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carefully? Why did her slight weight against his body affect him physically?
    At least the second question was easy enough to answer, Bryce thought wryly. He’d gone too long without a woman. But why was he questioning himself when the purpose of this stroll was to give him the opportunity to question her?
    Stopping when they reached the southern tip of the island, he asked, “How long have you known Jean Moreau?”
    “Since I arrived on Hibiscus.”
    A vague answer that could mean a week or a year, Bryce thought.
    “I’ve wanted to meet the man. I’ve heard a lot about him and how he single-handedly turned this island from a swamp into a paradise,” Bryce said, hoping to fool Caitlin about his intentions. “But he hasn’t been around tonight.”
    “He’s probably up at the great house on the hill over there,” she told him, pointing back in the direction from which they’d come. “Jean usually has a late dinner so he can eat under the stars. He says it makes him feel one with the universe.”
    She certainly knew Moreau’s habits well enough.
    “I heard he’d gone off the island on business and won’t be back for a few days.”
    “Really?”
    Did she seem relieved when she sagged against him slightly? But why? Perhaps she was bored with Moreau already and that was why she’d hoped for more company from the anchored yacht in the harbor. Or was she thinking that she could do what she wanted with him while her lover was away? With Caitlin still pressed against his side, her softness stirring him physically, Bryce didn’t find the thought unappealing.
    “What kind of business does he have off the island?” he asked, stroking her bare arm with his fingertips.
    “I, uh, suppose he’s off picking up supplies or something.”
    She sounded a little odd. Had he hit on a nerve? Was she afraid she might reveal too much? But she had no reason to suspect him.
    “I suppose he must go to one of the larger islands to get his supplies,” Bryce said casually, turning her to face him. He pulled the flower from her hair and brushed it against her cheek. “Like St. Vincent.”
    “I—I don’t know.”
    Her eyes were wide and innocently seductive as she stared up at him. When Bryce ran the hibiscus down to her chin, she licked the bow of her top lip. An erotic gesture guaranteed to turn him on. Well, it was working. Drawing her even closer so that her small breasts pressed against his chest, he felt the nipples tighten against him.
    “I’ll be staying in the area for a while, so I thought I might have the opportunity to meet Moreau later. I just wondered how soon you might expect him back.”
    “I didn’t even know he was gone,” Caitlin whispered, seeming a little breathless. Then she laughed shakily before adding, “And he certainly isn’t compelled to report all his movements to me, you know.”
    Drawn to Caitlin O’Connor in spite of himself—in spite of his good sense—Bryce knew he wouldn’t find it difficult to make love to her right here in the open if it was necessary to get the information he wanted. And it seemed that might be required of him, since she was so reluctant to reveal anything of value.
    Or could it be that she didn’t know anything? Was she innocent or very, very clever? He’d do his damnedest to find out.
    Bending toward her, Bryce touched the bow of her lip with his tongue. When he felt her shudder, he murmured, “But then, even if I knew when Moreau was supposed to return, I might miss him if he docks off another part of the island.”
    “Impossible. The reef—”
    Then he was kissing her, and Bryce found it difficult to keep his purpose in mind as she tantalized him so deliciously. She kissed like an innocent, her lips trembling, her tongue shyly touching his own, then retreating. Her body trembled, too, as his hand moved, along her spine, around her waist, and up to the side of her breast. When she moaned, he deepened the kiss, finding her tongue with his, demanding that she