“The guests weren’t upset—I have video to prove it.” He pulls out his cell for emphasis. “And I warned Gustavo that James, the chief marketing officer, doesn’t like to be bothered with nonissues.”

My nerves tingle and my heart thunders. Standing, I stride across the small space, rubbing my temples. “You did it again.”

“What?”

“Helped me when you had the advantage. Do you even want this promotion?”

“More than you know.”

“Then why not let Gustavo tell James? You know it probably would have taken me out of the running.”

“Which is exactly why I couldn’t let it happen. You deserve a fair shake. And with the way James treats you…” He trails off and clears his throat. “Anyway, I owe you.”

“What do you mean? You don’t owe me anything.”

His eyes flash. “What really happened on the kayak today?” he asks so quietly I barely catch it.

“I—I got startled and fell in.”

“I thought you lost your balance.”

“I did.”

“But something startled you first?”

I nod.

He stalks toward me, but there’s nowhere to go. I’m trapped between the beds. Dipping his chin, he searches my face. “What was it, Henley?”

Should I lie?

“I heard something,” I hedge.

“Your sister asking me to blow off the next excursion and meet her in your cabin?”

I take a hasty step back and my calves bump into my bed. “Um, what?”

“Oh. So you didn’t hear that…”

“No! I mean, I knew she was hitting on you. She licked your ear.” I grimace.

Tilting his chin up, Graeme’s face splits into a radiant smile. “I knew it. You are jealous.”

“Me? Jealous?” Heat gathers at the base of my neck and I clutch the lapel of my robe. “Get real.”

“You’re scowling.”

“You’re annoying.”

“I owe you an apology.”

“Accepted.”

“Not for this.” He motions between us. “I’m sorry for not making it immediately clear to your sister that I wasn’t interested. I should have set her straight, but I wanted to see how you would react. And boy, did you react.”

My cheeks flame. “I did not.”

“So you’re telling me you wanted to go kayaking with that… that… chiropractor? And it had absolutely, positively nothing to do with me?”

“Not everything’s about you, you know.”

Graeme’s nostrils flare. “Aren’t you tired of this game? You can’t tell me you weren’t jealous. I saw your face on the beach this morning. Like you were starting fires with your mind.”

This conversation is diving into dangerous waters. My legs itch to flee, but I’m boxed in between the beds with nowhere to go.