the past, would she want to be with Doug right now?
No.
That reality slammed into her. What she wanted was what she already had. For so long, she’d been using the past to keep from feeling anything for anyone else. And now, because of the Furies, that was slowly changing.
Because of Rafe.
“Do me a favor.”
Wide-eyed, Lisa glanced up at a woman she didn’t want to like, but did. “What?”
“No matter what happens with Tisiphone, promise me you won’t break his heart. He’s not as tough as he looks.”
Lisa closed her eyes. Oh, crap. She didn’t need to hear that.
Hailey chuckled. “Well, I think I’ve done enough damage here. I’m going to retire to one of the guest rooms, fall asleep in a big comfy bed and dream about a tall, dark stranger. You guys just pretend like I’m not even here.”
When Lisa pulled her eyes open, Hailey was already gone. She turned and looked out the window again. Darkness had settled in. Stars twinkled in the night sky, and moonlight spilled across the water. A light shone in the cabin of the boat, interrupted now and then as Rafe moved around inside.
Lisa’s chest tightened. If she were smart, she’d go upstairs, lock herself in a room and go straight to sleep. Because what she was feeling now was dangerous. She’d been here before, on the edge of taking a chance on a man she shouldn’t trust. And as stupid as she knew it was, she was still thinking about doing it.
“You’re certifiable,” she mumbled to herself. “How many times do you have to be kicked in the gut to get it?”
Not enough, apparently. Because her gut was telling her this time was different.
Nerves humming, she flipped off the kitchen lights and stood in the dark while she counted slowly to ten. When she finished, her pep talk still hadn’t gotten through her thick skull.
Dumb, dumb, dumb. Shaking her head, she took a step toward the door and a man that scared her more than any loaded gun.
The echo of footsteps on the deck above brought Rafe’s head up where he sat at the chart table in the cabin of the boat. Bare feet eased down the companionway, followed by two of the sexiest legs he’d ever seen.
Lisa slipped her hands into the back pockets of her short shorts. “Hi there.”
He smiled, a familiar warmth building in his belly at her presence. “Hey.”
When she took a step closer, gardenia wafted toward his nose. “What are you working on?”
He glanced at the charts in front of him. “Plotting out our course. There’s a shipping channel between here and Bimini.”
“Oh. Big ships, huh?”
“Yeah. Just trying to figure out the fastest and safest route.”
She turned to glance around the salon. Her hair looked redder against the teak walls, her skin softer in the low light. She ran one hand over the shiny table to her left as she moved through the small room, her eyes taking everything in. “This is nicer than I expected.”
“Thanks.” He tried to imagine what she saw when she looked at it. He saw years of hard work and the only weakness he had. She probably imagined it was just a toy. Part of him didn’t want to know what she thought. Another part wanted to prove to her he wasn’t just a petty thief.
He pushed aside the thought. “You two done talking about me in there?”
She shot him a wry look over her shoulder. “Yes. Hailey went to bed.”
He leaned back against the curved navigator’s seat. “Let me guess. She told you what an ass I am.”
Lisa peeked through the small window to the darkness beyond. “I already know what an ass you are, Slick.” A smile curled her sensuous lips. “Actually, if you want to know the truth, she made you sound like the perfect guy.”
He laughed and crossed his arms over his chest, knowing better than to believe that one.
She glanced around the galley before moving across the space, looked up at the skylights and the moonlight slanting through the cabin. “So, you never asked me how I ended up with Doug’s research.”
Surprise shot through him.
“Not curious at all?”
Hell, yeah, he was curious. He had a thousand questions he was too afraid to ask.
And he sensed she was on the verge of telling him. Without his prodding. If he started hounding her for answers, she might just clam up.
Trying not to let his eagerness show, he propped one foot on the shelf under the chart table. “I figured