fruity umbrella drinks.

There were other people on the island of course, but she was staying in one of the more private spots, a cute bungalow that sat over the crystal clear waters of Huahine Island, sheltered by large palm trees. She had her own small white sanded beach and earlier that week, Carl had come and given her private snorkeling lessons in the cove just outside her room.

Private snorkeling lessons; a luxury she shouldn’t have been indulging in, given her quickly dwindling resources.

And yes, she felt guilty for even being there, especially when her father and mother had booked the trip for all of them to go on together.

The trip had been planned before.

Before the destruction of everything that had seemed so real, before Harper had realized that her world was a lie, a house of cards that had come crashing down so fast that it still made her breathless with panic sometimes.

Not long ago, a trip like this would have seemed almost ordinary to Harper. Her father had often taken the family on fancy, extravagant vacations. But those days were over and they weren’t coming back.

Still, the trip was booked and non-refundable, and so Harper had decided to come at the last minute, all by her lonesome. She’d needed the time away from Boston—time to hopefully clear her head before things got even worse…

Harper sighed and took a deep breath.

Not going to think about it right now, she told herself.

Here there were no front-page headlines to avoid, no catcalls from people driving by her parents’ home, no disgusted glares when people saw the last name on her credit card.

Here there was just beauty and peace and tranquility that Harper felt certain she would never have again for the rest of her life.

Waves lapped at the posts and the sun shone brightly, reflecting off the water and making everything a dazzling blue color. The hurricane hadn’t even come close to Tahiti, but it had made the ocean choppier than it had been which eliminated any snorkeling she’d planned on doing the past two days.

In the distance she could see a man on a paddleboard, but aside from him, there was no one else around. No one to bother her at all. This was exactly what she needed. Out of the media, away from pushy reporters and their questions.

No, she didn’t know what he father had been doing, but none of them believed it.

Once more, she pushed away the anxiety that had started to build. She had promised herself one whole week of not thinking about everything going on back in Boston.

Right now all she wanted to do was immerse herself in the warm ocean water. There was something about being under the surface, about seeing nature at it’s purest that made things a little better. Too bad she couldn’t turn into a mermaid and live under there permanently.

She only had two more days of her vacation and she wasn’t going to sit around moping over her life. There was a stunning coral reef on the horizon and it was calling her name. She grabbed the mask and fins that Carl had left for her and shrugged out of her serape. Today’s bikini was a pale yellow set that looked amazing against her tanned skin.

Almost a week in the sun gave her wavy chestnut hair highlights that would cost a fortune at the salon.

She sat on the beach and pulled the fins over her feet. It had taken her four tries to stand up the first time she had put them on and even then Carl had to practically lift her. After their lesson she spent an hour putting them on, standing up and taking them off until she was able to do it without help.

Warm water swirled around her ankles as she penguin walked into the ocean. It was so clear that she could see the sparkling white sand kicking up as she took each step. Carl had walked her through the steps several times so Harper knew what to do. Spitting into her mask was still pretty gross but she did it anyway.

The waves rocked against her stomach, causing her to sway more than she had the first few times. It took her a minute to center herself, then she tucked the snorkel between her lips, puffed out a few breaths to make sure it was clear, then sank to her shoulders and pushed her feet against the sand.

Face down she floated, kicking her feet slowly as her gaze moved over the ocean floor. It really was incredible; the colors, the fish. Three days ago she’d actually seen a small shark. Waves rocked her body as she swam lazily, following the curve of the pink and yellow coral. As the water got deeper, Harper took a deep breath in and pushed down, closer to the ocean floor. She surfaced, puffed out a breath to clear the snorkel and went under again.

Her legs ached in a good way after over an hour of following the coral barrier.

It wasn’t until a cloud of kicked up sand rolled over her that she realized something was wrong. The next waved bumped into her side, sending her rolling before she pushed upright. Above the surface she saw that she’d actually swam quite far from the beach and had almost reached the larger banks of coral at the cove’s mouth.

