She wasn’t afraid, just alert. Aware. Aware of his intensity, and how energy seemed to crackle around him. He wasn’t moving, and yet she could feel the air hum.

She’d never met anyone like him before. And if she weren’t here, trapped on an isolated island with him, she’d be intrigued. She’d be tempted to test the fire and energy, but she was trapped here, and the survivalist in her told her she needed to be careful, and she needed to get off the island. Soon.

“Does no one else live on Kamari?” she asked, filling the taut silence.

“Just my staff.”

“Are there many?”

“A half dozen or so, depending on the day and occasion.”

“And do you ever leave here? Will we ever go anywhere?”

His mouth quirked, his dark eyes narrowing. “You’ve only been here a few hours. Are you already so anxious to leave?”

“I’ve never been to Greece.”

“And here you are.”

She smiled and glanced past him, her attention drawn to the blue horizon. “But I see other islands. They cannot be that far.”

“The closest is Amorgós. It is twenty-six kilometers away.”

“How do you get there?”

“I don’t.”

She allowed her smile to grow, stretch. “What if I wanted to visit?” she asked lightly.

“And why would you want to do that?”

“I might want to shop—”

“You want to buy olives...bread...soap? Because that is all the shops have there this time of year. It’s not high season. In winter, Amorgós is not for tourists. It has a few small shops with meat and produce, but that is all.”

“Surely there is more to the island than that.”

His broad shoulders shifted. “There is a ferry, a hospital and a monastery—plus churches. Many churches. But no museums, no café culture, nothing that would appeal to you.”

“You don’t know me. How do you know what would appeal to me?”

“You are young and beautiful. Young, beautiful women like to have a good time.”

She laughed, entertained. Or at least, it was what she’d have him think. The quickest way to lose control was to get emotional. “That is so incredibly sexist.”

“Not sexist. I’m just honest. And before you think I am being unfair to the female gender, let me add that young, beautiful men like to have a good time, too.”

“But not you.”

“I am neither young nor beautiful.”

“Are you fishing for compliments?”

He leaned forward so that they were just inches apart and stared deeply into her eyes. “Look at me.”

Oh, she was, and this close his eyes weren’t just dark brown, but rich chocolate ringed with a line of espresso. His lashes were black, thick, long, perfectly framing the rich brown irises. His black brows were strong slashes. “I’m looking,” she said calmly, her cool voice belying the change in her pulse, her heart beginning to race.