Page 61 of Island Protector

“It’s all right,” Dr. Sanders said. “Go on and pick him up and by the time you’re done there, you can swing back this way to take Miles home. As long as that suits you.”

Miles nodded. “Works for me.”

“Great. It’s settled.”

“It could be another hour or so,” Molly warned him. “The pick-up line is slow.”

Dr. Sanders nodded. “That’s fine. We’ll have plenty of time to get him up and ready to be on his way.”

“Great. Thanks.” She turned, reaching for her purse, but Miles held on tightly. “Where’s my goodbye kiss?”

She felt heat flood her cheeks. At a loss for words, she bent to kiss his cheek only to have him steer her lips to his.

“Better.” His smile was slow and sexy, despite the discoloration along his jaw. “See you soon.”

As declarations went, Miles had made his point. She hurried away, avoiding eye contact with the doctor and Diedre.

Miles was moving so fast. Too fast? She wasn’t sure.

It felt as if they’d gone from friends to lovers overnight. They had. Except they weren’t lovers, just good kissing partners.

Good? Ha. Kissing Miles stirred her imagination and her hormones enough that she was willing to break her rules and settle for an impractical fling if he couldn’t promise a lasting relationship.

Her lips felt too hot all the way to the school and through the slow-moving line. When Bryce climbed into the car, he immediately asked to go down to the marina.

“We have an errand to run first.”

He groaned. “I want to see Miles.”

“He wants to see you too.” Catching his eye in the rearview mirror, she smiled. “In fact, that’s where we’re going.”

“To the boats?”

“No. Miles is at the clinic.”

“He’s sick.”

He wasn’t well. “He had an accident last night.”

“Like the accident we had?”

Pretty much. “Sort of,” she replied.

The question swirled around in her brain. Miles had made the outrageous suggestion that she might distance herself from him, but what if her troubles had rubbed off on him? He’d been attacked after their date. Those pictures, the threat, proved someone had been watching her and Bryce. Her lawyer said things were off with the custody case.

Someone was messing with her life, but who? And why?

Suddenly, the heat of the kiss was gone. She was cold all over as a new fear chilled her from the inside out.

“Mom!” Bryce hollered for her attention. “Was it a car thing? Was he wearing a seatbelt?”

“No. Not a car. He was walking home. I don’t have all thedetails. I just need you to be really careful around him, okay? He’s super sore.”

“Careful with him like with Addison? She’s fragile.”

“Yes, please. That’s a great comparison, sweetheart. I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.”

Miles was ready to go when they returned to the clinic. He was waiting just inside the door in a wheelchair, chatting with the nurse.