Whatever was happening between them wasn’t casual. It was more.
And he knew it.
She was like a wild creature—graceful, guarded, wary.
Afraid to trust her heart.
And for the first time in his life, he wanted to earn that trust.
She was afraid to trust her heart—just as I’d never believed I had one worth giving.
Dani stood at the edge of the dock, watching the speedboat idling back out into the channel as Demetrius guided it across the moonlit bay. The wind played with the ends of her scarf, tugging to be free. At the stern of the boat, Alexandros stood with his hands in his pockets, watching her as he had done every night for the past four nights—until distance swallowed him from view.
She pressed her palm to her chest, right where her heart thudded like a hammer wrapped in velvet.
Each night had been more romantic than the last, but tonight had been one of the most thrilling, frustrating, terrifyingly wonderful nights of her life.
She knew deep down that she was in danger of completely,hopelessly, terrifyingly falling in love with Alexandros Kallistratos if she wasn’t careful.
She turned from the dock and started back toward theGentle Breeze, her bare feet silent against the wooden planks. Her lips were curved in a smile she couldn’t hide, her body felt like it was filled with warm champagne bubbles, and her heart… her heart felt like it was no longer her own.
He had asked her to stay, as he had done each night before, but there had been something different about his request tonight. For one irrational, aching second, she had almost said yes. If he had kissed her one more time, if he’d lingered just a moment longer, her resolve would have shattered.
But he hadn’t kissed her again.
He hadn’t pressed.
He had simply… let her go.
That restraint—his quiet, honorable respect—made her respect him a hundred times more.
She reached the trawler and climbed aboard, still humming under her breath. Unlocking the double doors to the salon, she stepped inside, closed the doors, and locked them again behind her. The gentle scent of lavender she had growing in pots and the teak oil polish used on the wood greeted her like home. She twirled across the room, keys landing with a clink on the counter, before flopping onto the bench seat in a daze of contentment.
Dani started when her phone suddenly buzzed.
She glanced at the screen and laughed softly. Stuart.
She answered with a bright, “Hi, Gramps!”
His familiar chuckle rumbled through the line. “There’s my girl. I was wondering if you were still floating around out there or if some swarthy Greek sailor had swept you off your feet.”
She grinned and stretched out, one arm behind her head. “Oh, I’m floating alright… figuratively and literally.”
He paused. “That sounds suspiciously dreamy.”
“It was… a good day,” she said, and then quieter, “and a really magical evening.”
“Well now,” Stuart said, warmth laced with curiosity, “Do tell—as long as it is something my old ears can hear and my old heart can handle.”
Dani told him everything—about the job, the tools, the sea, and finally, Alexandros. Her voice softened, grew hesitant.
“I think… I might be falling for him, Gramps. Is it real? This doesn’t… feel like the last time.”
There was a long beat of silence before her grandfather spoke. His voice, when it came, was lower, gruffer. “The first time I saw your grandmother, she was standing on a street corner in a yellow dress and holding a bouquet of sunflowers. She smiled at me like she knew me… and damn if my heart didn’t leap right out of my chest.”
Dani swallowed, touched.
“How did you know?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
