“Can I do both?”

Alex smiled at her saucy reply. “Sure, knock yourself out and grab a couple of towels while you’re at it.”

“Give me a minute.”

“I’ve got all night.” Sure, he thought. I’ve got all night to sleep, which is what I should be doing right now. But sleep wasn’t on his mind when Jenny stepped out of the lighthouse a few minutes later, wearing a short dress and flip-flops and carrying two beach towels. He could see her bathing suit tied around her neck and was suddenly very interested in whether it was a bikini.

If there is a God in heaven, please let it be a bikini. And PS, you owe me one.

She eyed the bike with trepidation. “Where is this swimming going to take place?”

“Here.” He swung his left leg over the bike and stood, dwarfing her. How had he failed to notice earlier that he had a foot on her? Probably because he’d been too busy stuffing his tongue down her throat to pay attention to such trivial matters as height. “Come on.” Gripping her hand, he led her around the lighthouse to the steps that led to the sand below.

“I don’t think it’s safe to swim down there at night,” she said, pulling back. “There’re rocks and stuff.”

“Do you always do what’s safe?”

“Yes. Don’t you?”

“Not always. Safe is boring.”

Apparently, she had nothing to say to that, which he took to mean she was considering whether or not she was safe in the dark with him. They navigated the stairs, aided by the light of the moon, and landed in the sand, where Alex kicked off his shoes and waited for her to do the same. At the water’s edge, he dropped her hand to remove his shirt and then waited for her to pull the dress over her head, revealing what looked to be a pink bikini.

Thank you, God. We’re almost paid up.

He spread the towels on the sand and held out a hand to her. “Ready?”

“I don’t know if this is a good idea. What if we get caught in a rip current or something? No one even knows where we are.”

“That’s what makes it fun. It’s you and me and the moon and the sea.”

“All right, Dr. Seuss.”

He turned his back to her and looked over his shoulder. “Hop on Pop. I’ll keep you safe.”

She laughed—hard—and then surprised him when she took him up on his offer, climbing onto his back and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Don’t drop me.”