The restaurant was incredible, one of the finer places near the bay, with some of the best seafood in the whole city. I was glad Joel held my hand as the waiter led us to our table, because I wasn't sure I would have been able to keep from running into something, otherwise. The moment we stepped through the doors, all I could do was stare at the beautiful murals all over the ceiling. They were similar to the ones decorating ancient European churches, except they clearly hadn't been done during the Renaissance, and the subject matter was less Biblical and more...seafood oriented.

Still, the murals were gorgeous, and I couldn't get enough of them.

When we sat down, Joel looked up at the painted swordfish high above our table. He smiled, and I wished that the artist had painted him up there instead. Joel was an artist’s dream, all lean lines and perfect features.

“I've never been here before,” Joel said when he returned his gaze to mine. “I know it's risky picking a new place for a first date, but I wanted us to start fresh.”

The waiter came around with our menus before I could say anything, and after he'd gone, the moment had passed. We both stared hard at our menus, but I was more focused on slowing my heart rate than reading the entrée options.

After we'd ordered wine and food, Joel turned to me and smiled. “I really meant it when I said you look gorgeous tonight. Though, I'll admit you look stunning all the time, so that's easy for me to say.”

I glanced down at my lap, then back up at him. “You're quite the charmer, aren't you?”

Joel took a sip of his wine, and his lips curved mischievously.

“I can be charming when I want to be. And, admittedly, I always want to be charming when I'm with you.”

How did he always have the right thing to say?

“And it doesn't bother you that we met because I was trying to secure the means to start a new life because my twin sister embezzled a bunch of money?”

“Nope.”

“What about the fact that you had to come to our rescue? That doesn't bother you, either?”

“Not even a little.” He leaned forward in his chair, eyes pulling me in magnetically. “The only regret I have about the time we've spent together is that I waited so long to come to see you here.”

Now here was a surprise. I'd wondered why he’d just showed up when he did, but had since attributed it to a matter of scheduling. He was a busy man, after all.

“I don't blame you for that,” I said. “I mean, you can basically do no wrong in my book, after everything you've done for me and my family.”

“I blame myself for that.” His tone was a little softer now, a little more serious. “I felt like I'd abandoned you, and that wasn't my intention. I recognized that based on the strings I'd pulled to get you and your sister out of prison, you might feel obligated to entertain my affections afterward out of gratitude. I didn't want that.”

I blinked in surprise. “But...”

But you must know how I feel about you, was what I wanted to say, but I couldn't say that. Sure, he was opening up to me, but that didn't mean I needed to dump all my emotions into his lap. I still couldn't be sure if he wanted more from me, or if we would forever be just Bahamian bang buddies.

“You didn't need to worry about that,” I said finally. “If I really didn't want to see you, I'd just go back to jail.” I shrugged. “Simple.”

Joel laughed, though there wasn't quite as much relief in his eyes as I thought there would be. Wasn't it enough to say he didn't need to worry?

I decided to move the conversation along. “So what brought you over here, then?” I asked. “What changed your mind?”

Joel leaned back in his chair, swirling his wine idly. “I realized that I shouldn't make assumptions about you, or about your feelings for me. I should just come and find out myself.”

Ah, so I was going to have to get into the nitty gritty of my feelings. Great. Normally this would be the part where I'd be heading for the door, but a strange urge came over me.

I wanted to tell Joel how I felt about him. About us. Even if he rejected me, I just wanted him to know that I cared and that I was thrilled he was here.

“I'm really glad you came all the way out here,” I said. “I missed you.”

“You did?” His eyes warmed.

I nodded. “I thought about you a lot when I was, um, locked up. I mean, there wasn't much else to do, but I also just like thinking about you. You make me happy, Joel, and I don't know what that means going forward, because we lead very different lives, but I do know that I felt cold when you weren't there, and now it's like there's a furnace in my chest.”

“I thought about you a lot when you were locked up, too,” he replied. “Though a great deal of that was just worrying about your wellbeing. And then there were definitely a few thoughts that were a little less...wholesome.”

