Sam couldn’t believe he’d lived through some of the most dangerous firefights a helicopter pilot could imagine, only to come to Santorini on vacation to nearly be killed by a crazed driver. That incident was something he would not be reporting to his commander.

And, since he was thinking about his report, he figured he might as well make it.

“Did you decide on a photo to share with the CO?” He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it over to Kinsey.

She scrolled through the shots she’d taken and showed him one of himself frowning. “In this one, you’re not grimacing as much as some of the others.”

“No. But I look like I ate something that tasted bad.” Did he always have that scowl on his face? No wonder his commander was concerned about his mental stability. “I frown too much.”

“Not always, but most of the time.” Kinsey laughed. “Don’t worry, by the end of these two weeks, I’ll have you smiling most of the time, not frowning.” She scrolled past several shots of them together.

“Wait. What about them?” He brushed his finger over the screen to back up to one of him and her. “I’m almost smiling in this one. That ought to make the old man happy.” He punched the numbers to Facetime his commander and waited for the connection to go through and for his boss to answer.

Kinsey’s lips curled upward. “I like that photo. You do appear almost happy there.” She looked up at him. “You really should smile more. Life is too short to be unhappy all the time.”

Her smile made his heart lighter than it had been in years and gave him the uncontrollable urge to… He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “Thank you for helping me with this little project.”

She blinked, her smile slipping slightly as color suffused her cheeks.

Now he’d gone and done it. “Hey, I’m sorry. I crossed the line.” He raised a hand. “I promise not to kiss you again…unless you ask.”

Her cheeks reddened even more, and she turned away. “No. No. That’s okay. I kind of liked it.”

He tipped up her face toward his. “Then why are you turning so red?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I guess because we just met yesterday, and I shouldn’t be feeling this way about you so soon.”

“Feeling what way?”

“Nervous…excited… confused.” She glanced up at him.

Her brow pinched in that cute way he’d come to recognize when she was hesitant or anxious. “I don’t mean to make you nervous. I promise, I won’t attack you like those men did.”

She laughed. “I know you won’t. That’s what I like about you. I feel like I can trust you. After all, you’ve saved my life.”

“And you saved mine, today.” He cupped her cheek in his palm and brushed his thumb across her lips. “You had a breadcrumb.” And then he stared at those lips, wishing he had kissed them instead of the tip of her nose.

“If I asked you to kiss me, would you?” she whispered.

He didn’t respond with words. Instead, he lowered his head and swept his lips across hers in a light, non-threatening touch. And restraint was hard, when he wanted to kiss her and taste her.

When her hands reached up and wrapped behind his head, he gave in to his desire. The phone slipped from his hand, and he gathered Kinsey in his arms, crushing her mouth with his. And she tasted like heaven, so sweet, warm and wet—

“Captain Magnus! Hey, Sam! Yoohoo! Hello! Quit sucking face long enough to report in. That’s an order!”

The sound of a man’s voice broke through the well of lust Sam had fallen into. He lifted his head, a frown pulling at his brow.

“Someone’s yelling at you,” Kinsey whispered.

That’s when Sam remembered he’d dialed Colonel Cooley. “Fuck.” He grabbed for the phone and stared down at the man in desert camouflage uniform, laughing up at him. “Sir, I’m sorry. I must have dropped the phone.”

His commander grinned, and he laughed out loud. “I see you finally embraced the idea of vacationing. Good to see you lose that perpetual scowl.”

There it was again. Since when had he become a frowning grump?

He scrambled for something to say, his world off kilter after that kiss. “Sir, just following orders.” That kiss. Holy hell, he’d completely lost himself and all sense of time and space. He glanced across at Kinsey.

The color was high in her cheeks, and her lips were slightly swollen. And they were so kissable, he wanted to do it all over again.

“Hey, focus here, Captain.”

The colonel’s voice brought Sam back to earth.

“I want to meet your lady friend,” Colonel Cooley said.

Sam leaned close to Kinsey and held up the phone so that his commander could see both of their faces. “Sir, this is my friend, Kinsey. Kinsey, meet Colonel Cooley.”

Kinsey laughed. “Nice to meet you, Sir. Sam’s talked a lot about you.”

The man laughed. “All bad, I’m sure.”

She blushed. “Not all bad. Just that you were concerned.”

The colonel nodded. “Sam’s a good guy, and a helluva pilot. He just needs to lighten up.”

“That’s what he said.” She smiled up at Sam. “I’m seeing to it that he does.”

“Thank God. Someone needed to. He can’t seem to pull himself out of the dark cloud he’s been carrying around since he deployed.” The colonel turned his head and nodded. “Coming.” He faced the viewer again. “Got a job to do. Damned Taliban never knows when to quit. Out here.”

