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be so ridiculous. You’re gorgeous, just the way you are.”
    He grinned. “Well, I guess that’s progress on ‘cute as a button’. Not such a compliment to my manliness being called cute.”
    I laughed—a quick expulsion of tension. I probably shouldn’t have called him that. He was definitely in the gorgeous young man category and not like a cute button at all.
    “But about tonight,” he said, becoming serious. “Come stay on the boat. The beds are all made up.”
    “I’m not sure, I—”
    “It’s simple,” he said. “You have the double cabin, and I’ll sleep on deck. That way, you can use the bathroom and the kitchen without me in your way. It will be like having a hotel room.”
    “You can’t sleep on deck.”
    “I can and I have many times. The benches are comfortable enough, and I like to look at the stars, not something I get to do much in Washington State.”
    What he was suggesting was a solution to my immediate problem of not having a roof over my head for the night, but it was leaving him without one over his. “I don’t know.”
    “Please, apart from the fact it’s busy season and all the hotels are likely to be full to the brim, I’ll only worry about where you are. Come back to Dolly Bird. She’s perfectly comfortable and all stocked ready for you.”
    “Well, if you’re sure.”
    “As sure as I was that we’d be spending tonight in that double cabin together, but there you go. I’m a take-it-on-the-chin kind of a guy.” He rubbed his jawline, and the bristles against his palm generated a grating sound. “I’m also damn patient.”
    I raised my eyebrows. “Meaning what?”
    “Meaning I was being dead serious all those times I told you I loved you.”
    I pushed my hair back from my face. My head was a little woozy from the wine. “I’m sure you did. And I did, too, it’s just…”
    “Yeah, yeah, I’m just a boy.” He stood and held out his hand. “Come on, let’s get back, you look exhausted.”
    I took his hand.
    Once I’d stood, he didn’t let go.
    As we walked out of the bar, hand in hand, I was relieved that the conversation about our ages had come to an end. Nothing could happen between us. So what was the point in hammering it out over and over?
    We’d had fun, but it had all been fantasy, not reality. And now it was over. It would dominate an evening of gossip with the girls next time we went out, but at least I’d have something new to talk about for a change.
    So for now, I’d get a good night’s sleep, and tomorrow I’d find a way to the airport and book a flight home. It might mean a day or two in the small capital of Cephalonia, but I could cope with that.
    Sullivan would be just fine sailing on his own for the week. He’d done it before. It was what he was good at. In fact, he’d likely have more fun without me cramping his style, and he’d find some hot, young chick who’d ride the waves with him.
    Yes, it was for the best. I’d soon be back in Oxford, working with my business management post-graduates, and all would be normal, safe and quiet again. There’d be no more surprises.
    Because normal, I could handle. Boats called Dolly Bird, sexy, young men, and islands that held thousands of years of history threw me off kilter.
    He squeezed my fingers a little tighter within the grip of his hand and led me down the steep lane to the port.
    I didn’t object. Small potholes were now disguised by the darkness, and the path really was at quite an angle.
    We crossed the small square to the port. Still keeping a hold of me, Sullivan helped me onto Dolly Bird. The narrow gangplank was a little unnerving, but once onboard, I freed my hand from his.
    I’d been glad of his support on the walk back, that was all. It wasn’t like we were a couple, holding hands after a romantic evening sipping wine and watching the sunset. That wasn’t how it was.
    “Come on, down here,” he said, flicking on a small light that flooded the upper deck.
    Immediately, a