Jillian stepped out of the boat and swayed right. Then left. She was cold and tired, and couldn’t seem to get her bearings without the light of the sun or moon.

“I got you,” Gabe said. His warm hand curled around hers, and she climbed to the edge of the boat, fully expecting to have to wade through the knee-deep water up to the shore. Instead, Gabe put one arm under her bottom and lifted her off her feet, pulling her body against him. “You don’t need to get any wetter than you already are,” he said, his mouth next to her ear.

It was dark, and if she tried hard enough, she could pretend he was someone other than the guy she’d had a massive and painful crush on when she was younger. It felt nice to be in his arms, and he was really warm. She allowed herself to rest her head on his shoulder as he half jogged through the shallow water, holding her against him.

When they reached land, he put her down but didn’t pull his hands off her immediately. “You okay?” he asked.

She nodded, hugging her arms around herself. “I think so.”

“Good.”

She watched him head up a slight hill toward some dunes and brush, which was all the island seemed to be made of. There were no trees that she could see. Nothing to shield them from the howling wind and driving rain.

She held a hand over her eyes, futilely trying to see. She was pretty sure she’d lost one of her contact lenses when she’d gone overboard. Maybe both. Everything was blurry as she watched Gabe pull a tent out of his bag and start building it in the brush.

He moved quickly, and within a matter of minutes, he was ushering her inside. “Better?” he asked when they were seated next to each other. It was hard to hear him over the loud tapping of the rain on the nylon covering right above their heads.

“Y-yes. Except I’m drenched and c-c-cold.” She shivered again. “Are you sure we need to stay out here all night?” She’d always despised camping. Her father used to take her and her brother on a trip once per summer. Except they’d never camped in bad weather, and they’d always had their basic needs covered.

Gabe was a blurry image beside her. Yep, she’d definitely lost one of her contact lenses. And her head was throbbing, she suddenly realized. Putting a hand to her left temple, she felt the large lump that was creeping up.

Gabe’s hand followed hers. “That looks bad. You must have hit your head when you went overboard out there.”

Electricity sizzled from his touch.

She sucked in a breath and pulled back just as much from the pain as from the fact that this was Gabe Sawyer. She didn’t want him to touch her. Or she did, always had, and she hated that. “I’m fine.”

“Little Miss Tough Girl,” he said quietly.

“You know I always hated when you called me that. You never thought I was tough. You were just making fun of me when you said that.”

“Oh, you were tough, all right. I worried you’d beat me with one of those books you were always lugging around if I said the wrong thing.”

This made her laugh. Her laughter froze in her chest when he started to peel off his wet T-shirt. “What are you doing?” She was half-blind at the moment, but she could see well enough to know he was one hundred percent tanned muscle.

“I’m wet. I’ll be warmer without the soggy clothes.” His gaze lowered to her drenched sundress.

“No. No, I’m fine,” she said again, even as she started trembling uncontrollably. Every time a fierce wind blew outside, a little bit of it rushed in through the tent’s flap and chilled her more.

“I can’t keep you warm if you’re in that, and it’s only going to get colder tonight.”

“Keep me warm? How do you expect…?” Her mouth fell open as she pieced together the scenario in her mind.

“I’ve seen guys get really sick in this kind of weather, even in a short amount of time. Contrary to popular belief, hypothermia is just as likely in the summer as the winter.”

Her mind was racing, looking for another option.

“Come on, Jillian. It’s not like I haven’t seen you half-naked before.”

She pulled back and gasped. “I was wearing a bikini that night!” she snapped, hating to relive the memory. Her adolescent hormones had gotten the best of her the night she’d thrown herself at Gabe, and she’d thought he was crushing on her as hard as she was him.

Gabe chuckled and held up his hands. “It’s my job to keep you safe right now. I promise, I won’t look.”

“Fine.” Seeing no other option, she peeled off her dress but left her bra and panties on, which was the equivalent of a mini bikini—just like she’d worn when she’d slipped into his bedroom at fifteen years old. Then she hurriedly sat down in the dark tent and folded her arms over her chest, trying to cover herself as much as possible. The tent was made for one person only, so she and Gabe were pretty much shoulder to shoulder. Bare shoulder to bare shoulder.

She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled. Then repeated.

“You’re not going to start hyperventilating, are you? I don’t have paper bags in my emergency kit.”

