“White, please,” she confirmed. “The mixed drinks are pretty watered down as you’ll no doubt discover.”
Flashing her a smile, he ordered two glasses of white and then focused on her. “Been here long then?”
“A couple of days. But I’ve been working out of the university at Freeport for a few months. This was just a side trip to hang out with my brother while I’ve got some time off.”
“So you’re practically local.” Charlie handed her the wineglass and clinked his rim to hers. “To the luck that put us at the same resort at the same time.”
That was worth drinking to. They both swallowed, watching each other.
His eyes were a beautiful shade of ice blue, something she’d missed earlier when they’d been covered up by sunglasses. No chance of missing a thing now as raw appreciation flashed through them.
“I like that dress on you,” he murmured. “If it’s okay to say so.”
She smiled. “It’s always okay to give a woman compliments. Thank you.”
“Then I feel it’s important to tell you how much I like the swimsuit from earlier too.” His own smile matched hers, but then he glanced around at the crowd, which had gotten thick in the scant few minutes since she’d walked in. “Can I be brutally honest with you?”
Brows raised, she nodded. “That’s preferable in my book.”
“Indoors is not my thing. How would you feel about taking a walk with me on the beach?” He held up a hand before she could answer. “Since we just met, if you’d rather stay in a public place, I’m fine with that too. It’s your call.”
Well, then. She’d been about to spit out the fastest hell yes of her life to the walk on the beach, but then he’d gone and iced that cake with a thick layer of gentlemanly principle. The little ball of warmth in her abdomen turned into something with a bit more bite.
Last names aside, there was something solid about this guy that she didn’t often sense. As if he could handle himself in any situation with flair, but he’d never forget to call his mother on her birthday. She hadn’t been this attracted to someone in a long time.
“I’m an outdoor kind of girl myself, actually. And I watched you with Isaac today. You were patient and kind with someone you had no reason to care about. Also, I’m a third degree black belt.” She shrugged as Charlie blinked twice in rapid succession. “I spend a lot of time in various stages of undress around men who can only be described as rough. I can take care of myself.”
“Since we’re being honest, I have to admit that’s one of the hottest things a woman has ever said to me.”
She laughed. “You should get out more.”
Charlie signaled the bartender to pour their wine into plastic cups and carried hers as he led her out of the bar to the wooden steps leading down to the beach. They took off their shoes and left them on a lounge chair near the walkway, then stepped out onto the sand, still warm from the long-gone sun.
“I have to ask,” he said as he handed over her cup. “What it is that you do half-dressed in the company of men? Because my mind is insisting on envisioning all sorts of things that I’d like to be sure are accurate before I commit to them.”
Moonlight spilled over the sand, turning it silvery and mystical. The rush and shush of the surf provided a backdrop to their conversation that was surprisingly sensual. Or maybe that was a product of the Caribbean air that wound between them, drenching them both with romance and expectation.
Was there anything more perfect on earth than a moonlit walk on the beach with a gorgeous, attentive man? The possibilities were endless and she liked them all.
“I was being provocative on purpose,” she admitted with a grin. “Because I enjoy flirting with you. The truth is much less interesting than I’m sure you’re imagining. I’m a doctoral candidate studying the communication and behavior of bottlenose dolphins. Ninety percent of my day, I wear a swimsuit and I’m in the water.”
“I’ve changed my mind. That is the hottest thing a woman has ever said.” Charlie’s attention was riveted on her, and she liked that too. “How far away are you from your dissertation?”
“I should be on track to get my PhD this summer. What about you? Are you secretly a black ops agent who parachutes into hostile territory? Is that why you know your way around parachutes?”
“Something like that,” Charlie said with an easy laugh, but she dug her feet into the sand, turning to face him.
“Are you serious? I was right?” She’d been totally kidding, but if that was true, wow. It increased his sexiness factor by a thousand, and it had already been off the charts. No wonder his torso was so exquisitely sculpted.