BRITTANY THREW HERSELF into camp life. As well as running an archaeology activity, or Mini Dig, as she named it, she helped out on and around the beach. For many of the children, camp was the end of their summer and soon they’d be back home and into the new school year. Some would be seniors, all would have learned something different over the summer months and hopefully left Camp Puffin having made new friends. The knowledge that the end was in sight made those final days all the more precious. The camp continued over the fall months in a leaner version, directed towards school groups who used it as part of the biology or geography syllabus, and teachers who signed up for wilderness training. Philip was keen to add archaeology and Brittany was still exploring the options for that.

She formed a habit of rising early so she could walk to the camp. There were two routes from her cottage. One curved around the rocky coast, and the other cut through the forest. Either way, it was a long walk but she loved being outdoors and enjoyed the exercise. In Greece the summer months were too hot to allow for long walks, but here on the island the combination of sun and sea breeze made for perfect hiking conditions. When the weather was bad and the fog settled over the ocean, she zipped up her raincoat and stayed under the protection of the trees.

She loved the seasons in Maine, even the long winter. During the freezing winter months the nature of the island changed, but if anything she loved it more. As an unbridged island they relied on the ferry. The service was scaled down in the winter and sometimes didn’t run at all if the weather was too wild. As a result the community relied on each other, watched out for each other and created a web of support.

Although Brittany didn’t love being the object of pity, she did enjoy the community spirit.

Winters for her had meant cozy evenings indoors with her grandmother and friends, playing cards, games or chatting over a meal while snow fell outside the window. She’d done her homework on the scrubbed kitchen table to the sounds of bubbling on the stove as Kathleen had cooked their supper. Her grandmother had prepared warming casseroles and homemade soup from vegetables she’d grown herself and stored in the freezer. Sometimes the snow had been so deep they’d had to dig their way out of the cottage, and sometimes they’d endured ice storms and long power outages. Kathleen had kept the cottage well stocked and treated every obstacle as an adventure.

Being back at camp reminded her of those times.

As the days passed, her wrist ached less and when Zach flew her over to the mainland for another checkup, this time the news was better. The doctor told her that the bones appeared to be healing well and the plaster could be removed on her next visit.

“And the first thing I’m going to do,” she told Zach as they prepared the kayaks for an afternoon of water sports, “is swim in the sea.”

“Happy to throw you in anytime. Just say the word.”

“You did that once before.”

“Yeah. You were spitting mad.”

“Because I was still wearing my clothes!”

“Not for long. Seem to remember I helped you out of those wet things pretty quickly.”

She remembered it, too. She remembered all of it. “Very generous of you.”

“There are no limits to the sacrifices I’m prepared to make to get a woman naked. Push that kayak farther up the beach or it’s going to end up halfway across the Atlantic.”

“I know as much about kayaks as you.”

She pretended to be annoyed, but the truth was that working with Zach had proved easier than she’d anticipated. Of course there were days when he wasn’t around. Days when he disappeared to fly people with more money than she could imagine to remote parts of the state or up to Canada. But the rest of the time he pulled his weight in the camp, helping out wherever he was needed. There was a quiet strength about him, a self-assurance and confidence that meant the camp counselors often turned to him for advice. And so did the children.

Except for Travis.

He turned to no one.

Each week of camp ended with Starlight Adventure, and Brittany was hoping that this particular activity might give her the opportunity to spend time with Travis.

The day before the overnight camp, she dropped into Harbor Stores to buy a selection of snacks for the hike through the forest. Today there were no issues with the weather, not even a hint of the fog that so often plagued this part of Maine in August. The bright sunny weather had brought a flood of summer visitors and the store was busy. Grateful to be able to avoid a conversation with Mel, she got in line behind a family loaded down with beach gear and two excited children, paid for her purchases, and then strolled out into the sunshine.

Main Street was busy, a mix of locals and tourists, all keen to make the most of the last days of summer.

On impulse, she took a detour via Summer Scoop, the ice-cream store that Emily had been trying to turn around over the summer.

One look at the line told her that her friend had done a good job.

She stood patiently, admiring the murals on the walls that Sky had painted along with some of the locals. The fresh paint and cheerful decor was proof that when things were tough, the islanders pulled together.

“Brittany! What can I get you?” Lisa beamed at her from across the counter, her smile yet more evidence of the turnaround in the fortunes of her business.

“You’re busy.”

“Insanely busy. I could cry with relief. I sold more ice cream this morning than I did in the whole first week of July. And it’s all because of Emily. She’s a genius. Scoop of the day is Salted Caramel Crunch.”

