“Do you think he knew exactly what we were doing?” she asked the minute the door closed behind the waiter.

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen and deep red from kissing him. A rush of desire took his breath away. “I’m sure he suspects you were working me over, since I was flat out on the bed.”

“Cole!”

He found her outrage even more adorable than the sexy dishevelment. Sitting up slowly, he moved to the edge of the bed and gazed at her, wanting to take in every detail, every nuance.

“What?” she asked when the heat of his stare got to her.

“I know you’ll think this is another line, but you’re just so very beautiful. I find it hard to look away.”

She moved to him, wrapped her arms around him, and rested her cheek on the top of his head.

His hands found her waist, and he pressed his lips to her belly through the thin fabric of her tank top.

“Ready to eat?” she asked in a voice that was shakier than it should have been.

The sound of it sobered him, reminding him of his vow to take it slow and easy with her.

“Yep.” He stood, kissed her, led her to the table by the window, and held the chair for her. When she was settled, he opened one of the bottles of wine and poured them each a glass. He started to sit down but stopped abruptly.

“Wait a sec. Something’s missing.”

Confused, she looked around. “What?”

He went to his duffel and returned with a shopping bag that contained two tapered candles and a pair of heavy plastic candlesticks that were still in the packaging from the store.

Speechless, Olivia watched him.

Cole unwrapped the candles, lit them, and arranged them on the small table.

“You brought candles,” she finally said.

“I liked looking at you in the candlelight the night we had dinner together,” he said with a shrug.

Sitting back in her chair, she stared at him.

“I don’t mean to freak you out… I just liked you in candlelight—”

“It’s just the sweetest thing. I didn’t realize you were such a romantic.”

He groaned. “Don’t stick me with that.”

“Why not if it’s true?”

“No one’s ever said that about me, so it must be your influence.”

She smiled and her brown eyes went soft with what looked an awful lot like love.

He cleared the emotion from his throat. “So what do you say we eat before it gets cold?”

Olivia nodded and he pulled his chair around so he could sit close to her. They fed each other and ate off each other’s plates like they’d been eating together for years rather than twice.

“Which one do you like better?” he asked.

“The shrimp.”

“Me, too.”

“Have the rest. I’m done.”

He refilled their wine glasses. “I hope you saved room for dessert.”

“Now you tell me.”

“It’ll keep until you’re ready for it.”

Standing up, she stretched her arms up over her head. “Maybe later.” She reached for the phone he had left on the bed and glanced at him. “May I?”

“Sure.” He took it from her, punched in his code and handed it back to her.

“Let’s see what you’ve got on here. AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alanis Morrisette—one we agree on—America, Bach, the Beatles, Boston, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, BTO. Buffalo Springfield? Who the heck is that?”

He grinned. “Stop, children, what’s that sound…”

She raised a hand to cut him off. “Anything from this decade?”

“Kendrick Lamar, Katie Perry, The Lumineers, Drake, Cold Play, Mumford & Sons, Future, among many others. My taste is eclectic.”

She laughed. “If that’s what you want to call it. What’s your all-time favorite song?”

He took the phone from her, cycled through until he found what he was looking for, and handed it back to her.

As she positioned the headphones, she kept her eyes trained on him until the song seemed to transport her right out of the room. When it was over, she turned off the music and set the phone on the table. “Does that describe you? Are you a desperado?”

“I guess I have been. In the past.”

It seemed to take courage for her to ask, “And now?”

He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “I’m tired of my feet being cold in the wintertime, and I’m starting to think the Queen of Hearts might’ve been on to something.”

She held his gaze for a long moment before she released his hand and got up to look out the window.

He followed her. Resting his hands on her shoulders, he kissed the top of her head. “What about you? What’s your favorite song?”

“‘Big Girls Don’t Cry.’”

“Don’t they?” he asked, turning her to face him.

Her chin tilted defiantly. “The foolish ones do.”

“Are you really so cynical, Olivia?”

She shrugged. “I’ve had reason to be.”

He raised his hand to caress her face. “I’d like to show you that you can be foolish and safe at the same time, but you’ll have to take a leap of faith. You’re going to have to trust me and believe just a little bit.”

“I don’t know if I can,” she said softly. “It’s not that I don’t want to because I do. I wish you knew just how badly I want to believe it’s possible.”

The yearning radiated from her. How could he not know?

“But things like this don’t happen to me.”

“Just because it hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it can’t.” He brought his other hand up to her face. “Do you feel something when I touch you? Like this?”

She nodded—a small nod, but a nod just the same. “A jolt,” she whispered.

His hands froze on her face. “You do?”

“It goes right through me.”

“When I was on the floor in the airport with a concussion and a banged-up shoulder and you touched me… When you put your hands on my face, I felt it everywhere.” Taking advantage of her speechless state, he stole a kiss. “Do you think that happens to me every day?”

“I don’t know. Does it?”

He shook his head. “Never before, so I understand what you’re feeling.”

