My shoulders relaxed. I hadn’t realized how on edge I’d been sitting with Xavier on my own, being pinned by those eyes that seemed to see right into me. And it occurred to me that even though we’d left the market so Xavier could make a phone call, he hadn’t touched his phone.

“Josie,” Evan said. “I’ll accompany you and Dauphine back to the boat. Xavier has a meeting.”

“Oh.” I took one more sip of lemonade and then stood. “Of course.”

Dauphine grabbed her Orangina, asking if she could carry it in the bottle. Then Xavier handed me the package with the baguettes, cheese, and honey, with his eyebrows rising above his sunglasses in challenge. “Try not to eat it all at once? At least save me some.”

I thanked him awkwardly because I was so touched and surprised and frankly shocked he was teasing me and giving me gifts of food, which was basically the fastest route to my heart, then the three of us headed back toward the market stalls. I tried to enjoy the glimpses of the old town that I could see past the market setup and relished the feeling of being on firm ground.

But soon the port and the water were in sight.

It had been a fun day and I felt as though I’d finally gotten a glimpse of the real Xavier Pascale, and it hadn’t done a whole lot to squash my attraction.

That thought sent a ripple of panic through me. This situation was just a tad too seductive to be safe. As soon as I got back to the boat, I would work on my resume. The sooner I had a plan to get out of here on time, the better.

Chapter Eighteen

I gasped for air, sitting straight up as the pressure in my chest woke me from a fitful sleep. Moonlight streamed a blue glow across my bedding. The boat rocked gently, and all was quiet. I opened the small window and dragged in a lungful of warm salty air.

And another.

The water lapped and tinkered.

It wasn’t enough. I slept with the cabin door open every night, but even that didn’t stop me from waking with a gasp every now and again. This week, I’d taken to tiptoeing up the stairs to the top deck and peeking carefully around to make absolutely sure I was alone. Only then could I inhale lungfuls of fresh, cooler, night air to tide me over. I never stayed long. After a trip to the upper deck, I’d often fall into a much deeper and undisturbed sleep until morning.