He kissed her as hard as he’d ever kissed her before, pouring every ounce of love he felt for her into the meeting of lips and tongues and teeth. He kissed her until he had to stop because of the screaming pain in his side. “I don’t care if you have a hundred single, fetching sisters, you’re the one I want. The only one I want.”

“You say that now, but—”

Pinching her lips together, he said, “Kara, listen to me. Please listen. What your ex-boyfriend did with your sister was despicable. It was despicable on both their parts. But I’m not him. I’ve waited a long time to feel this way again, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to continue feeling this way for as long as I possibly can. I feel this way for you. I love you. Your single sisters can go straight to hell for all I care.”

She was smiling when she leaned in to kiss him, taking the lead this time and blowing him away with the force of her desire. “I love you, too, you knucklehead. I was just testing you.”

Her words filled him with overwhelming relief and satisfaction and a tad bit of annoyance. “That was not nice.”

“I know, but it was funny listening to you send my poor sisters straight to hell when you haven’t even met them yet.”

“That wasn’t my fault. You set me up.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you talk way too much?” she asked, kissing him again.

“I’ve heard that a time or two in my life.” Thrilled with her, he lost himself in the kiss, forgetting all about the pain in his ribs and the pain in his heart he’d carried for so long after his ex-fiancée cheated on him.

A throat was cleared behind him. “Ah, excuse me, Kara?”

She broke the kiss and pulled back from Dan.

He turned—carefully—to find one of her drivers standing behind him, looking embarrassed to have caught the boss making out on the dock. For her part, Kara didn’t look the slightest bit embarrassed, which pleased Dan tremendously. Only a few weeks ago, she would’ve been mortified.

“Oh, hey, Tim, is it six already?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Let me get my stuff off the boat, and then it’s all yours.”

Dan never took his eyes off her as she gathered her belongings and went over a few things with Tim. When she was done, she got off the boat and came over to him. “Ready to go?” She held out a hand to help him up.

He took hold of her hand and got up, grimacing at the pain in his ribs.

“We need to get some meds into you.”

“I won’t say no to that.”