Their embrace took no time in becoming something more. The intimacy they’d shared left them in a world of their own, so connected that Kallie couldn’t tell where she ended and he began. As they stepped apart and adjusted their clothes, they slowly found their way back to reality. The ocean breeze washed over them, lifting the strands of their hair.

She rested in Sasha’s arms, which were wrapped firmly around her as they gazed at the stars and just talked about everything and nothing. This was love at its most perfect, when calm acceptance finally soothed Kallie’s battered heart. She loved him, imperfections and all. Maybe even because of those imperfections.

Eventually they cleaned up the area. Sasha cleared the paper plates into the trash. He very carefully set the glasses in a bus tub, along with the silverware and cloth napkins. He really had thought of everything. For such a true classic male, he had a very homey and nurturing side.

“You had to take care of yourself a lot even before your dad wasn’t with you, didn’t you?” she asked him as she watched him clear the crumbs from the table.

“Yup,” he said. While not terse or angry, the single word still managed to convey that this discussion was closed. Kallie accepted this. She’d pushed hard, there was no point in belaboring the point. At least with him having shared what he had, she had come to understand how he got to be the way he was. She took hold of his massive bicep and prodded him to face her. “I love that you take such good care of me,” she said. “But I want you to start letting me take care of you, too. It’s only fair.”

Her offer confused him some, she could see that. He looked away, clearly uneasy. He didn’t know how to take her.

Had anyone ever made him such an offer? “Did I throw you there?” she asked him tenderly. “Because I think you’re speechless.”

“Yeah,” he said reluctantly. “Yeah, you did. But, yeah... you can.”

Her heart melted for him all over again. “So, I can take care of you?” she asked, her heart so full in that moment that she wasn’t sure how it could possibly contain all that she felt. Overflowing. Her heart was overflowing.

Before he could answer she drew him close, cradling him in her arms. He bent, resting his head on her shoulder, and she held him there, her fingers tangling in his beautiful hair. It felt a little awkward, but the moment was a beautiful one and she’d never felt closer to him.

Finally, he broke his silence. “So, you really want to live out here by the ocean?” he asked her softly.

“I kind of like it,” she admitted. “I like both places. The town home is amazing. Did you decorate that, or did you have a service do it?”

“You might like it less if I tell you, but my mother did that. My mother might have ice water in her veins, but she does have style... and a certain amount of talent.”

Kallie decided to let that slide in the interest of staying positive. “She does,” she admitted. “But there’s something about this place, too. You know, your mother is still pretty young, but I could see her maybe having one of these apartments once they’re cleaned up.”

“I can see that, too, but I don’t want to get in the habit of bringing her up too much. She’s someone I take in small doses,” he said.

“Understood. Maybe I could stay here and oversee the renovation of this place, and let you get the bakery rolling however you want, and once both sides are up and operating I can be the bakery’s, Sal.”

Sal, the bartender who ran the bar where Kallie had worked when she met Sasha, was a good guy.. As far as Kallie knew, Sasha was mostly hands-off on that operation. She might be interested in running the bakery once it turned into the expanded restaurant, if she could actually run the business and not just be an attractive face at the counter.

“So, you do want to be involved in the bakery?” he asked, seeming surprised.

She smiled. “I’m interested in being involved in a lot of things like you. I’m just not very good at being an ornament.”

Sasha’s hands snaked over her thighs. “You were pretty good at it earlier tonight. On the back of my bike... and on me,” he said in a smoky tone.

Arousal whipped through her. Clearly, she still wasn’t sated even after their lovemaking. Her throat went tight and she had to swallow hard just so she could keep talking. “The bike is an awfully nice touch,” she remarked, running a hand up his arm and coming to rest on his shoulder, her fingertips tracing his muscles under his shirt.

“Like it?” he asked, all heat and sensuality.

Kallie’s body fairly hummed with need for him. His eyes mesmerized. How could she even think when he pinned her with that hot gaze? She followed him down the stairs to her apartment. It seemed they couldn’t get there fast enough, fairly racing, shouting with laughter when they collided at her door and struggled with the lock.

Once inside he pulled her to him, furious and hungry in his passion, but sweet as well. His mouth devoured hers and she reveled in it. Clothes were flung, and their bodies came down hard on the bed. His hands grasped her hips tightly as he pulled her to him and pumped into her, taking her hard and fast. It was exhilarating, powerful like the bike ride. The man fed her sex like a drug, and she knew she was past being addicted... she was hooked and helpless to everything he did. Each taste of his lips, the scent of him filling her nose as she clung to him with all that she had. Never had anything been so sensual in her entire life.

Afterwards they lay together, too tired to move. Sasha, always thinking, eyed the bathroom. Kallie recalled the discussion about watching her shower, and her face heated with a powerful blush.

“There’s actually a nice sized bathtub for a place like this. It’s older, which means the rooms are larger,” he said, as though he was pleased. “This will make a nice pad away from home. The bed, on the other hand—” He paused. “I’m surprised it actually held us.”

