Page 20 of Island Holiday

The smart path was clear. She could say yes. Tell him it was all in fun. Suggest a fling.

“No,” she whispered. Heat flashed through her system and all her senses were locked onto him. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to leap into his arms. Waiting, she expected him to make a move.

A smile slowly moved across his face. “Good to know.” He stroked the curve of her cheek. “Will you let me kiss you again?”

Again, the smart path lit up in her mind like runway lights. And she diverted, following desire or her heart—her mind was too muddled to be certain which. “Yes.” Anytime, anywhere. She couldn’t wait.

“Lucky me.” He gave her a soft peck on the cheek and then backed away, going straight for his laptop.

Because they had a case to work. Three young women to find.

It took a minute for her knees to stop trembling. Who knew how long it would take for her typical logic to kick in again?

Chapter 7

Connor and Sonya hadworked in their separate corners through the rest of the night. At least, he worked through the night. Sonya had gone to her bedroom at some point. Knowing her commitment to this case, she probably kept working. Mostly, he felt bad for not noticing her departure.

He’d been consumed with his search, confident he’d found a trail. But following it—tedious work from one facial recognition point to the next—didn’t pan out. Irritated with the wild goose chase, he’d gone to his bedroom to crash, only to have his Sonya fantasies overtake his dreams during the few hours he slept.

And when he wasn’t dreaming of her body tangled with his, he was fighting off men who wanted to take her away from him.

He woke to sounds of her moving around in the kitchen and soon the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee motivated him to get up. Should’ve seized that open invitation for more kisses when he had the chance. Although making out with Sonya would likely lead to even more inspiring and arousing dreams.

He dragged himself to the shower—cold—and got dressed. Even put on his shoes immediately. He wanted to be prepared for anything. Yesterday’s close call at the coffee shop proved she’d made herself a target. The trick would be to figure out what had tipped off Zimmer and exactly what he’d hired those thugs to do if they’d caught her. He suspected Gamble would be reaching out with an opinion or a solution soon.

One more facet of a frustrating case, but Connor would keep Sonya safe no matter what.

When he walked out of the bedroom, she was in the center of the condo, her hands wrapped around a mug, staring at the entertainment center.

“Is the remote on the fritz?” he asked. “You can always walk over and turn it on.”

She turned quickly, then hissed as hot coffee sloshed over the cup’s rim and onto her hand. “Ow!”

Crap. Now he felt bad. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Just annoyed with myself. Lost in thought.”

He took a moment to hope she’d been thinking about him for even a fraction of the time he was distracted by her. Ambling toward the kitchen, he was grateful for the fresh coffee in the pot. “Is it the coffee, me, or something else?”

Her head tilted as she trailed him. “Something else.”

Leaning back against the counter, he breathed in the rich scent before taking his first sip. She was far more potent than the caffeine he was about to gulp down. Her hair was pulled back from her face this morning, the curls gathered high on her head. Her gaze was intense and her dark eyebrows knit into a thoughtful frown. There were faint shadows under her eyes, but those didn’t detract from her overall beauty. Her lips… Well, best not to focus on the masterpiece that was her mouth. She nipped her lower lip as she gathered her thoughts and all he wanted to do was take over and soothe that spot himself.

He had to stop this. Had to find his self-control. Wasn’t as if they didn’t have other things to discuss. Besides, he’d come clean and made his interest clear. Best to give her time and space to make the next move.

Assuming she meant it when she said she’d let him kiss her again.

He realized a beat too late that she’d been talking while his mind drifted. He took a slug of coffee and held up a finger to stop her. “Apologies. Can you start over, please? Not enough sleep.”

Sympathy flared in her big dark eyes. “Do you struggle to sleep in new places?”

Yes. “Depends on the place,” he allowed. Prison was particularly harrowing and not at all relevant right now. “The accommodations are fine. Just not enough hours.”

“Oh.” She set her coffee on the counter for a refill and he tried not to be jealous of her head start. “I didn’t sleep too much myself. I was just admitting that the finances just aren’t cooperating.”

This was not the news he’d hoped for. One of them needed to find a crack in Zimmer’s armor—and fast. “When you analyze finances, do you recognize a certain pattern in the way an individual handles their money?”

Her frown returned. “That’s a fairly accurate assessment. There are always patterns to deposits and withdrawals. Most people get paid on a schedule and pay their bills the same way.”

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