“Scoop of the day?”

“Emily’s idea. I promote a flavor. Larger scoop, lower price.”

Conscious that the line was building up behind her, Brittany nodded. “Salted Caramel Crunch sounds good.”

“Make it two.” Zach’s voice came from behind her and she felt delicious warmth spread to every corner of her body.

She was fairly sure the warmth reached her face, which was an embarrassing turn of events for a woman who’d believed she’d left her blushing days behind in her teens. Because she didn’t want him to see how flushed she was, she took her time turning around.

“You’re expecting me to buy you an ice cream, Flynn? I’m a penniless archaeologist.” She cast what she hoped passed for a casual glance over her shoulder and her mouth dried. Now it wasn’t just warmth, it was heat. The way he was looking at her made her feel as if she might need to call the paramedics.

911 dispatch, what seems to be the problem?

Well, there’s this guy …

“I’ve got this.” He handed over a bill, and took both ice creams. “I’m interested to know how you were planning on eating ice cream and carrying that bag when you only have one hand.”

“I admit I hadn’t thought it through. Ice cream finds a way.” And in any case, if Zachary Flynn had the same effect on the ice cream that he had on her, her salted caramel would be in a puddle around her feet in seconds.

The intense pull of lust was entirely inappropriate for their surroundings. They were standing in a crush of small, eager children.

Reading her mind, Zach gave a faint smile, led the way through the throng of children and parents, and held the door open for her.

She brushed past him, wondering why she should find such an old-fashioned gesture sexy when she’d been opening her own doors for most of her life.

Outside the sun dazzled, and she put her bag down and took her ice cream from him.

“Thanks. Do you realize this is the first meal you’ve ever bought me?” Trying to act normally, she licked around the edges, catching the sweet melting drips with the edge of her tongue.

“I bought you dinner when we were dating.” He broke off as Hilda approached and Brittany saw his shoulders tense.

“Good morning, pumpkin. How’s that wrist of yours behaving?” Hilda beamed at Brittany and gave Zach a speculative look. “I hear you broke into Kathleen’s cottage.”

Zach was still. “Yes, ma’am.”

Brittany waited for him to explain that he’d heard her scream, but he didn’t. He said nothing and she felt a rush of exasperation.

“He was helping me out, Hilda.”

“I know. Emily told me all about it. She was round helping Agnes adjust some curtains the other day.” Hilda nodded approval and patted Zach on the arm. “Good to know you’re looking out for our girl. You have strong muscles and I like a man with strong muscles. My Bill was the same. We had a lot of fun in the bedroom.”

Brittany didn’t look at Zach. “Hilda—”

“What? Sex isn’t just for the young, you know. The only difference is that we oldies aren’t allowed to talk about it. You need to eat your ice cream before it melts.” She gave his arm a final squeeze. “And fix that lock for her. If anyone knows how to make that cottage secure, it’s you.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Not by the flicker of an eyelash did Zach show any reaction to the oblique reference to his murky past.

As Hilda wandered off to her next conversation, Brittany closed her eyes. “Sorry. If it’s any consolation, I think you’ve been given the seal of approval. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“She cares about you. They all care about you.” He finished his ice cream. “And she’s right that your lock needs fixing. I’m going to deal with that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that lock.”

“I gained entry into your property in under five seconds.”

“That’s because you have special skills.”

He turned his head briefly and there was a sardonic gleam in his eyes.

She knew his mind wasn’t on his housebreaking skills and neither was hers.

Sweltering under the heat of her own thoughts, she licked at her melting ice cream. “And for the record, you never bought me dinner, Flynn.” She moved farther away from the line that was now trailing out the door and down the street. “And, let’s be honest, we didn’t date. We hung out and had lots of sex.”

“And then got married.”

She kept her voice light. “Put like that it’s hard to see how it went so wrong.”

“Are you saying I owe you dinner, Dr. Forrest?” He spoke slowly, in that rough masculine voice that had always made her nerve endings tingle.

“You don’t owe me anything. But I now owe you a Salted Caramel Crunch ice cream. I don’t want to be in debt, not even for carbs and sugar.”

He smiled at her.

Her heart thudded and she felt a rush of excitement and awareness that only ever happened when she was with him.

His smile turned speculative and his gaze dropped slowly to her mouth. Neither of them spoke, but they didn’t need to. She knew, she just knew, that they were thinking the same thing.

And those thoughts had nothing to do with Salted Caramel Crunch ice cream.

