His head raised an inch, and his eyes closed for a moment. When he reopened them, they were soft. Vulnerable enough to disorient her. “I want to reach out and touch your hair on my pillow, Tess. I want to see you as soon as I open my eyes in the morning.”
Yes, she could definitely fall in love with him way too easily.
“Okay.” She could barely hear her own words over the sound of her tripping heart. “I’ll spend the night.”
The dock shuddered as the ferry bumped against the tire-protected pilings, and she rose up on tiptoe. He met her halfway, his mouth hard and insistent against hers. No teasing. No finesse. Just desperation and need.
Dimly, she could hear conversation and laughter as several employees debarked from the ferry and began the short trek to the resort. But her sole focus was on the man clutching her tight and claiming her tongue like a battle prize.
Another blast of the horn, this one a warning.
“Time to board!” the dock manager called.
Belle had already climbed onto the ferry’s deck, and there was no one else traveling to the mainland on this particular trip.
The dock manager was speaking to Tess.
It was time to leave.
With one last rub of her lips against his, Tess ended the kiss, and Lucas didn’t fight it. He cupped her face in both hands and looked at her, his gaze intent.
Whatever he saw seemed to satisfy him.
His thumbs stroked her cheeks. “Please call or text me when you get back from dinner. If I’m in the middle of a lesson, leave a message, älskling. I’ll respond as soon as I can.”
She nodded, and he nuzzled his nose against hers.
Then he let her go and hoisted her backpack. “Let me get this on board for you.”
He deposited it in the storage area on the ferry and held her arm as she stepped onto the swaying deck. One last squeeze, and he retreated back onto the dock, his mouth pressed tight.
The dock manager unlooped the ferry’s ropes from around the pilings and tossed them aboard, and the boat began to drift away from the tires. Another toot of the horn to mark their departure, and the engine thrummed to life, vibrating the deck under her feet.
She wiggled her fingers in a wave. He returned the gesture, and then patted his pocket, as if checking to make sure her note was still there.
With a jerk, the boat began its journey to the mainland.
“I’ll text you,” she called out, the wind whipping her words away almost before she could utter them.
His deep voice, calm with certainty, carried over the widening water between them.
“That’s good,” he said, his fists on his hips and his eyes on her. “Because I have plans for you, Tess Dunn.”
Seventeen
After one ofhis early-afternoon lessons, Lucas checked his phone again, as he’d been doing all day. A ridiculous tic, and he knew it. Tess wouldn’t return to the island for hours yet, and during her busy day on the mainland, she wouldn’t be thinking of him, much less texting him.
This time, though, his foolishness had been rewarded. Tess had left a voicemail at some point during the lesson. Not a text. Which was another generational marker, he figured, and one he appreciated.
He wanted to hear her voice. Missed her voice.
More foolishness.
Sadly, when he played the message, covering his other ear with his palm to limit background noise, he found he’d been mistaken. His foolishness hadn’t been rewarded. Not at all.
Her voice was crackly. Tired-sounding. “Lucas, this is Tess. I’m sorry to bother you while you’re working, and this is incredibly awkward, but I figured you should know.”
His chin dropped to his suddenly-aching chest.