“Magnus out.” Sam’s hand tightened on the phone as he pressed the end call button. “I should be there.”

“But you’re not.” Kinsey took the phone from his hand and laid it on the blanket. “You heard your commander. You’re supposed to be lightening up.”

“How can I when my unit is fighting over there?” He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What if something happens to one of the guys while I’m not there?” He’d had the same conflicting sense of duty, as he sat with Leigha through her illness. He felt he should have been with his unit, saving the lives of so many. But he knew his duty was also to Leigha. In the end, he hadn’t been able to save Leigha.

“You’re not responsible for them. You have to take care of yourself.” Kinsey reminded him.

“But what if I could have helped?”

Kinsey knelt behind Sam and rubbed his shoulders. “You can’t think about all the bad things that could happen. My father called that borrowing trouble. You don’t know what will happen. Don’t always jump to the worst scenario.”

“That feels good.” He dropped his head forward, giving her better access to the stiff muscles in his neck. “I know shouldn’t worry about what might happen. But it’s hard not to. I’ve seen too many of my buddies and the soldiers, Marines and SEALs we deliver to the hot spots come back in body bags.”

“You’re not there.” Her fingers pressed harder. “You can’t affect the outcome from here.”

“Exactly. I’m not there, and I should be.”

“Wow.” Kinsey rubbed his neck, digging in with her soft, but firm fingers. “You’re all knotted up.” She patted his back and rose to her feet, pulling him up along with her. “Come on. We have to do something to keep your mind off the war and on a more calming activity.”

She gathered the remaining food and stuffed it into the bag, then folded the blanket they’d been sitting on.

Sam flung the blanket over his shoulder and hooked the bag over his arm then started down the ladder. When he was down, he dropped the bag and blanket and waited at the bottom while Kinsey descended.

On the last rung, she slipped and stumbled backward.

Sam caught her in his arms and held her tight, his cheek pressed to the side of her hair. “Steady now.”

“I don’t know why I’m so clumsy.” Kinsey laughed and turned in his arms. “But thank you.” She stretched up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you for catching me.”

His arms tightened around her, and he kissed her back.

Kinsey melted against him, her body fitting perfectly against his—all soft, warm, and inviting him to do so much more than kiss her.

He traced his tongue across the seam of her lips. When she opened to him, he darted in, caressing her in a long, slow glide. She tasted of cheese and fresh bread and fresh air and sunshine. He could kiss her all day long and never need another breath.

“There you are,” a voice said behind him, jerking him out of that special place he went when holding Kinsey.

He turned to find Mrs. D standing in the tiny courtyard with a paper in her hand. “I thought you might want this.”

Sam took the sheet and realized it was the flight reservation confirmation for Kinsey’s trip to Virginia. That brought him back to earth with a thud, reminding him that anything he started in Santorini would end in Santorini. “Thank you, Mrs. D.” He handed the paper to Kinsey. “I forgot I’d left it on the printer.” Or had he wanted to forget it?

“Mrs. Demopolis.” Kinsey touched the woman’s arm. “Do you know of any festivals or activities we can attend today or later this evening? We’re looking for something to do that is part of the island culture, if possible.”

“Hmm.” Mrs. D touched a finger to her chin and squinted toward a corner of the building. Then her eyes widened and she smiled. “Yes. A festival is happening this evening in Oia near the blue-domed churches.”

“Could we get a taxi to take us there?” Kinsey asked.

“I have a car,” she announced with a nod. “You may borrow it.”

“Thank you, but we don’t want to inconvenience you,” Sam said.

“No inconvenience. I rarely use it.” She waved toward them. “Please, take it. I won’t need it today.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Demopolis.” Kinsey kissed the woman’s cheek, making the landlady blush.

“Please, I am Esma. Call me Esma.”

“Thank you, Esma.”

And like that, Kinsey had the landlady in love with her. Sam stood back and shook his head, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. How did she do that? She’d been through so much, and yet, she kept on smiling.

He needed a woman like this to keep him from taking life so seriously. He needed Kinsey.

And the thought scared him to death.

After a quick shower to rinse out the salt from her hair and off her skin, Kinsey pulled a sundress over her head and smoothed it down her body. She combed the tangles from her hair and pulled the damp tresses into a ponytail at the nape of her neck.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, Sam hurried inside. “Five minutes, and I’ll be ready.”

“I’ll let you have ten. That’s what I took.”

“Five. Start counting.” He closed the door, and the shower started immediately.

Kinsey stared at the door, wishing she had the nerve to have shared her shower. They could have gotten done so much faster.