As a teenager she’d spent far too much time staring at his mouth and when she wasn’t staring at it, she’d been kissing it. If ever a man’s mouth had been designed for that task, it was Zach’s, and if anything, his knowledge of what to do with that mouth had increased.

The struggle not to touch him was killing her and she suspected it was killing him, too.

She wanted to rest her mouth against him and breathe him in. She wanted to strip him naked and explore every inch of his body, discover the changes in him. Not a quick slaking of mutual lust like that time in her hallway, but a long, slow, intimate discovery.

“Zach—”

“No.” His voice was thickened, and he dragged his gaze from her mouth with visible reluctance. “No.”

“But—”

“We’re not doing that again. I won’t hurt you again.”

Emotion hit her like a rogue wave, burying her in memories. It was all there, the excitement, the hope and the bitter misery.

The two of them stood alone, an island in a sea of tourists.

People flowed past them, laughing and chatting as they strolled along Main Street, dipping in and out of Surf and Swim, and enjoying the quaint charm of the village.

Zach lifted his hand and gently removed a blob of ice cream from the corner of her mouth. “It’s the right decision. You know that.”

She didn’t know that.

All she knew was that she was burning up inside.

To try to break the atmosphere of intimacy, she breathed deeply and looked towards the harbor where the Captain Hook was docking. “I bought provisions for Starlight Adventure. Managed to get in and out of Harbor Stores without an interrogation from Mel.”

There was a tense silence. “You’re going on that trip?” There was no missing the lack of enthusiasm in his voice.

“I know I’m not exactly an extra pair of hands, but I tell great campfire stories and I can help if any of the kids are scared in the forest at night. But I’ll be delegating spider-removal duty to someone else.”

“I’ll be available for spider duty.”

Awareness shivered across her skin and seeped deep into her soul. He was badass, a little dangerous and insanely hot. Looking at him made her dizzy, as if she’d smacked her head on a hard object. Her brain, which had served her perfectly well for most of her life except the parts when she’d been with him, stalled. For a few seconds the only words she heard were I’m available, and then the implications of his words sank in. “You’re going on the Starlight Adventure?”

Now she understood why he’d greeted the news that she was going with so little enthusiasm.

“I help when I can. I teach basic wilderness survival skills.”

A fact that raised his hot factor another few notches. “So we’ll be spending the night in the forest together.”

His gaze didn’t shift from hers. “Us, a camp director, four other counselors and eighteen kids.”

That should have killed the rush of lust but it didn’t. She still wanted to press her mouth to his and kiss him until they were both starved of air. She wanted to slide her fingers into his glossy dark hair and strip off the T-shirt that fitted so snugly over all that hard muscle.

“Philip didn’t mention you’d be going.”

“No.” Zach’s tone was short. “I don’t suppose he did.”

“He probably didn’t think it was relevant, as we’ve been working together anyway.” Or perhaps he was meddling. Would he do that? No, Philip was camp director, not Cupid. But suddenly it all seemed too complicated. Swamped with feelings she didn’t understand, she stepped away. “I’d better go. I’ll see you back at camp.”

“Wait.” He cursed softly. “How are you getting there?”

“I was going to call Pete.”

“I’ll take you.”

It was obvious from the grim set of his jaw he would rather have stuck pins in himself.

“Forget it.” Pride took precedence over convenience. “I know it’s a nuisance for everyone having to help me out all the time. I can do this myself.”

“You think that’s what’s going on here?” He planted his arm against the wall of a shop behind her, caging her so that she couldn’t walk away. “You think you’re a nuisance?”

His mouth was close to hers, his eyes dark pools of sexual promise.

“Zach—”

“Yeah, I’m finding this tough. You are, too. But that doesn’t mean you need to take a cab. We’re adults. Just because the feelings are there, doesn’t mean we have to do anything about them. We can make a choice, and that’s what we’re doing.”

His arm was next to her cheek, her lips a breath away from the brutal swell of his biceps. All she had to do was turn her head. “So what was the other night?”

“Random sex.” His voice was low and rough around the edges. “It’s not going to happen again.”

“Do you often have random sex with people? Because I don’t.”

His eyes darkened to a dangerous shade of black. “I don’t want to know about your sex life.”

“Good, because I don’t intend to talk about it.” And suddenly the whole thing seemed ridiculous. Of all the men she’d met in her life, the only one who made her feel this way was her ex-husband.

There was no justice.

He eased away from her. “Get in the car, Brittany. I’ll take you back to camp.”

“Thanks. And, by the way, I don’t like possessive men.”

A smile flickered at the corner of his mouth. “And I don’t like smart-ass women.”

“So we’re fine, then. Nothing to worry about.”