The waves had grown choppier out here, and she lifted and lowered as each swell passed her by, causing the beach to dip in and out of her sight. Beneath the surface, the undertow dragged against her fins. She didn’t have the strength to keep upright. The undertow pulled her under. She spun around in a somersault, unable to pull herself out of the spin. Water clogged her snorkel and she sucked it in before she realized.

Her head broke the surface and she spit the snorkel out, gasping for air. Another strong current caught her fins and flipped her under again. When she resurfaced, she was even further out. She tried to reach down; to unhook the snaps keeping the fins on her feet but the waves had grown and washed over her before she could catch her breath.

With those things on her feet she had no way of keeping herself above water when the waves rushed out underneath her. This time her head hit the bottom of the ocean several feet below her and knocked the goggles, flooding them with seawater, which made it impossible to see.

She ripped them off, wincing as the salt water stung her eyes. Her lungs burned. She wasn’t able to suck enough air into her lungs before she was dragged under yet again. Pain seared through her foot and she saw the denser coral reef getting closer. If the waves pulled her onto that, it would tear her apart.

Carl had warned her not to go beyond the reef because the ocean on the other side was much deeper, wilder. If she wanted to dive out there, she’d need a boat and scuba gear.

But now, she couldn’t even see the beach and there was no one to hear her cries.

For the first time since the wave had pulled her under, Harper wasn’t sure she was going to be able to free herself. Her limbs were already tired from snorkeling and every time she fought against them underwater, she grew more tired.

The waves broke over the reef and immediately yanked her under, again and again.

Closer and closer to the razor sharp coral.

Yet she couldn’t fight it. Her arms screamed. She could barely kick her legs.

Damn it, fight Harper.

But she realized that the ocean was quickly taking the fight out of her, and now real panic stirred in her chest.

I could die out here.

I might be drowning.

Adrenaline surged through her body and she cried out again, fighting with the last of her strength.

The current was pulling more strongly now, and she was screaming so hard that her throat was raw from it.

Before she could be sucked back under, a pair of hands grabbed onto her arms and dragged her up and over a thick white board.

Harper lay with the hard surface pressing into her stomach staring at the very chiseled chest of a guy. He was leaning over, using strong arms to cut through the water, pulling them away from the reef.

She grabbed the edge of the board and kicked, trying to help him. The salt water stung the cut on her ankle but as the beach got closer, she felt it less. By the time the guy slid off the board and pulled it and her to the shore, she didn’t feel it at all.

“Are you okay?” a deep honeyed voice asked. His strong arms once again slid around her, lifting her off the board and helping her to her feet. With his help, she walked the rest of the way until she could sink down to sit on the sand.

The sun was bright behind him and all she could see was an outline. She shaded her eyes and squinted. The guy knelt down and slid her fins off, then pushed his hair back again. Now at eye level she finally got to see him.

And holy fuck, if sand weren’t creeping into her bikini bottom, she would have thought she died and he was an angel. Dark brown hair hung over his face and when he shoved it back, she met startling blue eyes. The bottom half of his face was covered in a couple of weeks worth of growth but she didn’t miss the fullness of his lips. If she leaned forward enough she could take the bottom one between her teeth and…

His eyebrows were drawn down and concern shone from them.

“Are you okay?” he asked. His gaze moved over her body and despite the warmth of the sun, she erupted in goose bumps. When he cupped her calf to take a look at her ankle, heat radiated from his touch. Maybe she hadn’t come to Te Tiare to hook up with anyone, but she was definitely considering it right that second.

“You’re hurt,” he said.

“It’s just a cut,” she finally managed to say, but her voice was all throaty and low. Hopefully he thought it was from all the ocean water she’d ingested and not because she was thinking about the ridges of his stomach and what they’d feel like under her fingers.

