Connor continued to lean toward her. “That’s the least sexy thing I’ve ever heard.”

She was going to kiss the crap out of him later. Forget being careful and smart. She tried to push him away and protect him, but he didn’t want to be left alone. Now he wouldn’t be.

“You want some sexy times?” She dropped her voice to a soft whisper. “You’ve got to earn them.”

Their bodies stayed locked in that position. Just inches apart.

His gaze traveled over her face like a caress. “That’s a valid point.”

“I’m a smart woman.”

He held up a finger between them. “You get one conversation with this guy.”

Honestly, she would agree to anything he said right now. “Yep.”

“No other stops or detours.”

He smelled good. She couldn’t name the scent but it was a fresh, clean smell. A scent of soap that seemed to be magnified by his general hotness. “Right.”

“There are no hidden pieces here, right? Like, he lives four islands away and it will take two days to get there.”

Why was he still talking? “The errand will take no more than an hour.”

“Then?”

She liked that he wanted to be sure on consent. She was more than willing to give it after two days of pretending not to notice each other. “I’m all yours. And so that we’re clear? It’s been a long time, so I am ready.”

He jumped off the barstool and held out a hand to her. “Let’s go.”

Dom Clemons shoved the dirty rag he’d been using to clean a wrench into the back pocket of his too-baggy jeans. He glanced up as Connor walked Maddie down the pier to him.

“You’re back,” Dom said, not sounding particularly excited by the idea.

Maddie walked a bit faster and ended up standing slightly in front of Connor. “We need to come to an understanding.”

Dom pointed over her shoulder. “Who’s this?”

For a second, Connor thought about not answering. Maddie ran this show. Having Dom ignore her to talk to him was pretty annoying. Connor couldn’t imagine how much that sort of thing ticked Maddie off. “Connor Rye.”

“You related to the other Rye guy who was here over the summer?”

Looked like they were back to that question. It had been a few days since he had to field it. “Yes.”

Dom shook his head. “Not good.”

Sibling protectiveness surged through Connor. He could think Hansen was a pain in the ass sometimes. That didn’t mean he liked anyone else thinking it. “Any specific reason you say that?”

“He showed up on Whitaker and people died.”

Yeah, that. Connor couldn’t really argue with that point. Well, not much. “He didn’t actually kill them. He helped solve the case.”

“Irrelevant.”

Connor was not a big Dom fan so far. “Is it?”