Despite her nerves, she laughed softly. “No. My therapist told me taking deep breaths helps during times of stress.” She felt his eyes on her. “I’m not crazy, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m going through a divorce. Or, actually, I’ve gone through a divorce. It’s official now. I’ve been seeing a therapist over the past year to deal with some of the repercussions of a bad marriage.”

“Sorry about that,” he said quietly.

“It’s not your fault. I’m the one who apparently has horrible taste in men. I’m not sure a therapist can fix that, though.”

“Therapy didn’t help?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I mean, I enjoyed talking about what went wrong, which was pretty much everything, but…” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

He knocked his elbow against hers. “What were you hoping to accomplish in therapy?”

She hugged her arms around her knees. “Oh, I don’t know. I was hoping to feel a little better about love and marriage and all that jazz.” Glancing over, she asked, “Have you ever been close?”

“To marrying? No.” He shook his head quickly. “Not because I’m not interested in it. I am. One day. With the right person.”

She pulled her knees in tighter. “Having the right person is key.”

“Marriage is forever. You really need it to be with someone you love.”

“Or at least like.”

He looked over. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what did go wrong?”

She shook her head. “Too many things to list. We had nothing in common, which made things interesting at first. Except, after a while, he did his thing and I did mine, and neither of us cared to venture into the other’s world.”

“Sounds pretty lonely.”

“You have no idea.” She swallowed as she remembered the feeling of being utterly alone. Of eating dinner with someone and not saying a word. Her ex-husband, Frank, always had his cell phone out, reading something of interest and making her feel like she was of least importance in his life. “So, if we have the entire night ahead of us, let’s find a happier topic, shall we?”

“Okay.”

They sat next to each other, neither saying a word.

“I guess it’s hard to be happy when you’re cold and wet and stranded on a deserted island, naked with a stranger,” she joked. “That’s a TV show, right? Naked and Afraid.”

Gabe chuckled. She liked the deep sound. “We’re not exactly naked.” His gaze dropped again, noting her bra and panties. A burn scorched her skin even though she was still chilled to her core. “And I’m not afraid. You shouldn’t be either. As long as we can stay warm, there’s nothing here that can harm us.”

“No wild animals?” she asked, feeling slightly foolish.

“No. There’s no food source here. Just sand and brush. We’re safe.”

She swallowed. Safe, except her heart was pattering around like a silly little puppy. For some reason, Gabe had always had that effect on her.

And that was an incredibly dangerous thing.

The sight of Jillian half-naked was driving Gabe a little insane. He’d always had a thing for her, even when she was younger with glasses and her long hair pulled back in a single braid. Opposite to her, Gabe had always been the outdoorsy kind. Sitting still and reading wasn’t his thing, but he found it interesting how she could get lost in a book’s pages. She was too young for him back then, though. Fifteen and seventeen were light years apart.

Wrong time. Wrong girl.

Jillian wasn’t a schoolgirl anymore, though. No, she was definitely all woman. He sneaked a peek to the side again. The more she hugged herself, trying to conceal her body, the more her cleavage popped out of her lace bra.

He snapped his gaze back. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.

“What?”

He glanced over at her eyes this time. He forgot she couldn’t see too well without her contact lenses. “I keep looking at you. I’m, uh, sorry.”

“Oh.” She hugged herself tighter. The cleavage dug deeper.

Fuck. Me.

“Funny, because you were never interested in looking at me in high school.”

The tone in her voice told him it wasn’t funny at all. “Not true. I thought you were pretty even then. But you were young and Lorelai’s best friend.”

“So?”

“So, I was doing my best to keep my friends off her. If I made a play on you, what would that make me?”

Same as right now. She was vulnerable. On the rebound from a bad relationship. If he made a play on her now, which he’d already considered doing half a dozen times, what would that make him?

The top of the tent caved and pressed over the top of his head. The rain was just sitting in one spot where the tent’s piping had broken. Gabe poked at the deep indentation it made, but it didn’t quite fix the problem. “I might have to go out there and fix it.”

“But you’ll get wet.”

“Better than you getting wet… Um.” He cleared his throat because that had sounded all kinds of suggestive. “I, uh…”

“It’s okay.” She looked down. “I know what you meant.”

The tent dropped lower.

