What woman doesn’t believe in love? He’d ask her the same question she’d asked him, who broke you?—but he already knew the answer. It pissed Balen off, seeing how deeply her bastard of an ex had hurt her with his infidelity. It’d left one hell of an emotional wound, damaging her so completely she not only lost her faith in love, she’d become sexually dysfunctional. What a goddamn waste.

Damn, he wanted to fix her—wanted to remind her how good it could be and show her what she was missing. Maybe he couldn’t make her believe in love again, but he could make her believe in herself. He could show her how beautiful she was, that she was more than enough to please a man.

But then he couldn’t exactly tell her that, not without coming off sounding like a skeezy jackass just looking to get laid. The last thing he wanted was for her to look back on this vacation and see herself as nothing more than a lonely woman seduced by some beach-bum loser on the Island of Love—not a great take away there.

Listen to him… “holding back” his ass. Yeah, it’d sounded good when he’d spewed that propaganda to her in the water, but it was all bullshit—every fucking word. Keeping his hands to himself when all he wanted was to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless was driving him insane. He wanted her with a raw need that kept his body strung tight and his senses on fire for the briefest glimpse of her ivory flesh, or the faintest hint of her light coconut scent. In no time at all, she had gotten under his skin. She consumed his thoughts, preoccupied his time, and sparked this insatiable desire to possess her. Autumn made him feel like a goddamn Jekyll and Hyde. One minute he was telling himself he couldn’t have her and the next he was sure she was the one thing he couldn’t live without.

Reaching up, he gently brushed his thumb against her cheek. Meeting her beautiful eyes, he stared into them and with the deepest sincerity, he told her, “I’m so sorry your husband was such a fuckwit.”

She broke into a fit of laughter and that was exactly what he’d been hoping to hear. The conversation had taken a heavy turn and they both needed to lighten the mood, and he sure as shit needed the distraction. Draining his glass of wine, he hopped to his feet and pulled Autumn up with him.

“What are you doing?” She was still laughing. The light melody was like crack to his senses and he felt it all the way to the base of his cock. Tension coiled in his spine, making his balls ache. Yeah, they needed to get moving because he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand the torture of lounging beside her.

“Put this on.” He handed her his t-shirt and she slipped it over her head. Her own clothes were in a pile behind her, but his covered more of her than hers did. He needed to give his eyes a break from the temptation of that polka dot bikini and all that smooth, toned flesh. Autumn had amazing breasts with cleavage that inspired images of his cock sliding between those two lush mounds and painting those pretty pink nipples white with his cum.

His eager erection bucked with anticipation. There was something primordially satisfying, and masculinely exhilarating at the thought of marking Autumn, claiming her as his—even if only for a few days. He ignored the subtle pinch in his chest left behind at the fleeting reminder that this—that Autumn—was only temporary.

They were about having fun, he reminded himself. No strings. He’d made that clear right from the beginning. And he was okay with that—probably—because the thought had crossed his mind a time or two in the last few days, what if this could be something more?

“Balen, where are we going?”

He pulled his cell from his pocket and held it up. “We’re going to go get your picture for your scrapbook.”

She glanced around. “Can’t we just do it here? This place is beautiful.”

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and gave her hand a tug, pulling her toward the waterfall. “Sweetheart, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

* * *

Her hand tightened in Balen’s as they closed in on the waterfall. The overspray made the rocks slippery and she wasn’t quite as sure-footed as the surfer who had balance unlike anything she’d ever seen. She tugged his hand to get his attention, stopping on the thin lip of rock edging the wall. “Slow down or I’m going to fall in and drown. For the second time in my life, some guy I like is going to have to save me.” She’d meant it as a joke, but the moment the words slipped out, she realized what she’d just said and hoped Balen didn’t catch it. Or at least if he did, he wouldn’t read more into it. She wasn’t confessing to having feelings for him, even if it might have been true.

But he didn’t miss a beat. His brow arched and that teasing grin she loved played at the corners of his mouth. “Just think about all that mouth to mouth you’re going to miss out on. It might be worth taking the dive.”

She busted out laughing.

“Would you be pissed if I pushed you in?”

“Yes!” She playfully cuffed his shoulder, laughing harder.

“All right,” he chuckled. “Let me know if you change your mind.” Balen puckered up and kissed the air between them. He should have looked ridiculous and not as hot and tempting as he was. “My mouth to mouth is pretty impressive.”

Oh, she knew exactly how impressive it was. So much that, for a moment, she did consider jumping in. It might have been worth it just to see the look on his face.

“Are we going through there?” she yelled over the sound of the roaring falls, glancing up at the blanket of water pouring over the cliff. She intentionally changed the subject before she caved to the temptation and pressed her mouth against his.

“Yep. Have you ever been on the backside of a waterfall?”

She shook her head in case he couldn’t hear her. “No. How do we get back there?”

“Do you trust me?”

As she studied him a moment and contemplated the question, the answer quickly came—yes. Yes, she did trust him. Autumn nodded, unsure where that lump of emotion clogging her throat suddenly came from. Maybe it was because she hadn’t known a man in a long time she could have given that same answer to.

“All right, then.” His approving smile made her feel warm and fuzzy all over. She didn’t get a lot of time to enjoy the feeling because, a moment later, his grip on her hand tightened and she got a two second warning before he said, “Hold your breath,” and then pulled her into the curtain of water.

