“I’d appreciate it if you kept the curses to a minimum.”

“You try moving with a broken everything, and we’ll see who can keep their speech PG rated.”

She snorted. “You’re such a drama llama.”

I turned rigid. “What did you just call me?”

“A drama llama.” A smirk teased her lips. “I saw it online awhile back. I thought it was kind of funny.”

“Did you seriously just call me a llama?”

“Well, you did say you’d been called worse.”

“Not a bloody barn animal.”

Wedging the crutch under my free arm, she took a step back. I didn’t even notice I’d borne my own weight until she spread her hands in triumph. “First time for everything. Besides, it worked, didn’t it? You’re standing. Best news all day.”

You can say that again.

I flinched as she wrapped an arm around my waist.

My blood thickened as my heart rate accelerated. Different urges replaced thoughts of pain. I wanted to crush her to me and inhale the faint smell of vanilla. I wanted to lick the salt from her skin and thank her in kisses rather than words.

When I didn’t move, she pinched my side. “Come on. Let’s go. What are you waiting for?”

“If I told you, you wouldn’t want to help me.”

Her face tilted up, her eyes wide with questions. “Oh? Try me.” She looked so innocent and eager that it took everything to grin with cockiness rather than overwhelming sincerity.

“Try you?” My voice slipped into a caress; my gaze locking onto her mouth. “I appreciate the invitation, Estelle, but I really don’t think I should.”

She jolted. “That’s the first time you’ve said my name without it sounding like a bad thing.”

Sexual tension catapulted around us stronger, faster, far, far more intense than I’d ever felt before. Her arm jerked around my waist.

I slung mine over her shoulders without thinking.

“Want to know what I’m waiting for? Fine, I said I’d be brutally honest. I’ll be honest.” My head lowered, my lips coming within a whisper of hers. “I’m waiting for a kiss. I don’t want to move just in case you realise how close you are to me and run away while I can’t chase you.”

She panted as I battled with the urge of stealing a kiss or doing what was right and honouring the boundaries of first acquaintance.

I looked up at the tree canopy, exhaling heavily. “You have no idea how hard it is to be a gentleman right now.”

She cleared her throat, trembling a little. “I think you’re delirious with pain.”

I snorted. “Let’s go with that if it makes you feel better.”

“It does. It definitely does.”

“So I shouldn’t tell you that I’m hard and I barely even know you? That I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I saw you in Los Angeles?” I lowered my head, nuzzling behind her ear. “I shouldn’t tell you that I wanted to talk to you the entire flight over or that everything about you makes me happy and sad at the same time?”

The thing with having lacklustre eyesight since birth meant my other senses had heightened to compensate. Her smell (while faint) ripped my innards out and made me want to beg for all manner of things. I wanted her naked. I wanted her laughing. I wanted her far away from me so I never destroyed her perfection.

“Why didn’t you?”

I did my best to concentrate. “Why didn’t I what?”

“Come talk to me? Answer honestly this time.”

I reared back. “You can’t guess?”

She held her breath.

And I did the one thing I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do. I treated her like a damn object.

Tightening my hold on her shoulders, I brought her body in line with mine. The moment her breasts squashed against my chest, I couldn’t breathe and when her lower belly wedged against the aching hard-on in my jeans, it took everything I had not to thrust her against the damn palm tree and forget about civilised rules just so I could have one tiny, delicious taste.

Her eyes widened as she felt what I offered. My hips rolled just a little; my broken ankle growling with torment. “Does that answer your question?”

She struggled to speak which clutched my heart and scrambled my thoughts.

“No, not at all.”

“The answer is because when I want something as bad as I want you, nothing good comes of it.” I chuckled harshly. “I hurt those I love and I have no intention of hurting another.”

We both froze at the ‘L’ word. The depth of connection that came with those four little letters wasn’t something either of us wanted to discuss.

I deliberately angled my hips away, holding her at a distance. I needed her to help me walk, but I wouldn’t force myself on her any more than I had.

What a douche-bag thing to do.

We’d finally broken the ice, and I’d ruined it by sprouting all kinds of idiocy.

I groaned under my breath, passing off my stupidity as pain.

Estelle leapt into action, taking a step forward. “How about we forget what just happened and head to the beach...okay?”

“Fine.”

“Just...let me guide you. Lean on me and use the crutch. I’ll do my best to prevent as much discomfort as I can.”

You’re the cause of most of it.

At least, I managed not to say that out loud.

Nodding, I soundlessly accepted her help. I held her closer than necessary under the guise of using her as transportation. She accepted my closeness without complaint, her fingers tight around my side.