Or not.

Her core heated, and her blood flowed like molten lava through her veins. If they’d shared a shower, she would have said to hell with the festival and stayed in the bathroom until the water turned cold. And then she’d have dried him off from head to toe, exploring every inch of his naked body.

She touched her fingers to her still-swollen lips. His kisses had been nothing like anything she’d ever shared with her ex. Where Travis’s were lukewarm, Sam’s were hot, hot, hot!

All the nerves in her body had come alive as if they’d been jump-started with a jolt of electricity big enough to light up all of Santorini.

Her shower had been cool enough it should have chilled the heat burning through her body. But it hadn’t. Now, as she stood staring at the bathroom door, all she could think of was that Sam was naked on the other side.

Kinsey pressed her hands to her heated cheeks. Sweet heaven, what was she going to do? Was she falling in love with the man? Lust, yeah. That for sure. But the feeling was more than that.

Sam was a military pilot, risking his life every time he flew a mission. Hero material.

How could she let herself fall in love—if, in fact, that was what she was feeling? She knew the stakes. The man was not committing to anything. Kinsey was heading back to Virginia at the end of her stay on Santorini. They’d never see each other again. Hell, she didn’t even know where he was stationed when he was Stateside. Not that his location mattered. Again, he wasn’t into commitment.

Kinsey squared her shoulders. She’d known what she was getting into when she shook on the deal. Now wasn’t the time to get cold feet or have regrets.

Why should she regret spending time with a handsome man, exploring this beautiful Greek island? So she wouldn’t see him after they parted ways. She’d have some great memories to tide her over for a long time. With that silent pep talk, she was ready to face anything.

And then Sam stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in khaki slacks and a white polo shirt. The contrast with his pitch-black hair and light blue eyes made him so breathtakingly handsome, Kinsey forgot how to breathe.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Unable to push non-existent air past her vocal cords, she nodded.

“You might want to wear shoes.” He chuckled,

The sound spread over her like melted caramel. Heat burned her cheeks, and she ducked low to hide her face and find the sandals he’d purchased earlier that day. All the while, she scolded herself.

Get a grip, girl.

He’s not in the market for a relationship.

Don’t drool.

She fumbled with the buckle on her sandal, her hands shaking.

“Here, let me.” Before she could utter a protest, Sam knelt beside her and buckled the thin strap of her sandal, his fingers brushing against her ankle sent electric currents all the way through her body and directly to her core.

He adjusted the other one while she forced air in and out of her lungs. When he was done, he rose, held out his hand and helped her to her feet. “You’re beautiful.”

“So are you,” she blurted. Her face burned and she turned away, spotted his phone on an end table and grabbed it. “Let’s do a photo for the boss.” She held it at arm’s length. “Come on, get in the picture.”

He closed the distance between them, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled at the screen. Then he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“What? Why do you ask?”

“You’re not smiling.”

Kinsey looked at her reflection in the phone’s screen and realized he was right. She pasted a smile on her face to rectify the oversight and clicked the button. “I’ll let you send that while I apply some lipstick.” She dove for the bathroom and shut the door.

She hadn’t applied much makeup and was glad. What she needed was to step back into a cold shower for an hour to bring her body temperature back to normal. Instead, she wet a washcloth, squeezed out the excess moisture and pressed it to her fevered brow.

This job might be one of the hardest assignments she’d ever had. Especially if he kissed her again.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror and reminded herself that Sam had said he wouldn’t kiss her unless she asked him. And she’d asked. The way to solve her problem was to keep her mouth shut and not ask for any more of those soul-defining kisses that rocked her world and made her forget an end would eventually come to anything between the two of them.

When the color in her cheeks finally retreated to a soft pink, she took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom with a smile on her face. “I’m ready.”

He looked at her with a quizzical expression. “I thought you were going to apply lipstick?”

Damn. The heat started back into her cheeks, but she wouldn’t hide in the bathroom again. “I changed my mind.” She flipped her ponytail and winked. “It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. Didn’t you know that?”

He laughed, hooked her arm and guided her toward the door. “Then we’d better go, before you change your mind about this festival.”

God help her. When Sam smiled, the whole world was brighter. Or was it the sunshine on Santorini that made her happier?

She refused to dig deeper for the underlying reason for the spring in her step. She’d learned a long time ago to live in the moment and be happy for gift of today.

Why not let that be her motto regarding Sam? Be happy with him now. She didn’t have to borrow sadness from tomorrow.

And if she wanted another kiss today, she’d by golly ask for it.

Her heart might be in big trouble two weeks from that moment, but not on this day with Sam.