“It’s fine. It only creaked a little,” she defended it, sitting up to head to the bathroom.

No sooner had she moved than it crashed to the floor. Sasha had been right again. The timing, though, left her laughing hysterically across the mattress. Sasha was less pleased, and finally dragged her off the bed so he could pull the broken pieces of frame out from under it. With the mattress on the rug they decided that it would do well enough for the night, but he wasn’t pleased.

Sasha brushed her hair from her face and kissed her. “I’m leaving my credit card for you tomorrow. Shop for new furniture for this place, and maybe for a unit that I’ll prepare for my mother,” he said, though he rolled his eyes at the mention of his mother. “I can get a deal on bulk furniture for the rest of the building. Is it okay with you if I do that?”

“Yeah,” she said, slightly shaken by his sharing his ideas with her and asking her what she thought of it all.

Sasha laughed softly. “Are you okay?” he asked gently. “Did you get hurt? Do I need to play doctor?”

“I’m fine,” she said, avoiding telling him that he’d shocked her by including her in his plans. This new Sasha was kind of nice, and she was afraid she’d jinx things by speaking up. “That jolt was like a strong cup of coffee, though.”

Sasha pressed his lips to hers. “Then let’s see if we can work off some of that energy,” he said, and reached for her yet again.

This time he made love to her long and slow. Eventually exhaustion came to them both, leaving them so tired that neither of them cared that the mattress was on the floor.

***

SASHA WOKE KALLIE WITH a kiss to her head. Tingles from his lips brought her instantly awake. “You’re leaving soon?” she asked, sleepiness vanishing. He would probably be going back to Pikesville, near Baltimore, to tend to the bakery. Then to Sal’s bar, Darkness.

She was slowly doing the math. While it didn’t seem like he was at the office, she believed now that his always leaving to go somewhere he didn’t invite her to come with was probably just him going to work. He was off making money, swinging deals. She wouldn’t take him to her office when she had one, so it made sense that he didn’t take her along.

As she sorted that out, her distrust and insecurity melted away. She’d been behaving stupidly. When was she ever going to trust him?

Now. I’m going to trust him now. No more of this nonsense. You decided this last night, no more changing your mind. He’s yours and you’re his. We belong together.

The thought didn’t frighten her anymore. In fact, it felt good.

He went into the bathroom to shower and she padded over to the sliding glass door. The apartment smelled of fresh coffee. She poured herself a cup.

She sat on the balcony of her little apartment, enjoying the hot morning sun, sipping from her mug. Kallie realized again that Sasha made the best coffee she had ever tasted. She stretched her legs out onto the little side table. The sun baked her naked thighs.

In minutes, the shower turned off. She turned her head, looking through the door, and smiled at Sasha as he emerged from the bathroom, toweling his hair.

Damn, he looked good. More than that, Sasha looked—happy, she realized. He looked happy to be with her.

He stopped and grinned, looking confused. “What?” he asked as she continued to stare without speaking.

“I really love you.”

It was the first time she had ever said it, not in the context of what he did but for who he was. She might have kind of said it when they first met because their relationship took off like such a rocket. But after it settled some and started to look more like a relationship and not just a major hook up, he was the one who had said it first. She’d never said it back. She hadn’t been ready.

He smiled a broad, warm smile, his eyes softening, like she’d just made him the happiest man in the world. Then winked at her.

From across the room, Kallie experienced that magnetism all over again. She suddenly felt like she was too far away from him. That her heart might burst within her chest if she didn’t express what she felt somehow.

“I have to get dressed,” he murmured when he caught the look in her eye.

“I know,” she said with joy in her heart. “But you always come back to me.”

“I will,” he said, looking her straight in the eye so that she knew he meant it. “I left my credit card on the counter. Use it. Buy whatever your little heart desires.”

“Why, thank you.” She smiled, thinking how much fun this was going to be. “I think I will.”

“And buy something for yourself. Spoil yourself!”

“I’m already spoiled, Sasha,” she replied, unable to keep from smiling.

“Not yet, but you’re going to be. I’ll get things set up at the bakery for you to take over. How does that sound?” he asked.

They had come to an understanding. Kallie felt relieved. She felt light, like she had the few times she’d gotten high. “Yeah, that sounds good,” she replied. “But I don’t want to take over. I want to do it together. I want to live with you. I don’t know if you’re interested or ready to do that. I like having places away from home, but I’d like to share a home with you.”

It took a lot of courage for her to put that out there, but it was how she felt.

Sasha closed the distance between them. He pulled her to her feet then, grasping her face in his large hands, he kissed her soundly, deeply.

They could have easily tumbled into bed. For a moment they stood there, indecisive. Neither of them wanted the kiss to end. She stood there in the circle of his arms, feeling his breath on her cheek, but knew he had to go. With a sigh she stepped back, and she could see the gratitude in his eyes, a silent thank-you for understanding.

