Page 26 of Island Whispers

The life that didn’t involve him shadowing her twenty-four-seven.

When the call ended, silence reigned in the car. He was quiet due to all the questions piling up in his head. She’d answer his questions about their brief personal history eventually. Or maybe never. Pushing her would only make her uncomfortable with his role as her protector.

“Nina—”

“Damn it!” Nina kept slinging curses—in Italian—he guessed. “How hard is it to catch one man?” She ranted on for another full minute, and though he didn’t know the words, he got the gist of it.

Boone gawked and then busted out laughing. He couldn’t help it. Neither the words nor the fierce outburst matched the woman and business professional as he knew her. She hadn’t even slipped into talking dirty in bed.

“What is so funny?”

Her eyes sparked with temper. She was more than annoyed. He’d offended her. He tried to smother the amusement. Because he liked cussing-Nina as much as every other facet of her personality she’d shown him. He was learning who she was—the real woman—hour by hour, and found her more and more intriguing.

Captivating, really.

Beyond the sexy music lover he’d met a few weeks ago, she was also a smart, savvy businesswoman, with a keen sense of humor who pumped heavy rock music through her earbuds when the afternoon slump set in.

“Nothing,” he gasped. “Nothing is funny.”

She hummed. Not a friendly sound. “I am a grown-ass woman,” she said, watching him carefully. “I can use all the words.”

He swallowed another laugh. “I know.” He started to reach across and touch her and stopped himself. Better to keep his hands to himself and keep the car on the road. “You use them all quite well. And in two languages.”

Her chin lifted and she folded her arms. “Thank you.”

Contrite, he apologized. “I’m sorry for laughing. Please forgive me.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Are you going to laugh every time I cuss?”

“Of course not.” He crossed his heart. “I promise.” He hoped it was a promise he could keep. Because the mere echo of those words tumbling over her soft, sweet lips made him want to laugh again.

Chapter 7

Nina grudgingly woke up with the sun and dragged herself to the bathroom for a shower. She’d planned to sleep in. Sunday was the one day she indulged herself with some extra sleep and a slow start.

But last night with Boone, on what felt suspiciously like a date, had left her restless and uneasy.

Needy.

Her dreams had been too vivid, all of them involving her and Boone and every available surface. Still, she blamed the general restlessness on Spratt wandering about, free to cause whatever trouble he set his mind to. A situation she had zero control over, unless she wanted to escape to a safe house.

No, thank you.

Because, needy.

Unless they took Boone off her case and dropped her into a safe house with a protector she wasn’t wildly attracted to. Somehow, she didn’t see him liking that idea. And she wasn’t keen on running away from trouble. Not when Spratt likely knew exactly where she worked. She didn’t want to hear about him harassing Molly or anyone else on Central.

So she’d stay, which meant Boone would stay. He seemed relatively content to be hanging out, attached to her at the hip. He was always offering to cook or get food. The man liked to help and there wasn’t much for him to do at the shop unless heavy lifting was involved.

His helpful nature was a good thing. He applied himself to every task with a sincere and generous effort. She was trying to accept that at face-value. Wasn’t easy considering her lingering embarrassment over how they’d met. How she’d left him.

That brilliant act of cowardice had been running away. Clearly, the tactic didn’t serve her well.

And yet, Boone seemed invested in the job. In her. She caught a few glances he aimed her way when she was working.

Glances that made her knees weak and her heart skip. Made her wonder if one more night wouldn’t be good for both of them. For closure.

No. No. No. That kind of thinking had to stop. Sure, the attraction was simmering, but he was here watching over her as his job. Taking advantage of the unexpected proximity would be unethical.

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