My core flashed with heat. How could he bring me from neutral to burning hot in under a second? This man was magic. Pure magic. Nothing would ever convince me otherwise.

“Oh yeah?” I asked, my face burning.

Joel gave me a slow, measured nod. “Oh yeah.”

Our food came, which provided a prime opportunity for me to drain my glass of wine, even though it did little to quench my thirst.

Once we started eating, the conversation moved into slightly less blush-inducing territory. Joel asked about my parents and my sister, and thought it was a great idea when I told him Chelsea was staying in Seattle for a while.

“Between you and me,” he said, taking a sip of wine. “That O’Malley guy is a piece of work. Honestly. I talked to him while you two were incarcerated, and I can honestly say I'll sleep better at night knowing that after what your sister did, he'll think twice before he does something like that again.”

“I'm still so sorry that you had to get involved in this,” I said. “Very grateful, but very sorry.”

Joel reached over the table and took my hand. “I would do it all again in a heartbeat,” he said. “It was really nothing. I'd be willing to do anything for you. Or for your family.”

His sentiment took my breath away. I'd never felt quite so secure, like no matter which way I fell, there was a big net waiting to catch me. It was a feeling I wanted to hold on to for as long as possible.

“Thank you, Joel.” I squeezed his hand and pulled back, intent on finishing my delicious salmon. “And if there's ever a way I can return the favor, I hope you’ll tell me.”

His eyes sparkled. “I can think of a few things.”

I blushed and stabbed determinedly at my fish while Joel chuckled across the table. I wanted to launch myself over the table right now and find out what kinds of things he had in mind, but this was a nice restaurant, and it didn't seem proper to tackle a man while he was trying to enjoy his dinner.

* * *

Joel dropped me off at home a couple of hours later. He didn't try to take me back to his hotel room, though I wouldn't have been opposed, and seemed content with a simple goodbye kiss on the porch.

Well, simple doesn't quite cover it.

Joel's kiss was electrifying. He immobilized me with the shock of it, crushed the air from my lungs and filled me with such a deep longing that I thought I might cave in like a sinkhole. His mouth stroked mine reverently, teasing and licking until my knees wobbled. The only thing holding me up was his strong arms around my back. The only thing keeping me present was the tang of wine on his lips and the feel of his mouth gliding over mine.

The kiss was everything, and as he began to pull away; I started to wonder if maybe that kiss had meant something in particular. I began to wonder if maybe it had been a goodbye kiss.

“I don't want you to go,” I said breathlessly, not caring how desperate it made me sound.

Joel stroked a finger down my cheek and I shivered.

“I have to go,” he said. “You've got a flight tomorrow. Your mother would kill me if I kept you up later.”

“That's not what I meant.” I stepped closer to him, gripping the front of his shirt in trembling hands. “I don't want you to go from my life forever. I want to keep you.”

“You want to keep me?” he asked, evidently amused. “Like a lost puppy you found on the street?”

I rolled my eyes but couldn't hold back my smile. “Like a...well, like a person that I'm dating. Or something.”

The smile that crossed Joel's face could have powered half the state. He took my face in his hands and kissed me again, this time short, but sweet. When he pulled away, he kissed my forehead.

“You'll see me again, darling, don't you worry.”

I watched him walk back to his SUV, wondering what the hell that was supposed to mean. Did he not have an ETA of when I was going to see him again? It might be nice to have some notice.

Just as Joel was about to open his car door, he turned back to me. “Hey, do you know much about Los Angeles real estate?”

I blinked, shocked, the words not quite settling in. “Uh, no. I rent.”

“Hmm.” Joel opened the door. “Guess I'll have to consult somebody in the business.”

With that, Joel closed the door and backed out of the driveway.

I watched him go, uncertain of what had just happened. Was Joel moving to L.A.? Would he do that? Could he do that? L.A. would be a long way to go for his patients, and truth be told, I wasn't sure the city needed any more plastic surgeons.

Not that it mattered whether they were in need or not. Joel had something up his sleeve, and I couldn't wait to find out what it was.