Sasha left for Pikesville and Kallie stayed behind. There were a few empty apartments, and he gave her the option of upgrading, but she liked her spot. It faced the ocean, and she could sit out on her balcony and enjoy the view.

He said he would order new furniture for the vacant units. That she did take him up on. The furniture in her place, though tolerable, was pretty old. He was also having the interior painted. She got to choose custom colors.

“That’s what happens when you have sex with the landlord,” he murmured against her lips before he left. She had shivered all over at his seductive tone.

She enjoyed the heck of out of driving her muscle car to the local market. It was a challenge parking it, but she was getting the hang of it. She hadn’t been paying attention, and noted as she pulled out that her tank was empty. She was driving a gas-guzzler. She would need to hit the gas station first thing.

The world at that moment just seemed perfect. She was in love. She had money. The future looked amazing. The breeze was blowing. She had her To-Do list. She would do a little grocery shopping and get that out of the way. She would then jog along the beach afterwards while it was cool. Then she would look sweet and fabulous while she shopped for her honey and her.

Kallie took up nearly the whole pump bay, her car was so large. She extended the nozzle and waited patiently as the pump clicked away the gallons. She knew she wasn’t the only customer at the station, but she wasn’t really paying attention.

“Wow, it really is you,” a voice called out.

Kallie heard the guy, but didn’t think he was talking to her. He had to repeat himself, “Hello... Earth to Kallie.”

That got her attention. She turned her head. It took a moment to register. She was looking at Jeremy Marwell. “What the h-hell?”

She felt horrified as the identity of the man sank in. Of course, she knew him. She’d almost married him. She never thought she would see him again. It wasn’t a good sign that he was standing right in front of her.

“It’s me. In the flesh,” he said, like she would be happy to see him.

He always said that, too. In the flesh. What did that even mean? “What are you doing here?”

“Getting gas, same as you. Sweet ride. Where did you score that one?” He laughed.

Kallie’s eyes narrowed. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach got stronger. Jeremy was fueling up her old car. He had taken everything from her, even the damn car. The once-shiny Mercedes had seen better days. She turned her back to him, intent on just finishing up and going.

“Sean said he spotted you at the Hobbit last night. He said a big hulking Russian dude pants-ed him something awful,” Jeremy said.

He kept talking to her like she was a participant in the conversation.

“Are you fucking Sasha Petrov?” he asked. “Is that how you got that car? Because I think I’ve taken a ride in that car.”

Jeremy knew Sasha. He met him before Kallie did. She tried to put that out of her mind. She would put all of that out of her mind.

“That guy made off with all our money,” Jeremy stated. “I’d like to pants him.”

This made Kallie laugh. Jeremy was a stickman compared to Sasha. “He didn’t take all of our money.” She shot him a contemptuous look. “Or, should I say, all my money.”

“I worked hard, too.”

The fact that he would even try to defend himself was disgusting. “You stole more than you earned. He may have wiped you out,” she said triumphantly, “but I wasn’t totally honest with you either, so you didn’t know about all of my accounts. I still have quite the little nest egg.”

He laughed. It wasn’t a real laugh, but it irked her nonetheless. “That’s a good one,” he said. “If there had been more money I’d have known about it. I searched you pretty good.”

“You mean, of the two of us, you’re the only person who could possibly outsmart the other?” she asked coldly. She put the gas nozzle back in its place. Her hands shook, so it took extra effort that she hoped Jeremy didn’t see. She didn’t want him to realize just how much his sudden appearance upset her.

She sat down in the driver’s seat as coolly as she could and managed to close the door before he approached her. If she swung open the car door, she could knock him down. It was a tempting thought. She looked straight ahead and not at him as she started up the engine.

Jeremy banged the back of his knuckles on the glass. “You’re a bitch, you know that? If you hadn’t been such a bitch, I would have never let that Pikesville trash turn my head,” he shouted, not seeming to care who heard. “He had been doing the right thing and paying me to keep me happy. He’s cut me off. He needs to smarten the fuck up or life is about to get really miserable for both of you.” He stroked the car like he might take it for himself.

Kallie revved the engine loudly. Let people look. Let them see him hassling her. She wanted witnesses. As many as she could get.

Jeremy stepped away from the car, but kept talking. He said something about telling Sasha to get in touch with him, that Sasha knew how to do that.

Kallie replied by gunning the engine and getting the hell out of there.

I’m not going to fall apart over that... cretin!

Why his words should have hurt so much, she didn’t know. Being called a bitch had stung. And left her filled with so much rage it was a wonder she hadn’t run him down with the car. It took several blocks of driving with her foot a little too heavy on the gas to calm down. Here she’d found this perfect happiness, and he had to come along and ruin everything.

You know what he is. You shouldn’t let him get to you. He’s a player, and will say anything to get the advantage.

Like Sasha? Doesn’t he do that, too?

Her foot hit the accelerator again... hard. She drove, damning him for the devil he was.

Which ‘him’ she was referring to, she left open to interpretation.