Except, she was missing the hero part. All she had was Dr. Crankypants, and judging by the punishing pace, he was trying to lose her in the jungle.
"Wait up," she called out, trying to catch up. "Are we in a race or something? Slow down and enjoy the beauty of nature—which, if I'm being honest, feels ironic that I'm the one saying it to you and not the other way around."
"I have a schedule to keep. If you'll recall, I'm here on business, not a vacation."
"Okay, I get it, I'm an unwanted guest but it doesn't have to be all bad. I'm actually a fun person if you give me a chance."
Alex ignored her comment and kept walking.
She had expected a morning of leisurely hiking, maybe some playful banter. Still, she quickly learned that Alex took his fruit as seriously as he did his studies on Ilot Serenite's delicate ecosystem.
And apparently this precious fruit grew at the heart of the island because it felt like they were walking to Japan.
"How much further?" she panted, realizing her Pilates class hadn't prepared her for this kind of cardio.
"Keep up," was all the encouragement she got as Lily hopped over a fallen log, catching glimpses of the clear blue sky through the dense canopy above.
Trailing behind Alex as he chopped their way through the dense jungle, she realized there was something a little sexy about how he handled himself with such confidence.
"Why hello, Dr. Carmichael. What a big machete you have," she murmured. What kind of man was Alex Carmichael when he wasn't isolating himself on a deserted island for fun?
Pardon, research, she mentally corrected herself.
She couldn't picture him in an office, but he seemed right at home hacking away at the big jungle leaves like he'd been born a pirate explorer.
Wait, am I attracted to this? Hmm, plot twist.
Granted, red was her favorite color, so when a red flag waved in front of her face, she launched herself straight into the emotional damage with extreme prejudice.
But she'd never been with the sexy brainiac type. He had that nerd thing going on with his big brain, but there was no hiding those solid biceps swinging that sharp jungle knife.
She smothered a shiver.Interesting.
Finally, Alex started pointing out the trees that would bear the fruit they were looking for, and after another hour or so, they'd loaded enough in their bags to head back.
Alex swung the bag onto his back using the straps as an anchor so his hands remained free to chop at the vines.
Even that was impressive. Was he getting sexier by the minute?
Maybe the humidity was cooking her gray matter.
She was happy to have the fruit, but the sticky heat clung to her like a second skin, and the weight of the fruits they gathered began dragging at her limbs.
The banana bunches were heavier than they lookedand the coconuts... well, they might as well have been boulders.
Alex glanced back at her struggling with a particularly stubborn coconut that kept slipping in her sweaty grip. He stopped, watching her wrestle with it like it was a greased pig at a county fair.
"You're holding it wrong," he said.
"There's a wrong way to hold a coconut?"
"There's a wrong way to hold everything." He walked back to her, and for a moment she thought he might actually take it from her—but instead, he repositioned her hands, his fingers warm and calloused against hers. "Cradle it against your hip, not your chest. Uses your core instead of your arms."
Lily adjusted her grip, hyper-aware of how close he was standing. "Like this?"
"Better." He stepped back, but not before she caught a hint of something that wasn't pure irritation in his expression. "You're not completely unteachable."
"Wow, such high praise." She batted her lashes dramatically. "With motivational skills like that, it's a wonder you're not a life coach."