Before she could react, he slipped his arms under her knees and shoulders and lifted her. She slid her hands behind his head, more to hold on than anything, and the edges of his hair tickled her fingers.

The muscles in his arms moved and tightened with every step and she could feel how hard his chest was. Heat radiated from his tanned skin and he smelled faintly of sunscreen.

“You’re in the bungalow just over there, right?” He started walking even before she answered. “I paddleboard every morning and saw you reading on the deck a few times,” he said as if he knew what she was thinking.

“It’s okay, you can admit you’ve been stalking me,” she teased.

“If I was stalking you, you’d never know it,” he said, but rather than sounding sinister, it sounded confident and totally sexy.

Then again, everything about this guy was sexy. Especially the fact that he’d just about saved her life.

He carried her to the bungalow and then he was up the stairs and pushing through the gauzy curtain that hung over the door. The bungalows were open and spacious with enough room for him to carry her over to a small settee and gently put her down on it.

Immediately, he went to the kitchenette and pulled out a first aid kit from under the sink.

“All the bungalows have these,” he said, kneeling down in front of her.

“I had no idea.” It was all she could come up with because he wrapped his fingers around her ankle and lifted her foot to rest on his thigh. Which drew her gaze a couple of inches higher and to the right. Not that she could see much under his loose board shorts.

He swabbed the cut with some kind of wipe. “It doesn’t look too deep, but you should have someone take a look at it.” His fingers were gentle as he smoothed antibiotic cream over it, then covered it with a band aid.

“Are you going to kiss it and make it better?” she teased, just a second before she realized she’d said it out loud.

His gaze lifted to her and his eyes darkened. He lifted one eyebrow and a devilish grin turned his lips up. Without taking his eyes off her, he slowly lifted her foot and leaned forward. His lips were warm and soft and her stomach tightened with desire as they made quick, gentle contact with her skin.

How had she never known that her ankle was an erogenous zone?

“Better?” he asked huskily.

“Yes,” she breathed out.

He set her foot down and then rose to his feet, gathering all the supplies he used and putting them away. She could not take her eyes off the way the muscles in his back rippled and moved. She told herself that this vacation was only to get away, by herself, to regroup and de-stress.

Being alone was starting to feel severely overrated though.

She had less than two days before she had to return to the shitstorm waiting for her. Which gave her a little more than two nights to do something crazy. Who knew when the opportunity would come again, especially when the people she called her friends back home were pretty much blowing her off?

Everyone, it seemed, had pulled away from her in the past few months since the story about her father broke.

Even Stan, her now ex-boyfriend, had taken off right after all the shit hit the fan, saying he couldn’t be associated with a scandal. Didn’t matter that a week prior he’d told her that he loved her and nothing would ever come between them.

Not that she saw herself with him in a forever type capacity, but it was good to know that in a crisis, his first instinct was to bail.

And now, for the first time, she was actually feeling kind of glad that her ex was her ex. Instead of being in this tropical paradise with boring (and let’s not forget traitorous) Stan, she was instead alone and potentially available.

But was her hero available too?

Nobody as handsome and sexy (and let’s not forget heroic) as this man could possibly be single.

Harper eyed the guy, who leaned casually against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her. She gingerly pushed to her feet and only winced a little. The pain wasn’t too bad at all.

“Thank you so much.” She laughed. “For a minute out there, I was starting to seriously wonder if I was going to…” she couldn’t say the words.

He seemed to understand, his voice staying light and casual. “Those undertows are a bitch. Especially after a storm. Looks pretty calm but you never know.” His lips turned up into a grin. “And I’ll never pass on saving a beautiful damsel in distress.”

She smiled back. And she’d never complain about being saved by an Adonis water god. They stood for a few seconds in silence. Now that everything was taken care of, she expected he’d go, but he surprised her when he pushed away from the counter to move closer. There was something else under the surface of his stare and it made her knees go a little weak.

This visceral gut reaction to him was getting out of hand.