“It’s going to cave in on our heads. I’m going out there.” He crawled toward the tent’s opening. “Be right back,” he said before heading out into the slanting rain. Unfortunately, it was pelting stronger than ever, driving into his skin like little blades of ice. How had this storm escaped his radar? He guessed he’d been distracted today with training Jonathan and the email from Kimberly’s father.

He drained the water from the top of the tent and collected some brush nearby, laying it on top of the dome and creating a makeshift gutter system for the rainwater to slide down. If he thought they’d be here any longer than a day, he’d have tried to collect the drainage at the bottom for drinking. This was just an overnight ordeal, though. Kind of like camping.

With his task complete, he hurried back inside.

Jillian squealed as he got her wet. “Take those off!” she said of his soggy shorts.

“Excuse me?” He raised an eyebrow as he plopped down beside her.

“I can’t see anyway. And it’s only fair. I’m almost naked, so…”

He nodded, skimming the water off his face with his hands. “You really can’t see?” he asked. Not that he’d ever been the modest type.

“You’re one big blur,” she confirmed.

“All right.” He shifted around and pulled his shorts and boxers off, glad to get rid of the soggy articles. There. He was now fully naked and in a confined space with a beautiful woman—something that hadn’t happened in quite a while.

She looked over.

“You’re peeking. Thought you said you couldn’t see anything,” he said, sitting on his bare ass.

“I lied.” She started giggling and gasping for air, which he found absolutely adorable.

His mouth quirked. “You tricked me?”

“I still have one contact in. Sorry. But you’ve been checking me out for the last hour. It’s only fair.” She snatched his shorts and tossed them in the pile with her dress. “Now we’re even,” she said, turning to him and grinning wide.

And in that moment, he had the primal instinct to kiss her. It was so strong that it knocked the wind out of his lungs. It was bad timing for her, though. Swallowing past the feeling, he said, “Let’s just hope rescue doesn’t come before our clothes dry out. I’ll never live this down with the guys.” His phone buzzed in his emergency bag. He’d tossed it in there to keep it dry. Pulling it out, he read a text message from Lorelai.

Find her yet? You okay? Should I send help?

Jillian’s wet hair scraped against his shoulder as she leaned over to see his screen. He had an inescapable urge to take her in his arms, kiss her, touch her. “What does it say?” she asked. “I can’t read it without both contact lenses.”

“My sister’s worried. She’s asking if we need help.”

Gabe started typing: Found Jillian. She’s fine. No help needed, but we’re going to be spending the night at Bear Island. It’s too risky to head back against the storm. See you tomorrow. He read aloud as he typed so Jillian would know what he was saying.

She shivered against him again, reminding him things weren’t exactly A-OK. There were still all kinds of risks in being out here. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Forget for a moment that you hate my guts. You can steal some of my heat. That’ll help.”

She didn’t resist. Instead, she burrowed into him. “I don’t hate your guts. I’m just not very fond of them.”

He chuckled. The woman had a way of making him laugh. And turning him on. Her skin was soft under his fingertips. Like velvet. And she smelled like lavender. “How’s your head?”

“It’s okay.”

“You could have a concussion. We should try to stay up at least for the next couple of hours to make sure.”

She looked at him, and when she did, her face was barely an inch from his. So close, he could practically taste her. “I don’t think I could sleep anyway.”

“Yeah. Cold and wet make for poor sleeping conditions.”

“So what should we do?”

“I know what I want to do,” he said, as his fingers absently caressed the side of her shoulder. His mouth had a way of running ahead of his brain. Because if his brain was leading the show, he would not be suggesting what he was about to.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Kiss you.”

Her eyes widened, and her beautiful pink lips made a little O. “Why don’t you, then?”

“Because you’re vulnerable. You’re going through a divorce.”

“Been through a divorce. Past tense. It’s over now.”

“You’re still dealing with stuff, and I’d only complicate that by kissing you.” Was he trying to convince himself or her?

She curled her body against him, her eyes boring into his. It was too dark to see, but he knew they were a light green color. “Who says I’d let you kiss me anyway? As you so rudely reminded me, we have a history. It’s traumatic for a girl to be rejected by her crush, you know.”

Heat poured like lava through him. It was all he could do to keep his hands pinned in their position around her shoulders. For warmth and nothing else. “I was only doing what I thought was best.”

