Mark’s smirk softened, but his eyes didn’t waver. He took a step closer, and she felt the air shift, like the gravity in the room had doubled. “That’s it? You came all the way here, after so many days, just to say thanks?” His voice was low, teasing, but there was a challenge in it, like he could see right through her.
Her mouth opened, then closed. The truth was, “thank you” was only part of it. The rest was a tangle of feelings she hadn’t fully unraveled—admiration, frustration, a pull toward him that she’d been ignoring for weeks. She shifted her weight, acutely aware of how close he was now, the towel barely clinging to his hips. Her eyes flicked downward before she caught herself, and she cursed inwardly as heat crept up her neck again.
Mark’s gaze sharpened, catching the slip. He s