“I’ve never seen anyone else sitting on the deck with you.” He tilted his head and she realized it was a sort of half question that he was waiting for an answer to.

“No. Just me. I’ve only got a couple of days left then the coach turns back into a pumpkin.” She hoped he wouldn’t force her to explain what she meant or why she was alone in paradise.

But he didn’t seem all that interested in digging deeper. Instead, he accepted her explanation at face value. “Have you been to the street market yet? It’s on the other side of the island but it’s worth the drive.”

“Is that an invitation?” she teased. Apparently her filter was on vacation as well. Heat climbed up her neck and she looked anywhere but in his eyes. Which put her at chest level because he was tall, maybe six foot three. Without shoes on, she came about up to his chin.

“Yes,” his voice rumbled.

Harper took a few steps back and inhaled slowly, then let it out even slower. His complete confidence, his ability to just be up front and without pretensions was intimidating to say the least.

She met his gaze, in a little more control now. “I wasn’t inviting myself,” she clarified, “so you don’t need to feel obligated or anything.”

“I was going to ask you anyway. You just beat me to it.” That sexy grin. God, women everywhere must throw their panties at him all the time.

“In that case, I have not been and it sounds like fun.”

“How about tomorrow? I’ll pick you up around eight in the morning. There’s this amazing cafe I’d love to take you to first. Then we can hit the market?”

“That sounds good.” And it did. She spent five days virtually by herself, her snorkeling guide aside, and it would be nice to do something fun with someone else. Especially someone who looked and sounded and behaved like an action movie hero come to life.

“Make sure you wash that cut and rebandage your wound later today. And it’s probably best to stay out of the water, at least for the rest of the day. Give it time to heal for a bit.” He stepped outside and jumped down onto the sand.

Harper stood in the doorway, her hand on her hip. “Spoken like a true doctor,” she mused out loud.

He laughed. The sound was rich and warm and she wanted to roll around with it. “Nah. Just experience. Paddle boarding isn’t as easy as it looks.” Then he winked at her. “See you in the morning...ahhh…”

They made a date for tomorrow and neither knew the others name.

“Harper,” she said.

“Ethan.” He grinned again. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow, Harper.”

That insidious heat spiraled through her body when he said her name like that.

“Yes you will, Ethan.”

With one last heat filled glance at her, he turned and jogged back toward where he’d left his board.

Harper felt like she was going to collapse. Suddenly her heart was racing again, and she didn’t know if it was the reality of almost drowning finally hitting her full force, or all of the anxiety about the media circus in Boston, or just meeting the man of her dreams.

She suspected it was all of the above.

* * *

“You were right. This papaya sorbet is to die for.”

Harper pushed the spoon around the dish, scraping every last drop of the ice cream out and licking the spoon before she set it back on the table. After coffee and a delicious pastry, she couldn’t resist the cold treat, especially when the day had started out hot already.

She’d worn a light blue tank top with a deep V that hugged her chest without being too indecent and a pair of white shorts that cut off mid-thigh. Knowing it would be hotter than hell, she’d twisted her hair into a side braid to keep it off her neck. She tried to wear her favorite gladiator sandals because they made her legs look amazing, but the straps had rubbed against her cut and she gave up pretty quick.

White tennis shoes were the only other option, which turned out to be a good choice because the street fair was more like a five street fair, and enormous. There were booths set up along both sides of the roped off streets so that people could walk right down the middle without having to worry about getting run over.

The vendors hawked everything from sunglasses to clothing to every kind of food one could imagine. Ethan insisted that they start at one end and make their way down every row. When Harper stopped to admire a seashell necklace, Ethan bantered back and forth with the woman until they were both smiling.

“Something to remember today by,” he said with a grin. “Turn around.” His fingers brushed over her bare shoulders when he slipped one arm over her head to fasten the clasp. He stood so close behind her that she could feel his breath wash over her ear.

