He grinned. ‘Coffee sounds good.’
‘I wish I’d seen you planking over the water... You need to close your eye.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I don’t want to get this stuff in it.’
He grinned, doing as he was told. ‘That’s not what I meant—and you know it.’
She carefully dabbed antiseptic along the scratches on his face, ignoring his sharp intake of breath. It was all she could do to control her own breathing, to stop her eyes from sliding over his naked torso. ‘I just wish I’d seen you in action, that’s all. I only saw the crowd, then Cleuso streaking towards me looking like a soggy dish mop.’
She moved on to his shoulder, trying to keep her fingers tight around the wad of cotton wool. If they so much as brushed his skin, it would be impossible not to run them over the smooth swell of muscle... ‘But planking like that...for so long...you must have abs of steel. No wonder you drew a crowd.’ She re-wetted the cotton wool ball with fresh disinfectant, stroking it slowly down the length of a deep scratch. Looking at his steely abs was not an option. He’d notice and, even though they were flirting a bit, she had to keep her head.
He winced again. ‘They were watching the rescue.’
A girl in the crowd had filled her in while she’d been gathering up Cleuso. ‘Some hot guy just saved this cat...planked over the edge so he could reach. He was awesome.’
She giggled. ‘You can keep telling yourself that if you like.’
He lifted an eyebrow. ‘Are you objectifying me again?’
‘Not me.’ She held in a smile. ‘But I can’t speak for that crowd!’ The way the woman had taken Cleuso from her...pushed her towards Theo...that heavenly hug... ‘Those people were enjoying the spectacle, is all I’m saying.’ She grinned, handing him the bottle and a fresh piece of cotton wool. ‘You can do your arms now but don’t miss anywhere. I don’t want you getting sick.’
He sniffed the bottle. ‘I don’t think there’s much chance of that. This stuff is caustic.’
‘It’s effective.’ She stood up. ‘I’m going to get you something to wear and then I’ll make that coffee.’
She felt his eyes on her back as she walked through the galley and into the guest cabin. There might have been a flicker of disappointment in his eyes when she’d put the antiseptic bottle into his hands but what else could she have done? Much as she’d enjoyed trailing the cotton-wool ball over his skin, tending the scratches that he could easily do himself would have changed the landscape, charged the atmosphere even more—it was already crackling.
She pulled out the drawer under the bunk, rummaging for something decent that Ash had left behind. The grey marl tee shirt he wore to the gym would do. She found it and held it out. Ash wasn’t as broad as Theo, but he was about the same height. She nudged the drawer shut with her foot and sat down on the bed. She needed to take a moment.
Somehow, she and Theo had progressed to casual flirting...and she liked it! She liked seeing the playful light in his eyes, the smile hovering on his lips every time he looked at her. That hug by the canal had changed things. They’d folded into each other so naturally, so easily. Signals transmitted and received without thinking. But her head had to catch up. She couldn’t let Theo’s heroics blind her. She still knew so little about him. She looked down at the tee shirt in her hands. The sooner he was wearing it, the easier it would be to keep her head.
In the salon, she found him sitting with Cleuso curled on his lap.
He looked up, eyes shining with a child-like delight. ‘I think he likes me.’
She smiled. ‘I should hope so. He owes you his life.’ She handed him the tee shirt and went to fill the kettle. Cleuso didn’t usually take to men but there he was, sleeping on Theo, completely chilled out. Was it a sign?
She scooped coffee into a jug, calling over her shoulder, ‘It was lucky you were passing.’
‘I guess.’
She made the coffee and took it through. The tee shirt was a neat fit but at least it seemed long enough. She handed him a cup. ‘So, is Sunday your running day?’
He shook his head. ‘I run every day...but I usually go early in the morning.’
She settled herself at the other end of the sofa. ‘It’s the best time, isn’t it? Quiet...peaceful. It’s when I do most of my writing.’
He nodded, stroked Cleuso’s head.
His fingers were long, his nails clean and neatly trimmed. There were fine, golden hairs on the backs of his hands.
‘I wasn’t just passing, Mia.’
Her heart fluttered. ‘I’m sorry...?’
‘I was in Vondelpark and I decided to drop in on you. That’s why I was at the bridge; I was on my way here.’
His steady gaze sent a flush of warmth into her cheeks. So he’d been thinking about her too... It hadn’t been just her, thinking about him.
‘I wanted to see you because when I left the other evening I forgot to ask you if I could take you for lunch some time.’
Lunch was safe. He was playing it safe. Maybe he was as scared as she was. For some reason the thought warmed her. She smiled. ‘I’d like that.’
He drained his cup and gently lifted Cleuso off his lap. ‘I have to go, but if I can have your number I’ll call you soon, okay?’
‘I’ll give you my card.’ She got up and retrieved a business card from her bag. When she turned around, he was on his feet. She stepped towards him. ‘Thanks again—you’re a hero.’
His eyes clouded. ‘No. No, I’m not.’ He took the card, tucking it into the pocket of his shorts. When he looked at her again, his eyes were warm and bright. ‘You’re the hero...heroine, rather. You’ve saved me from an almost certain death by septicaemia.’
She pressed her fingers to her eyes,