“Noble, I guess. And it was probably for the best. But you’re wrong about me now. I’m not vulnerable.”

“No?”

She shook her head. “Nope. And maybe kissing would help warm me up.”

Well, damn. “Then it’s my noble duty,” he said, leaning in. He curled a hand behind her neck and pulled her mouth to his. A little whimper tumbled over her lips as their mouths connected, and that sound completely undid him. Sweeping his tongue against hers, he cupped one hand to her bottom. Her bra and panties were the only things separating them. If not for his iron willpower, his steel erection might win out.

“We should stop,” he whispered, breaking away from the kiss. “Don’t take this as a rejection. It’s not. I think it’s pretty obvious how much I want you.”

Her gaze flicked to his lower half, on alert and ready for action.

She blew out a breath and conceded. “I guess we got a little carried away. I do feel warmer, though.”

“That’s good.” He settled in next to her again, breathing heavily. “Your therapist says breathing helps, huh?”

“That’s what she says.”

He sucked in a breath and blew it out. Then he bumped his shoulder against hers. “Want to know a secret?”

“Hmm?”

“That was the most action I’ve gotten in over a year.”

The corner of her mouth lifted. “Really? All we did was make out.”

“It’s true.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I help Lorelai out a lot. I don’t have time to do anything else.”

“So, you’ve sacrificed your sex life for your niece. That’s kind of sweet.”

“I know you dislike me, but calling me sweet is taking things a little too far.”

“You’ve progressed from dislike to kind-of like.”

He grinned. “You more than kind of liked me when you were kissing me just then.”

She shook her head. “Lorelai says you’re a wonderful uncle. Just like a dad to Kimberly.”

He stiffened.

She must have felt him, because her brows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Not nothing. I said something that struck a nerve. What is it?”

He sighed and blew out a breath. “Kimberly’s dad has been contacting me. He wants to know how Kimberly is doing.”

“Lorelai didn’t tell me that.”

He grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t sure why he was spilling all his secrets tonight, but Jillian was right. It did feel good to talk through things. “Because she doesn’t know yet. And I’m not sure I’m going to tell her.”

“What? You have to tell her,” Jillian said.

“She has enough to deal with without that jackass interfering in her life. He left them. He doesn’t deserve to ask how they’re doing now.”

Jillian could kind of see Gabe’s point. “But it’s not your decision to make. And why did he contact you and not Lorelai directly?”

“Because he still wants nothing to do with them. He just wants to alleviate his guilty conscience and know they’re okay. It’s despicable.”

Jillian placed a hand on Gabe’s forearm. Just that simple touch made her want to jump his bones again. “Yeah. It’s rotten. What are you going to do?”

“Not sure yet. I just keep thinking that maybe if Todd saw Kimberly, he’d realize how amazing she is. I couldn’t care less about him, but Kimberly might want to know her dad one day. Then again, maybe it’s best she never does.”

“That’s a tough choice.” As if the storm was agreeing with her, thunder rumbled loudly overhead.

“You see why I have no time for dating? Being a world-class uncle is a job in itself.”

And, in Jillian’s eyes, it was also a world-class turn-on.

Hot guy—check.

Smart—check.

Employed—check.

Great kisser—double check!

A guy who treats his niece like a princess? Check, check, check.

He’d been such a gentleman with her tonight too. So sweet and nice and funny. As she went through her mental checklist, something slithered against her calf.

She froze with her hand still resting on his forearm.

“You’re digging your nails into my skin,” he said.

“I just felt something move across my leg. What was that?” It was too dark to see, but she’d swear whatever it was, it was alive and it wasn’t Gabe.

“Hold on.” He peeled her hand off his arm and shifted slowly. Grabbing his cell phone, he clicked on the flashlight app and shined the light on the opposite side of the tent.

Jillian dared a glance and, even though she was half-blind at the moment, she recognized the image. With a scream, she tore out of the tent. “Snake! Snake, snake, snake!” She waited for Gabe to follow after her. He didn’t. “Gabe! Get out of there! Gabe!”

Is he dead? Did he get bit?

She sheltered her eyes with her hands, trying and failing to keep her eyes open for longer than a second. It’d been raining for hours now, and it was pitch dark. “Gabe? Where are you?”