They’d made it down one whole row and already she wanted to drag him back to her bungalow. He chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to the crook of her neck before stepping next to her and taking her hand. His thumb caressed her palm as they made their way to back up the other side.

He wasn’t an Adonis water God. Not even close. He was the fucking Devil.

But she went with it because she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been around someone who didn’t want to pry, judge, or somehow take from her while giving nothing in return.

Ethan was different from any guy she’d ever met. He was so easy, so calm and funny without needing to point a neon sign at himself to announce just how cool he was.

He just was.

She smiled, thinking about how much she was enjoying spending time with him. Then again, she would have enjoyed just sitting and staring at his smoking body, no paradise or street fair was necessary as backdrop.

“What’s so funny?” Ethan asked, leaning down close to her ear.

He made her feel like they were the only two people at the crowded street fair.

“Just thinking about you in those hot board shorts.” She turned and looked at him boldly. No games. No pretending they were flirting. She had two days left and damn it, they were going to be good ones.

His eyes darkened and his gaze drifted down to her lips.

Still holding her hand, he traced her hip with his fingers. Tiny electric shocks made her skin feel too tight.

“Funny. I was just thinking about you in that tiny yellow bikini.” His lip quirked in a sexy grin, but instead of kissing her, he stepped back and tugged on her hand. “Come on. Lots more fair to see.”

“Fucking devil,” she muttered under her breath, but he heard her because he threw back his head and laughed. When he was done, his fingers tightened around hers.

His smoldering gaze bore down on her and she swallowed loudly.

“Don’t worry,” he all but growled into her ear. “Everything you’re thinking about right now? Yeah, trust me, it’s gonna happen. But not until later.” He nipped at the sensitive flesh under her ear and it sent a jolt right between her legs.

Then he started walking like nothing had happened, except she could see the wicked grin on his face. Bastard. She should end their date with a chaste kiss and shoo him on his way for being such a tease.

Yeah, right.

Righteous indignation had never been her strong point.

They spent the morning stopping at every booth and Harper grabbed a couple more pieces of jewelry and a gorgeous silk beach wrap in the most exotic colors. Whenever she liked something, Ethan stepped in and haggled good-naturedly with the merchant. She didn’t care about saving the money, she just liked to watch him get all animated.

Laid back wasn't something she’d been used to. People in her life were calculating, intense. Always looking out for themselves. Ethan radiated relaxation. Whoever he was, he didn’t seem to have a care in the world aside from living in the moment.

She hadn't asked where he was from, and honestly, that’s not what today was about. She had no desire to share anything from her life right now and so far, they’d just been enjoying each others company without any pressure.

Harper had become a social pariah the past few months.

Ethan looked at her like she was someone special and she liked it. Why not go with it? Enjoy whatever this was because sure as hell when she got back to Boston, her life wouldn't be her own. Not for a long time. Scandal had a way of sticking to people, even those caught up in the scandals of their loved ones.

When they finally ended up at a little outdoor cafe on the outskirts of the street fair, Ethan pulled out her chair and then sat across from her.

“Having fun?” he asked, one eyebrow quirked. That damned sexy grin turned his lips up.

Despite the thickness of the air between them, she nodded. “I am.” And she was. Today had been exactly what she’d been trying to do when she left Boston. Escape. Yes she’d done that for the previous five days but being by herself gave her time to think, even though she had forbidden her brain from going there.

With Ethan, she’d been able to be in the moment and truly had not thought about her family. It was nice. She was more relaxed than she had been all week.

“Hey, where’d you go?” Ethan asked. His hand felt warm over Harper’s, and she forced herself back to the present.

“Somewhere I’d rather not be,” she answered. “In my head,” she clarified.

He traced his thumb over the top of her hand and heat filled his eyes. Long eyelashes swept down and he watched her from under them. God he had that I want to eat you up look that was making her skin tingle. “Then just be here with me,” he said. “Stop thinking so much.” He grinned a little when he said it, to show he wasn’t lecturing her.

“Okay,” she agreed softly, feeling a flutter in her chest. “But it’s difficult—lately I live in my head all the time, practically.”

She thought he might start to inquire as to why. After all, she’d dropped enough hints about it.

But instead of asking questions, Ethan’s hand dropped to her leg. It was casual, but the heat that resulted from his touch was like a shockwave through her entire body.

The waiter came back and set their plates down and Ethan leaned back and removed his hand from her leg as if nothing were going on. She knew her face was red, that her chest was rising and falling too fast. Every time she shifted, a flash of pleasure shot from between her legs.

This was torture and he knew it.

He had barely touched her all morning, and yet her she was, panting like a dog in heat from the briefest caress of his hand on her thigh. God he was a bastard. A cocky, sexy as hell bastard that she wanted in a way beyond just lust.

It was almost desperation, an emotion she wasn’t that familiar with.

“So, you came here alone,” Ethan said, finally.

“Yeah. And you?”

“Same.”

“So we could both be outlaws, on the run from the cops, then,” she joked. It was a strange joke, perhaps a little too close to the truth for her own good.

But Ethan nodded. “Or maybe there are worse things to be on the run from,” he said, and his eyes had lost some of their humor.

The understanding in his eyes prompted an unexpected wave of curiosity to roll through her. He seemed so laid back, in the moment. What could he be running from?

But she didn’t ask. If she asked, he might answer—and she wasn’t sure she wanted to ruin the fantasy. Not to mention, he might also expect her to tell her story, and she definitely didn’t want to have that conversation with a hot guy in a temporary paradise.

“This salad is amazing,” she said, changing the subject.

“Not as amazing as the view.” He winked and her shoulders relaxed.

His eyes darkened as she watched. How had she never seen the way a man’s pupils dilate when he was turned on? The blacks of his eyes ate away at the color.

Her gaze dropped to his lips.

“Have you ever wanted something so badly that you could almost taste it?” he asked.

“I take it you’re not referring to this delicious salad?” she joked.

“Not even remotely,” he replied.

“Oh my,” she said on an exhale. She wasn’t hungry anymore, at least not for the rest of her half eaten salad. She set her fork down and waited. Prayed that he was going to suggest they go back to the bungalow now.

“I’ll bet you taste so sweet. I can’t wait to find out.”

Her breath came out in harsh gasps. Thick desire settled between her legs and she had no doubt that she was wet and ready, swollen for him. She loved the words spilling from his mouth. So filled with innuendo and promise.

She shifted and had to stifle a groan when fissures of pure pleasure shot through her body. His jaw hardened. His eyes were almost black now.

“Are you still hungry?” he asked tightly.

“Yes.” God yes. All she wanted was to be naked with him. “But not for this salad,” she said, knowing he knew exactly what she meant.

The understanding passed between them without another word.

He threw some bills onto the table and took her hand, all but dragging her from the cafe. When they reached the street, he slid his arm around her waist and guided her toward the next row of stalls.

He rushed her from the cafe, her body on fire, to finish shopping?

When she glared up at his profile, his lips turned up but he didn't look at her.

“This isn’t where I thought we’d be going,” she said, frustration creeping into her voice. “I’ve had enough shopping for today.”

Ethan threw back his head and laughed. It was a deep rich sound and despite her anger, it sank right down to her bones.

They stopped in front of an old man selling shells who smiled and welcomed them inside. Ethan leaned in close, his lips brushing her ear. His fingers dug into her hip.

“When I finally make you come, sweetheart, you’re going to go off like the fucking Fourth of July in Times Square.” He nipped her earlobe and her knees weakened. “Trust me.”

God, she was strung tighter than she ever had been in her life and pretty much all she thought about for the next two hours as Ethan guided her through every booth until they reached the very end.

He was right. The anticipation was the most intense aphrodisiac ever.