7. Dan

"That's my favorite one," she noted. She was going to kill me with how sweet she was. How open and giving. "I mean…" She shrugged like she was embarrassed. "The yellow just pops even more against all the white and bright blue," she explained. We'd just made out and were now talking color schemes and shit that caught her eye.

I liked that.

No, I more than liked it.

"That still doesn't change the fact we just met," she pointed out. I was coming on strong. I needed to be careful. I didn't want to spook her.

"You're right." I nodded, knowing what I was about to suggest was going to give me the world"s worst case of fucking blue balls. But I didn't give a shit. I was a grown man. I knew how to take care of it until I had her. "How about a change of plans?" I suggested.

"Oh?"

"I walk you home, and tomorrow, after you work?—"

"I'm off tomorrow," she quickly shared, and I relaxed. It killed me to change the idea of bringing her home with me. But she was right. We didn't know each other. I liked that she was smart enough and had enough self-perseverance to pump the breaks on this. At the end of the day, I was practically a stranger, and even though I knew I would rather cut my dick off than hurt her, she didn't know that.

"Call me when you wake up, and I'll pick you up," I quickly amended. Yeah. This way, I'll get to see her first thing in the morning. I could rent a boat and take her out on the water.

"Pick me up? I could just walk—" I shot her a look, and she pressed her lips together. Good girl.

"I'll pick you up." I stood firm. It was better for her to know the kind of man she was dealing with right now. Before things got too carried away and there would be no walking away. You really think you can walk away from her now? that voice perked up.

I couldn't.

"I wake up kinda early," she warned. The smile on my face, the one I wasn't used to sporting, broadened. I pulled her into me and stroked the side of her face with the outside of my fingers.

"That works for me, Kare Bear."

"Kare Bear?" Her lips twitched. "No one's ever called me that."

"Good." I liked being the only one to call her that. I could see her trying to figure out a way to argue with me. About her nickname or calling me in the morning, I wasn't sure. But I saw the moment she decided she wasn't going to.

"You sure you want me to call you that early? You're on vacation. You should sleep in—" My hand tipped her head up by the chin, and those pretty, dark eyes widened.

"That works for me because it means I get to see you earlier and hopefully means I can spend the entire fucking day with you. Which only makes my day that much better." Her body melted further into mine, and I liked it. It seemed like I liked everything about her. The feel of her against me, giving me the weight of her body, trusting me not to hurt her, her kiss.

"I might bore you after an hour," she said softly. There was something in her gaze that made me think she really believed that could happen. What kind of idiot guys has she dated? Not that they mattered anymore.

She was mine now.

Mine to love and protect and take care of every which way she needed caring for. Even if it was only for the time I was in town for.

"Somehow, Kare Bear, I don't think that's possible." I leaned forward and kissed her lips then the top of her forehead before pulling away, making sure her hand slipped to mine before we started to walk. We took a couple of steps before she stopped.

"Just so you know…. I really did want to go over to your place tonight. I wasn't playing games or—" My groan cut her off, and her pretty brows bunched.

"You're killing me, Karolina." I liked the way her full name sounded off my tongue. I rested my forehead against hers and picked her up again. Much like we were a moment earlier, her legs wrapped around my waist, and when we pulled away, we were at eye level. "I'm gonna have you over soon. It"s not an if but a when. But I don't wanna fuck this up by rushing you. You don't know me yet. I'm a stranger you just met, and you gotta be smart."

"Fuck what up? I mean…" She licked her lips. "You said you were here for two weeks, Dan. This thing between us isn't... I just mean, it's a fling, right?" Her eyes searched mine.

I didn't like the sound of that. A fling. No, a deep voice in my head took over, the very same one that called her mine when I had spotted her out on the sand just last night. Jesus, had I only seen her back last night? The stark reminder of how fast I was falling was enough of a reality check for me to grunt noncommittally.

"I gotta go back home eventually." The words sounded wrong. Somehow, home no longer felt like home.

"Right." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She wiggled out of my arms, and I set her back down on the ground carefully. "Okay, Hot Stuff, walk me home, then." She slipped her hand into mine. I had a feeling a wall was being built around her, and I couldn't blame her. This magnetic pull was out of this world, but we had to be real. I didn't live here. You could, though.

"Ready." I nodded, and we started to walk, side by side.

The town was quie,t but there were a couple of people coming and going. Just from the couple of blocks we walked, I could tell just how popular my girl was in town with how many waved and smiled at her. She was a part of Poppy Beach's community, that much was clear.

Wherever life took me, wherever I went after this, there was no way I could ask her to come with me. She loved her little beach town, and they loved her. There was no way I could ask her to leave it. By the time I dropped her off at her door, I was torn.

I should have been a better man.

One who would have clearly called off any plans and avoided her like hell for the rest of his trip because a fling, as crappy as the word was, was all he could offer her.

But I didn't.

Instead, I kissed her until we were both panting and aching for more. She's once in a lifetime. I shook away the thought and caressed her face. Fuck, she was beautiful. Her light brown, dirty-blonde hair was still up in a ponytail. Wisps of it framed her face, and I leaned in closer.

"How are you so damn soft?" I asked, mostly to myself. Her pretty, dark eyes warmed, and she leaned in closer, her hand pressed against my chest. "Give me your phone, baby." Without hesitating, not only did she hand it to me but gave me her password to unlock it. I added my number and called my cell so I would have hers, too. When I handed it back, she smiled.

"Thanks for walking me home."

"Thanks for having dinner with me."

"Hmm, it was fun." She chewed on her bottom lip, and the pad of my thumb pulled it away.

"You're going to hurt this pretty lip." Karol blushed, and I sighed. I wanted to kiss her again so badly I could taste it.

"Thank you for finding my pen." Jesus, she was sweet.

"You're very welcome. Thank you for letting me walk you tonight." She opened her lips but giggled instead.

"I have to tell you, I'm having a hard time saying good night. I don't want you to go," she confessed, and I groaned. My forehead rested against hers.

"I don't want to go either."

"Would you like to?—"

"Please, for all that's good and mighty, don't finish that offer," I groaned. If she did, there was no way I could force myself to walk away. To try and get to know her and spend time with her without making her think it was a one-night stand.

"Why? Afraid to meet my sister?" she teased, but I shook my head.

"If you say what I think you will, I won't walk away, kitten. I like you. I want to get to know you a whole lot better, and I don't want you to regret getting to know me."

"Regret?" Her eyes shut for a moment. When they opened, there was so much reflected back at me. "I don't think that would be possible."

"You're too sweet, baby."

"Hmm." Her eyes dropped to my mouth, and I couldn't help myself. I kissed her for a good long moment.

We were breathless when I pulled away. My body was overheated, and my dick throbbed against my cargo shorts. "Good night," I whispered against her lips. "Text me in the morning?"

"Okay," she agreed softly. She rose on the tips of her toes and kissed me again. Light with a barely-there touch that made me ache for more of her sweetness. "Will you text me you got home okay?"

"I will," I promised before I did one of the hardest things I'd done since leaving the Navy, maybe harder than that.

I forced myself to turn and keep walking, but not without glancing over my shoulder. Sure enough, she was still standing there, watching me with the sweetest, most adorable smile on her lips and heat in her eyes that held promise.

And I couldn't wait for the sun to rise to see her again.