Their uncomfortable exchange the next morning had haunted her during the long day of waiting to hear if he’d survived the horrific accident. Over and over again she’d regretted telling him that despite the best sex of her life, she wasn’t interested in a relationship with him. She’d told him nothing was going to happen, and he’d accused her of using him to get laid.

Kara had been a mixed-up jumble of emotions after he left to go sailing. The night with him had been her first sexual encounter since her longtime boyfriend dumped her two years earlier for her sister. With the hindsight of a week and a horrible day of not knowing whether Dan was alive or dead, Kara now knew that she’d been frightened by the powerful connection she’d found with him.

She’d never experienced that, even with the man she’d once planned to marry. Dan had rocked her in every possible way, first with his relentless determination to get her to go out with him and then in bed with lovemaking unlike anything she’d known before. Now she could see that she’d been frightened, which was why she’d pushed him away.

He was too damned much for her and had been from the start. But then the accident happened, and he’d been the most severely injured. He’d asked for her that night, and she’d been with him ever since, except for the hours she spent at work. She even slept most nights on his sofa after working long hours to type his manuscript for him.

After seven days of this routine, Kara was running on fumes but determined to help him make his deadline. Perhaps when the book was done they would talk about the mess they’d made of their fledgling relationship. A big part of her didn’t want to talk about it. He was still too much for her, and always would be. The drama of the accident and its aftermath hadn’t changed that fact.

She picked up the order at Mario’s and arrived at the house Dan was renting from Ned Saunders, the island’s resident land baron and cab driver. The small house was nestled in a wooded area near the island’s south coast. In the distance, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks reminded Kara of how close they were to the shore.

Bags in hand, she let herself into the house and followed the sound of Dan’s voice to the living room. He was on the sofa with his broken arm resting on a pillow, papers scattered around him, his dark hair standing on end as if he’d been tugging at it, and he wore a look of bemused aggravation on his face. Even with the dishevelment, he was sinfully handsome. Smiling, he waved her in, seeming happy to see her as always.