the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on. That was saying something because in my line of work I met a lot of good-looking men.
But this man?
Oooh mama.
Even crouched down, I could tell he was tall. He had broad shoulders, and as he reached out to help me gather my fruit, the fabric of his light linen shirt was pulled taut across his back, shoulders, and biceps.
I swallowed.
He wore sunglasses, so I couldn’t see his eyes, but I doubted they would be anything shy of spectacular. He had a square jaw covered in dark, neatly trimmed stubble. His hair was longer than I usually liked on a guy. It hung in effortless waves just past his jawline, and my lady bits tightened when he raked his fingers through it, slicking it back off his forehead.
Do that again.
He did not. Instead, he stood up and offered me his hand.
I accepted and he pulled me to my feet.
Yep. He was tall. A little over six feet to be sure. His waist was narrow and he had the physique of a swimmer who also lifted weights and probably hiked high mountains and went rowing on Saturdays and maybe even went rock climbing when the mood struck.
I was sure I’d made all that up in my head, but he was sheer strength and muscle. Everything on his body was purposeful.
I bit my bottom lip and giggled bashfully. “I’m sorry. I’m being rude. My name is Katie.”
“Peter,” he said.
“It’s nice to meet you, Peter.”
He flashed me a white, dazzling smile. “You too. Do you need a hand? You look like a person on a mission.”
“Do you have a car?”
He nodded. “Sure do.”
Chapter 7
Peter
After some persistence, Katie finally handed over her bag of fruit. It was much heavier than I expected, and I made sure not to carry it with my wounded shoulder. She walked alongside me, her gold sandals catching the sunlight with every step, and told me she worked at the honeymoon resort on the island.
“It’s called the El Cartana,” she said dreamily. “I’ve been there for about four years now as their honeymoon coordinator.”
“Honeymoon coordinator? Now that’s a job I didn’t know existed until right this minute.”
She laughed. She had a pleasant laugh. It was light and bubbly and reminded me of the way water sounded in a shallow creek as it bubbled over rocks. “Yes, a lot of people say that to me. It’s my dream job really. But it doesn’t come without its inconveniences. Like having to run down to the market to buy fruit to satisfy a demanding guest, for example.”
“And in so doing, get yourself taken out by a clumsy oaf,” I added.
Katie glanced over at me and smiled.
She was a beautiful young woman. She was tall, close to five foot eight, I would have guessed, and she had long tanned legs and white-painted toes. I noticed little bandages wrapped around her pinky toes and wondered if she was a surfer or something. Perhaps she’d cut herself on coral or burned herself sliding off her board.
“I’m equally as clumsy as you, it would seem,” she said.
I doubted that was true. She had no idea what I was capable of when left to my own devices.
Katie tucked a loose strand of brown hair that had fallen free of the tight bun secured at the nape of her neck. “You’re new on St. John?”
I nodded. “Is it obvious?”
She nodded at my bare arms and legs. “The sunburns are kind of a giveaway.”
“Touché.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Just a few days,” I said.
She nodded knowingly and shielded her green eyes from the sun as we hooked a left toward the parking lot where my truck was. “Who are you here with?”
“Nobody,” I said.
She looked up at me, obviously surprised. “A solo traveler?”
“Yup.”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“Well,” she said, “solo travel suggests a lot about a stranger.”
“Enlighten me.”
A breeze picked up and pulled the strand of her hair she’d just tucked behind her ear free. She put it back in place. “For starters, there’s always the assumption that you’re running from something. A lot of people who travel alone, at least those who I’ve spoken with who end up at the El Cartana, have escaped something back home and traded whatever that was in for a slice of paradise here.”
I blinked. How did she have me pegged so quickly?
“But there’s more than that,” Katie said. I appreciated how she didn’t pause to pry and ask if that was the case—if I was running from something. She