I swallow down the last of my chocolate mousse. From the way it was presented and the smooth texture of the dessert, I’m sure it was delicious. But I wouldn’t know.

The entire time after we arrived at the Connelly Hotel, I was unable to focus on anything but Blake. With his jet black, wavy hair—and matching dark eyes—and now a slightly crooked aquiline nose, he still resembles the boy I knew years ago.

His luxurious black and white hotel suite, the chandeliers, and rich carpeting did not impress me as much as he did.

What he did at the Rosewood restaurant touched me more than he will ever know. Since Brianna showed up on my doorstep, I had been unable to recover from the pain that Dennis caused me. With a few words, she had ripped open my unhealed wounds, and took me back to the past, to the very day Dennis walked out on me.

But that was until Blake walked into my life out of nowhere.

I clear my throat and put down my spoon. “I still can’t believe you did that.” I’m unable to hold back a smile as I remember the taste of his kiss.

“You mean rubbing it in your ex-husband’s face?”

I nod. “No one has ever done something like that for me.” Since Dennis, no man has made me feel the way I feel right now. But then again, I have not let any man into my life. It’s hard to believe that the man who rescued me tonight was the boy I had a huge crush on in high school, one that lasted all the way until he left town to pursue his career in boxing.

“Well, I’m honored.” He pushes his plate aside. “Did you enjoy the food?”

“I did. It was delicious,” I lie. I can’t even remember the taste of the food. “Enough about me. Tell me about yourself. How’s life in the limelight?”

“I left the limelight three years ago. I’m still in the business of boxing, but my face is safe from any more punches.” He touches his crooked nose. It must have been an injury from one of his fights.

“That’s brave. Not many people do that, just walk away at the height of their career.”

When Blake was away, I read every paper that featured his face. I only stopped when I started dating Dennis. It wasn’t fair to be with one man and think of another. I made a conscious decision then that I would forget any feelings I ever had for Blake and move on with my life.

“Being a boxer was demanding at times. It was hard to find the time to actually enjoy the money I earned.”

“So you wanted to have a life.” I take a sip of wine to calm my nerves. “I hope you don’t have any regrets.”

He stands up from his chair and comes to stand behind me. I hold my breath when he places his hands on my shoulders. “No regrets. It was the best decision I ever made.”

“What are you doing?” I ask when I feel the warmth of his breath on the side of my neck, followed by a soft kiss, one that makes my stomach flip. Never in a million years did I think the year would end like this.

When Blake asked me to his hotel suite, something inside me wanted to say no, but another part refused. He had made me feel so special at the Rosewood. I was curious to know how many more surprises the night held for me. Now here we are, and my body is reacting to his touch.

“I think you know what I’m doing, Celine.” He glides his hands down my arms before pulling me out of my chair, spinning me around to face him. “I have a little secret. I think the time has come for me to tell you about it.”

“What is it?” My throat tightens as I fear the worst.

He smiles and the corners of his dark eyes crinkle. “I know this is coming many years too late, but I actually had the hots for you in school.”

“No.” Warmth floods my cheeks. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m serious.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “You were my dream girl back then.”

“I don’t believe you.” How could one of the most popular guys in school be interested in a shy and reserved girl like me? I didn’t even think I was pretty.

Instead of responding in words, he tilts my head upward and lowers his lips to mine for the second time tonight. The kiss is gentle, his tongue teasing my lips in light strokes. The moment lasts only a few seconds, but I know the memory will stay with me for a lifetime.

“Tell me,” he whispers, his intense gaze reaching into my soul. “Did that kiss taste fake?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” I purse my lips, still reeling from the touch of his tongue on my lips.

“What I’m trying to say to you, Celine, is that I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time.”

I swallow hard. “To kiss me?”

“And much more…Much, much more.”

“Why didn’t you say anything to me about how you felt?” It blows my mind that we both felt the same way about each other and neither of us was brave enough to speak up. Or maybe the time wasn’t right.

“I didn’t want to hurt you. I had no idea how to treat girls at the time. I’m sure you know I broke enough hearts to last me a lifetime. I didn’t want one of those hearts to be yours.”

“I would have taken the risk,” I say, ready to tell him my own secret. “You were also my secret crush.”

“Woman, what are you doing to me?” The voice that comes through his throat is husky with emotion. “If only I had known.” He pulls me into his arms and holds me for long time.

As I listen to the sound of his heart beating, tears burn the backs of my eyes. I wish he had come back sooner, before Dennis had a chance to walk on my heart. How different would my life have turned out? But does that matter now?

“Maybe the time wasn’t right,” I whisper. “But now you know.” Finding courage I never knew I had, I press my lips to his. The moment our lips contact, a dizzying current of pleasure races through me. Things are different now, and we live in two different worlds, but we have tonight.

My lips part and my tongue slides into his warm, welcoming mouth. As our tongues caress each other, the pit of my stomach churns with need. I had fantasized often about how it would feel to kiss Blake Lockhart. But my fantasies were never as good as this.

The reality of what’s about to happen slams into me when his hand goes to my hair.

Panting from the rush of emotion, I break the kiss and step back.

“No.” He slides his bottom lip between his teeth. “There’s no getting out of this.” He moves closer and encircles my waist, pulls me back to his warm body.

“I...I can’t, Blake. I’m sorry.” I lift my hand to my head.

“Allow me.” My heart stutters when he pushes my hand away and his fingers tug at my wig.

“Don’t.” I swallow the lump in my throat. But it’s too late. He already has the wig in his hands. I feel so naked right now, exposed. “I had cancer.” I bite my trembling lip. “It’s gone but—”

“The hair will grow back. You don’t need this.” He tosses the wig onto my chair. “It hides your true beauty.”

I turn my back to him, my arms around my body. “I told you I’m a mess. Life broke me.”

“You’re wrong.” He turns me around and cups my face with both hands. His kiss whispers on my lips again. “You’re only cracked, beautiful, not broken.” He deepens the kiss, then pauses. “Give me tonight and I’ll start mending your cracks.”

When he sweeps me into his arms, still kissing me, I change my mind about asking him why he wasn’t surprised to hear about my cancer. Right now I’m too lost in him to care. I don’t stop him when he enters the suite bedroom and lowers me onto the bed with a wide grin on his face. My head is filled with Blake and nothing outside this room is real. Only we are real.

“What are you planning on doing to me?” I ask, breathless.

“How about I show you instead?” He opens his shirt to reveal a tight, firm, sculptured chest, slick with sweat.

I swallow hard as my gaze move down his chest and settles on the bulge in his pants. He wasn’t lying. He really does want me. Saying I’m flattered is an understatement.

“I hope you like what you see.” He lays a hand on himself, then reaches under the pillow for a condom. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“Only if you help me unzip my dress.” The cheeky giggle coming from me sounds foreign to my ears.

“Sure.” I gasp when he flips me onto my stomach. “I’d be more than happy to unwrap you, my Christmas present.”

He does exactly what he said he would. He unwraps me, in more ways than one. The clothes fall, the hurts are forgotten, and then he covers my body with his.

A wave of heat sweeps across my sweaty skin and a flush of sexual desire like nothing I have ever experienced before arrests me. I’m more than ready for what he has to offer.