Kara wondered what was taking Max so long to come back from the plane. She wasn’t sure how long he’d been gone, but it had been awhile already. Her mind strayed back to the time they’d spent together. She smiled. Talk about a sex god. He’d given her exactly what she’d been missing—so much hot sex her skin was still blazing.

What scared her were the soft emotions filling her heart. It wasn’t in her nature to have sex without emotions, but she’d thought this time she’d be able to handle it. It was clear she’d developed feelings for Max. And while she’d already been in lust with him, her heart told her things were much more complicated now.

The camera dangled from a thick rubber band around her wrist. Maybe she’d gone a little picture crazy, having taken shots of Max sleeping while he held her in his arms. There was also a shot of him right when he walked out of the water. Droplets clung to his skin, and his golden tan glowed to perfection.

After she donned a tank top and shorts, she pulled out her emergency chocolate. Nerves had made her desperate for the sweets. Thinking of a long-term relationship with Max gave her more than nerves. It gave her full-blown panic. And why the hell was she thinking of being with Max after they were rescued? Because she realized Max was really a human inside a lonely, workaholic shell. He was sweet, nice, and fan-fucking-tastic when it came to sex. She wanted him for herself, dammit!

“What are you doing?” Frozen over her mental dilemma, she didn’t notice Max approaching.

She screeched, jumped, and dropped the chocolate from her hand. She groaned while peering down at the sand-covered truffle.

“Darn it! Don’t ever do that again. Do you know how precious one of those little gems is? I can live off those things. Well, that and chocolate cake, but there’s no cake here, so they’re all I have.”

When she pouted, he laughed. She looked into his mischievous gray eyes. Her throat dried up and lust flared to life.

His eyes darkened, and he used one hand to help her to her feet. “Later. I promise. Right now, I have something I want you to see.”

“Okay,” she replied. “How’s the scratch on your leg?”

He scoffed. “You mean the rub of skin that bled enough to send a shark racing toward us?”

She swallowed hard remembering yesterday. “Yeah, that scratch.”

“It’s fine. Can barely tell where it is.”

If they made it off this island alive, she’d do whatever the divine force wanted. Even if that included Max. Especially if it included Max.

With their hands entwined, they walked into the trees and after a few minutes, a stream came into view. Her eyes widened when she took in the beauty of the scene. Crystal clear water cascaded over jagged rocks. It traveled down into a lazy river that turned into a small pool and then back into a river. Mother Nature was truly an artist.

She stared at the clear water in awe. “Oh, Max. This is beautiful.”

“Yeah, I know. But that’s not what I brought you here for. It’s for that.” When he turned her to face the side of the pool, her breath hitched, and warmth flooded her chest.

One of the blankets from the plane lay on the soft grass. On the blanket sat several small paper plates with various delights. There was one that had fruit they’d picked, cut up, and was ready to eat. Another held a mound of trail mix, and a third had some wrapped muffins. In the center sat a single wrapped cupcake. Her heart melted in her chest. How in the world was she going to let him go after this?

A knot the size of a baseball formed in her throat and made it nearly impossible to speak. “What’s this?”

He turned toward her and used one hand to pull her into him. He curled his other hand around her neck and caressed her jaw with his thumb.

He brushed his lips over hers. “Happy birthday, baby. I’m sorry you’re missing out on your cruise because of me.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, hard. Tears filled her eyes. She held back from crying all over him. If her father saw her, he’d have a full-grown cow, because his daughter did not cry.

Max’s steely arms held her tightly to him, and happiness enveloped her. She needed to stop weaving fairy tales in her brain. He was just being nice.

She pulled back and gave him a smile. One she hoped didn’t show the rollercoaster of emotions running rampant inside her.

“Thank you. This is so awesome.” She grinned and blew a raspberry. “Besides, who needs a cruise when we are already in paradise?” Remembering the camera, she pulled it off her wrist and clicked off shots of Max, the spread, and the cupcake. He pulled the camera from her hand, hauled her into his arms, and took a picture of them both while he kissed her head. She was not going to cry. No way.

They sat on the blanket, and she went straight for the fruit. Papayas, mangoes, and pineapples. Yum.

“Okay, Max. This has been driving me insane since forever, so I have to ask. How the hell do you stay so tanned all the time? I was starting to resemble the bride of Dracula, and you look like you just came back from the beach every day. How do you do that?”

He laughed outright at her curiosity. She smiled at how nosy she sounded. He leaned back on a tree trunk and popped trail mix into his mouth. She clicked another shot of him.

“You do know we have a track on the top of the building, right?”

“Yeah. So?” Of course, she knew there was a track, not that she ever used it. Who the hell did?

“I run in the mornings, or in the afternoon. Whenever I have time or if I need to work out a problem with a contract.”

“That still doesn’t explain your tan. You’re all golden brown like a pancake. Damn. Now I want pancakes.”

He laughed at her again. “I don’t run fully clothed. I only wear running shorts.”

Her eyes widened. Oh lord! Did he mean she’d been missing out on him running half naked on the rooftop of their building? That sucked big time. She pictured him running around the track, his skin glistening with perspiration, and all those muscles contracting with each step. “Oh, okay.”

He grabbed a pack of matches that had been lying on the blanket. “Now it’s time for you to make a wish.” He lit one and brought it near her lips.

Their gazes met and held. Should she? Oh, what the hell. She closed her eyes and wished for more than a quick fling with Max. Then she opened them and blew out the match. When her eyes lifted to look at him, the camera clicked. They sat staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity.