This seat taken?” A nicely-timbered voice asked.

Ally glanced up and took her time looking over him before she answered.

He arched an eyebrow and smiled. “Did I pass muster?”

“How do you do?”

He cocked his head to the side. “I’m good, you?”

Ally laughed. “I’m glad you’re good, but how do you do is more like, hello.”

“Hello.” He smiled and ooh, he was cute. “So I do pass muster?” He moved to sit down.

Ally held out a hand. “Not so quick, chump.” His dark hair was short, military or missionary short, but it was nice—clean and thick and would probably feel good on her fingertips. His face was lean and proportioned with a firm jaw, straight nose, and smooth, tanned skin. She liked the crinkles next to his eyes and mouth as he smiled at her, awaiting her perusal. He’d had some experiences in life, good and bad, if those crinkles told her anything. He was a big guy—broad and at least six-three with lots of lovely muscles peeking out from underneath his t-shirt and board shorts. It was his eyes that finally convinced her to accept his request. A deep brown that seemed to sparkle at her, though she could tell he could be very serious with those eyes.

He tapped the edge of his tray. “How about now?”

“Okay, no harm in sharing a table.” She grinned. “But I’m not keen on taking you home … no matter how appealing those puppy dog eyes are.”

His eyebrows both went up at that. He set his tray down and slid into the seat. “Do you regularly take men home?”

“Don’t get your hopes up.” She winked at him and picked a bite of rib off the bone, savoring the tang of the barbecue sauce and the heartiness of the meat. No, she never took men home, only selectively dated those who passed her intuition test. She trusted her intuition completely and she could have fun with this hot, tough-looking guy.

He laughed and dug into his brisket. “Mm. This place is good.”

“One of my favorites.”

“Have you been on the island long?”

She wished. “A few days.”

“Oh. You act like a local.” He ate a bite of beans and took a drink of water before asking, “Which part of England are you from?”

“London, Kensington to be exact. You?”

“Long Island originally. I like your accent a lot.”

“I’ve been in the states for over six years so it’s faded.”

“Don’t let it fade.”

That made her smile. “So, I’m Ally.”

He nodded. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“And you are?” He didn’t seem to reveal much, but he was super attractive and was putting off good vibes. She prided herself on being able to read people and this good-looking man had a great aura—confident and strong but mindful of others. Ally had no problem making a new friend.

“River.”

“And what are your plans today, River?”

“Besides eating lunch with you?”

She smiled. “Yeah, besides that.”

“I was hoping to go on a hike. You know any good ones?”

“For sure. Fancy a buddy?” She took a bite of the chunky chili.

“I’d love one.”

“Let’s do it.” She took a long sip of water and appraised him. This day kept getting better and better. Picturesque scenery, beautiful weather, nice bike ride, yummy lunch, and now a fine-looking buddy to go on a hike with.

They finished lunch and walked toward the parking lot. “I need to run by my house to pick up my trainers and backpack,” Ally said. “Do you want to meet up in half an hour?”

“Sure. Where?”

She gave him directions to the Nā Pali coastline hike trailhead and walked away. Turning back, she saw him watching and gave him a little wave. Yep, he was cute yet had a little bit of a bad boy feel. She grinned to herself. Running away from home was definitely the best move she’d made.

River watched Alexandria walk to her bike with his fists clenched and disbelief filling his head. She had no clue who he was and she’d checked him out, flirted with him, and then eagerly agreed to go on a hike. Was she completely innocent, stupid, not caring who she hooked up with, or a little of all of the above? He’d assumed the daughter of a duke would be stuffy and proper and a pretty easy person to follow around and keep safe. Ally was friendly, beautiful, and much too trusting. What a nightmare.

He drove to the home Sutton had set up for him, across the street from Ally’s rented house on Hanalei Bay. He saw her lock her bike up and ducked so she wouldn’t see him. Soon enough he’d have to tell her who he was, but he wanted a little more time to observe and see what would be expected of him on this job. If she acted around all men like she’d been with him a few minutes ago he would definitely need round-the-clock surveillance. Thankfully he’d brought the cameras for that.

He changed into hiking shoes and threw some water bottles and granola bars into a small backpack then drove to the trailhead. It was almost three so they only had a few hours of daylight left. He wondered if she had enough sense to even realize that. She seemed like a fly by the seat of her pants kind of girl. In another world, she’d be interesting to him. In his security world … no way.

River was standing by the trailhead watching for her when Ally pulled into the parking lot in a white rental Jeep, a twin to his own rental. She found an open stall in the busy parking lot and bee-bopped out of her Jeep dressed in a tank top and yoga capris, prancing over to where he waited. “Hey there. You up for it?”

“Sure.”

“Let’s do this.”

She strode past him with a grin and started climbing the dirt-packed trail. Luckily it hadn’t rained for a few days so it wasn’t as muddy as he’d heard it usually was. He followed behind her and he couldn’t pretend he didn’t like the view, but his mind was spinning trying to figure out how to keep her safe without her realizing who he was. Sutton hadn’t cared if he revealed himself or not, as long as he kept her safe for her family, but this afternoon was about feeling out the assignment.

A lot of hikers were coming the other direction, but nobody was headed toward Hanakapi’ai Beach, or the farther hike to the waterfall, this late in the day. Ally set a great pace and even though he’d kept in top shape after leaving the military, he wouldn’t call this an easy hike and he’d eaten a bit too much at lunch. His stomach was churning as they crested the rise and hit the mile mark. The view was incredible of the leafy green mountainside and the beach and ocean far below. They cruised down the other side, greeting all the hikers headed out, and finally reaching the two-mile point and the beach covered with boulders.

Ally stopped and whirled to face him. She pulled a water bottle out of her backpack and took a long drink. River followed suit. Sweat was dripping down his back. The humidity was definitely higher than San Diego.

“You up for hiking to the waterfall?” she asked.

He lifted an eyebrow. “Will we make it back out before dark?”

“Blimey! It’s only two miles. We’ll make out fine if you stop slowing me down.”

River wanted to respond, but her accent had him in some sort of trance so he laughed and gestured to the trail. “Lead the way.”

The next couple of miles got more intense. They had to climb over boulders and either wade through the river or shimmy from rock to rock. River had seen a lot of gorgeous terrain when he’d been stationed in the Philippines but Kauai’s lush mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and beaches could hold their own with any scenery.

They finally reached the end of the trail and the waterfall, both pausing on the boulders to stare up in awe. A decent stream of water cascaded down hundreds of feet over mossy green rock and ended in a wide pool. The water in the pool wasn’t clear enough to see the bottom but it flowed down the river they’d hiked next to and wasn’t stagnant.

The pool and surrounding rocks were deserted as the sun was low in the sky. River looked around and his stomach dropped. How dare Ally come to some isolated paradise with a man she didn’t know? She’d checked him out and seen how well-built he was. It made him sick to his stomach that she was so clueless. Anyone could take advantage of her.

As they reached the pebbled area next to the waterfall she gave him a mischievous glance and then dropped her backpack, turned, and ran straight into the pool. Diving into the water, she swam toward the waterfall. The force of the water drove her back away from it, splashing water into her face.

River watched. This girl was nuts. He would think she was fun if he wasn’t responsible for her safety.

“Come on, chum,” Ally hollered to him.

River blew out a breath, dropped his backpack, and peeled off his shirt. No reason to be completely wet when he got out.

Ally’s eyes swept over his chest as he walked toward her and she gave him a coy grin. This girl was trouble. No wonder her parents had been so willing to pay top dollar for River to protect her. Hopefully it was simply protecting her from herself. If there was a stalker or someone bent on hurting her, this innocent creature would be done for.

He stepped into the water and shivered, you’d think all water in Hawaii was warm, but it was February. He dove into the water and swam quickly to Ally. The spray from the falls was strong. It stung his face, but he’d been born to be in the water and it didn’t bother him.

“Isn’t this the bee’s knees?” she asked, all childlike exuberance.

“Yeah.”

They treaded water next to the downpour from the waterfall for maybe half a minute then she grinned and splashed some water at him before swimming away. She stopped and stood in water about waist deep. Water streamed down her smooth, tanned skin and her wet hair looked like gold. Her tank top clung to her chest and abdomen. She was far too beautiful and apparently clueless of that fact.

In a dozen strokes River was next to her and stood on the uneven boulders that made up the bottom of the pool.

She glanced up at the greenery surrounding them and the water cascading down. “It’s so … invigorating.”

She stuttered a step and River moved forward to steady her. The rocks were slippery and unstable. “You okay?”

“Yes. Thanks for sharing this with me! Cheers!” She threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips. Her lithe body was warm against his chest and her lips were soft and seemed to mold perfectly to his. She pulled back, laughed, and dove under the water like some sea nymph.

River sat there, completely stunned. That kiss had been sweet and innocent yet warmed him all the way to his bones. She couldn’t really act like this with every guy she’d met, she wouldn’t have any of the innocence left that leapt from her bright blue eyes. Didn’t she realize how dangerous this was? Being alone with some guy she didn’t know was one thing, flinging herself at him and kissing him? So many men would take advantage of her quicker than she could blink.

Now where was she? He glanced around the small pool. Had the waterfall gotten a hold of her and pummeled her against the rocks?

He was coiling to dive in after her when she surfaced and wiped the water off of her face. “Isn’t this fun?”

River couldn’t take it any longer. He pushed through the water, grabbed her arm, and hauled her back onto dry ground.

“Are you daft?” Her eyes finally widened with fear, maybe there was an ounce of sense in that pretty head. “Let me go!”

River released her arm, but he stayed right in her face. “Are you completely insane?”

She blinked up at him. “Because I swam in a waterfall?”

“No.” He ground his teeth. “Some guy picks you up at lunch and you invite him to go hiking to an isolated spot?”

She backed up a step. “I don’t think it’s usually this … quiet.”

“Well it’s quiet right now,” he thundered, making up the step she’d taken. He wrapped his hands around her arms, ignoring the warm rush he felt at touching her. Her eyes darted down to his hands then back up to meet his. “And then you kissed me?” He shook his head. “You are completely and maddeningly naïve. Do you realize how many men would take advantage of you right now?”

Ally let out a small squeak and looked up at him, her blue eyes concerned yet still filled with trust and hope. “But you wouldn’t.”

River could not believe her. “You think you’re some judge of character?” he asked. “How do you know what I would or wouldn’t do to you?” He felt bad that he was scaring her but she needed a good scare, she needed to be terrified and stay in safe places and best case scenario head back to her family. Her father should’ve demanded River bring her back home immediately and locked her away somewhere safe. Oh, she was making his head hurt.

The Protective Warrior is coming soon!