Autumn let out a startled squawk as the water crashed over her, threatening to pull her from his grip, but Balen’s hand tightened around hers, refusing to let her go. Seconds later, they were behind the downpour and standing in a cave. It would have been completely dark if it wasn’t for the large heart-shaped opening of rock in the back. Sunlight flooded inside, beaming against the wall of water and through the fine mist rising from the pool’s surface. She stepped a little to the left, and that was when she saw it—the prism of light rising out of the falls and arching onto a wall.

“Oh, Balen…this is so beautiful.”

She wasn’t sure if he heard her over the cacophonous rush of water echoing in the cave. Balen moved a step closer, bending down to speak close to her ear, his deep, husky voice rolling through her like a rushing wave. “Ever touch a rainbow?”

She shook her head, smiling at the thought, and took a step toward the prism. No, she hadn’t ever touched one, but she’d sure chased her share of them. And much like love, they’d always been an unattainable illusion. But this one was so close, and just like the man behind her, only an arm’s length away. Dismissing the metaphorical irony, she stepped toward the colorful arch of light and reached for her rainbow—and missed.

Was she really surprised? Story of my life…

She was lowering her hand when Balen came up beside her. “Here.” He slid his arm beneath her bottom and hoisted her up. His other hand rested on her hip, holding her steady. Her thigh and calf were braced against his bare chest, the side of her foot resting against his abdomen. Her toes itched to curl into the muscular divots. She tried but failed not to notice how warm his hard-muscled flesh was against her bare skin or the ease with which he held her suspended in the air.

“Touch it before it disappears.”

It took a moment for her mind to engage and realize what he was telling her, because the same thing could be said for himself. Three days…that was all they had left together.

“There’s maybe fifteen minutes every day where the sun is at the perfect angle and reflects off the water, lighting the cave and creating a prism effect.”

Autumn lifted her hand, sweeping it though the arch. She was so fascinated by the cool, colorful mist, she didn’t notice Balen’s hand leaving her hip or reaching into his pocket until she heard the snick of his camera.

“What are you doing?” she asked, smiling down at him.

“Now you can add ‘touched a rainbow’ to your scrapbook of things you did in Cyprus.”

Autumn was pretty sure her heart melted right then and there. The invisible band around her chest tightened, her pulse quickening in protest to the stirring of emotions she had no business feeling for this guy. What was he doing? Was he trying to make her fall in love with him? Did he realize what stuff like this did to a woman’s heart? For a guy who didn’t believe in love, he sure was in touch with his romantic side.

He pocketed his cell and returned his hand to her hip. His gaze shot past her shoulder as she sat there staring down at him. He nodded for her to look behind her, seemingly unaware of his emotional assault or the devastating affect it was having on her. “There it goes.”

She tore her eyes away from his handsome face just in time to see the prism slowly fade and then disappear. And just like that, her beautiful rainbow was gone—as if it had never happened. But it did happen, and something profound and irrevocable was also happening inside her heart. It scared the crap out of her because she could not let herself fall in love with this man. The futility of it all brought tears to her eyes and she fought against the burn, not wanting him to see her getting emotional.

“Could you please put me down?” She kept her gaze averted while she fought to rein in her tears. She wasn’t a crier, dammit, but her struggle over the last few years was real, leaving her far more wounded and broken than she’d ever have admitted to herself, let alone anyone else. Obviously, she had issues if some guy she hardly knew could bring her to tears by showing her a rainbow. But it wasn’t just a rainbow. Not to her, anyway—and there-in lay the problem. Balen couldn’t know the significance they held for her. For most, they symbolized hope and new beginnings, but for Autumn they marked a void in her life, one that would never be filled.

She’d been staring out the window at a beautiful rainbow the day the doctor had given her news that had ripped away her last shred of hope and ultimately destroyed her marriage. She’d thought it ironic then that something symbolizing promises and new beginnings would ultimately be the harbinger of her divorce. But just maybe she’d misinterpreted the sign. Perhaps her marriage was doomed to fail regardless of her medical report and that rainbow should have been a reminder that, even though her world was about to fall apart, there was still hope for her because the truth was, she’d never felt more alive than she had these past four days.

Balen lowered her to the ground and the moment her feet touched the rocky surface, she turned away. But he was fast, catching her arm and grasping her chin, gently tipping her face up toward his. Her breath stalled in her lungs when she met that amber-flecked stare studying her intently with genuine concern.

“What’s wrong, Autumn?”

“Nothing.” I’m scared to death I’m going to fall in love with you. “It was so beautiful, and then over so fast. I just wasn’t ready for it to end, that’s all.” Of course, he’d think she was talking about the rainbow.

Cradling her face, he brushed his thumbs over her cheeks, wiping away the moisture escaping her eyes as he watched her. “I know how you feel.”

Did he? Did he really?

“But, Autumn, nothing lasts forever.”

Was he talking about rainbows or them? Maybe both.

“Enjoy the moment while it lasts because everything has an expiration date—you, me, even the stars in the sky. It does no good to mourn what is beyond your control.”

“Have you always been so pragmatic?” You’d never have known it by looking at him, but Balen was a surprisingly complex man who appeared to live a very simple philosophy. She could learn a lot from him—about letting go and moving on.

Forcing a smile, she reached up and slipped her hands around his neck. He had a point with his “enjoy the moment” advice, but it was easier said than done—he wasn’t the one worried about getting his heart broken.

“Pragmatism is a byproduct of loss. It teaches you not to hold onto things too tightly. It’s as futile as trying to catch the wind.”

“That’s why you stopped believing in love?”

“That’s why I stopped believing in a lot of things.”