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The adoration in his expression brought my world to a standstill, driving out all coherent thought. My heart melted, flowing like wax through my veins, slowing everything until the moment crystalized. His dark eyes. Soft mouth. The urge to taste him overwhelmed me.

Done.I was done resisting.

I leaned forward, dragging my lips across his in the softest of kisses. It was a sweet exploration. Delicate. He kissed me back just as carefully, as if he couldn’t quite believe I’d started the exchange.

Slowly, our kiss deepened, his tongue licking at the seam of my lips, urging me to open for him. I lost track of time, running my hands across his chest, savoring his warmth and the steady beat of his heart beneath my palms. He felt strong and real. Like someone I could count on. A man made of iron, not clay.

He scooted me into his lap, dropping lingering kisses on my mouth and neck. Hitting the ticklish spot behind my ear. Awash in sensation, it was easy to forget where we were. Who we were.

His body was hard beneath me. I tilted, rocking against him, yearning for more.

Any sense of self-preservation had fled at the first touch of his lips to mine.

“Park’s closing, folks. Time to move it along.”

The words invaded my consciousness slowly, still too drugged from Drew’s kisses to comprehend language. Drew broke away,running soothing hands down my sides as if I were a horse he needed to gentle.

Cold air drifted between us, snapping me out of my Drew-induced haze.

“Yes, sir. We just need a moment.”

Drew’s voice was raspy, making me feel better about the fact that he managed to speak when I was still breathless. His mouth turned up on one side, his eyes mischievous as he took in my red face and labored breathing.

“Well, friend, as soon as I can walk, we can hike to the truck.”

I was the one who’d set the friends boundary, then broken it almost as swiftly. But I had help.

I bit my lip. We were heading to the house we were temporarily sharing. Would he pressure me for more? That didn’t seem like Drew. Drawing another boundary I couldn’t keep would make me a hypocrite, but I didn’t have the capacity for a real relationship right now, even if our make-out session provided ample evidence to the contrary.

Drew clasped my hand, leading me toward the lighthouse and the path to the parking lot. Where earlier, the waves had soothed me, providing solace, now they mocked my lack of self-control. They rushed the shore, just like I’d rushed into Drew’s arms.

Hello, mixed messages.

Drew sketched a jaunty salute to the park ranger as we walked past. “Bob.”

Inside, I cringed.Of courseDrew knew every ranger on the island. I could only hope for the older man’s discretion. If I thought the group chat had been bad after our coffee date, it was going to blow up over getting caught kissing.

Drew ushered me up into his truck, shutting the door gently behind me.

We were halfway back to town before I worked up the courage to speak. “I want to clear the air.”

“What about, darlin’?”

“I think I’ve given you the wrong idea about me.”

“And what’s that?” he asked, glancing over.

He seemed utterly calm. Like nothing major had happened at the park. Could he compartmentalize that well?

“I’m not in a great place to start a relationship. But I also really wanted to kiss you.”

He grinned at me. “It’s like we’re twins.”

I groaned. “Drew…I don’t want to lead you on.”

“There’s something you need to know about me, Anya.” He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. “You know the story of the tortoise and the hare? I’m the tortoise. I don’t move fast, and I’ve got all the time in the world. If this is your idea of the friend zone, then I’m content to hang out for a while.”

He grinned good-naturedly. “After all, it took me more than thirty years to move out of my parents’ house. A year to ask you out. Left to my own devices, it’d take me a few weeks to round first base.” He shrugged. “We’ll go at your pace. After all, studies show that couples who are friends for at least a year first have the most satisfying sex lives.”