“You think so?” she asked, her expression skeptical.

“You’re here with me now because you’re as curious as I am about the instant connection between us, but your head is telling you to run as far and as fast as you can.”

Her eyes widened with amazement. “How do you know that?”

Laughing softly, he nuzzled her cheek. “Because my head is telling me the same thing, but somehow I can’t seem to make myself listen. As I got on the plane to come here today I was asking myself, ‘What’re you doing?’ Do you know why I came when my better judgment was telling me to run?”

She shook her head.

“Because I meant it when I said I couldn’t wait to see you. I thought of you constantly this week, and I needed to see you again to find out if what happened the other times I was with you would happen again.”

“And did it?”

Nodding, he trailed his lips up her neck. “Even more so than before.” Her skin was soft, so soft, and the scent of her shampoo lingered in her hair. He couldn’t get enough of her. “Do you think you could try, just try to take that leap with me? I don’t know about you, but I really want to see where we’ll land.”

“I’m scared,” she confessed.

“I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

As she studied him he could almost see the thoughts—and the fears—spiraling through her mind. He had to remind himself to breathe as he waited and hoped.

“I want to take the leap. I do.”

“Then let’s take it together.”

He wasn’t sure who moved first, but suddenly she was in his arms kissing him without reservation, without fear, and the impact almost knocked him off his feet. He lifted her and groaned when she wrapped her legs around him.

“Olivia,” he sighed as he held her tight against him. “I like the way you leap.”

For once her laughter was free and easy. “And I like the way you catch me when I land.” She kissed him again, a sweet brush of her lips over his.

His breath got caught in his throat. The feelings she stirred in him were almost painful.

“Cole? What is it?”

He shook it off. “Nothing,” he said with a smile, letting her slide back down to her feet. “Want to get a movie?”

A hint of disappointment clouded her eyes. “Sure. If you want.”

“Don’t look at me like that, honey,” he said with a deep sigh as he tried to remember his vow to go slow, to keep it easy—for now. “You’re taking the leap, and I’m so glad—and so relieved. But that doesn’t mean we have to also leap right into bed, does it?”

“No,” she said, fiddling with his hair. “We don’t have to.”

“But you want to?”

She looked up at him, her heart in her eyes. “Don’t you?”

He groaned. “What do you think? But I don’t want to rush you—”

“How about we watch a movie… in bed?”

“Do you consider that a compromise?” he asked, contemplating her impish expression.

“Of sorts.”

He smiled, delighted by her bravery in the face of so many fears. “You’re on.” Pulling the sweater over his head, he tossed it onto a chair and reached for the button to his jeans. Olivia, who had been watching him with interest, blushed and went to turn down the bed.

They took turns in the bathroom, and when he finally slid into bed wearing only a pair of gym shorts, he reached for her. “Did you find something you want to watch?” he asked, guiding her head to his chest.

“Yep.” She flipped to the movie channel and chose what could only be called a chick flick.

“For real?”

“You can pick the next one,” she said, giggling at his distress.

“I’ll make sure there’s lots of stuff blowing up to get back at you for this.”

“Shh. I can’t hear it over all the noise you’re making.”

Cole had good intentions. Really, he did. But the movie wasn’t half as interesting to him as she was. That pale-pink tank top had been driving him crazy since she first appeared in it after her shower. He slid a hand under it and ran a finger slowly down her backbone.

Her short inhale was the only sign she gave that she was aware of him. Then her lips moved on his chest, and Cole’s heart skipped a beat. When her tongue flicked his nipple, the last of his good intentions was overtaken by desire that blazed through him like wildfire.

“Watch your movie,” he said, his voice hoarse.

“I don’t want to.”

“I’m trying to watch it, but you’re bothering me.”

She laughed softly against his chest. “Liar.”

“Olivia…”

She propped herself up so she could reach his chest. “What?”

“The movie.”

With her lips pressed to his belly, she glanced up at him, her eyes alight with amusement. “I’ve seen it before.” She held the remote behind her back to turn off the TV.

“You tricked me into bed?”

“I had to do something. You asked me to leap, and then when I did, you wanted to watch a movie.”

He laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. “You little witch. Here I am trying to be a good guy and not rush you. Turns out you’re manipulating me.”

“It sounds so sordid when you put it that way,” she said, hovering over him.

He combed his fingers through her hair. “I feel used.”

Laughing, she leaned down to kiss him. “I have a feeling you’ll get over it.”

With his arms tight around her, he held her still and kissed her. He came up for air, breathless with longing.

“I want you,” he whispered. “I want you like I’ve never wanted anything. Ever.”

“I want you just as much.”

“We should wait.”

“Probably.” Studying him, she rolled her bottom lip between her teeth. “But if we didn’t want to… wait, that is… do you have a condom?”

He swallowed hard. “If I say yes, it’ll look like I was expecting this, and I told you I wasn’t.”

“Please say yes.”

“Yes,” he said, laughing. “Yes!”