Suzie juggled a giant plate of calamari in one hand and an equally enormous plate of salmon twists in the other. The twists were her own recipe, and the salmon tasted sensational layered with a very tart goat cheese, capers, and lemon. It had been a huge hit with all their clients so far, and hopefully today’s catered lunch would be no different. But right now, all she cared about was getting the damn things into the elevator and not decorating the fancy tiled floor with salmon and cheese splatters.

“Please, Ma’am, allow me.” A uniformed man took the plate of calamari from her and held the elevator door open so she could get in. This apartment building was even swankier than she’d realized. She’d never been to a place with an elevator attendant before.

“The penthouse?” he asked, pushing the button without waiting for an answer. He’d obviously been told to expect her.

“To the top,” she agreed with a smile.

When he smiled back, her heart lurched. His smile was crooked. For a moment, regret stabbed her heart so sharply she couldn’t breathe. Nate had told her he loved her, so why was she still in L.A?

Suzie turned her face to the wall, not wanting the attendant to see her eyes well up. She blinked furiously, then gripped the plate of salmon twists with one hand so she could put the back of her other hand to her nose. If she sniffed, he’d know she was trying not to cry. This way, he might just think she was about to sneeze.

Missing Nate was awful, because it hit her so hard at awkward moments. Crying in the privacy of her own home was fine. But here, in this millionaire’s hotel where she was about to deliver lunch to a brand new client? Not okay.

“Are you alright, Ma’am?”

“Fine.” She forced a smile, feeling the tears recede. “A touch of hay fever, that’s all.”

He stared at her with a little frown, probably wondering what could have triggered a hay fever attack in a gleaming tile-and-mirror elevator.

Thank goodness, the elevator glided to a stop and the doors opened. The attendant stepped out with the plate of calamari, and used a swipe card to open the only door on that landing.

“Go right in,” he said, holding the door open with his shoulder. “The kitchen is through there.”

She put the salmon twists down onto a long, shining kitchen bench. He put the calamari next to it, then nodded and went out.

The apartment was quiet, so the guests must not have arrived yet. No sign of the host, either. Not that she was about to go sneaking around the enormous penthouse apartment to find the client. Besides, she’d better run. She had more cooking to do.

Still, she stepped out of the kitchen and into the plush living room for a moment, to look out the enormous windows at the stunning view of LA. One day, she was going to own a place like this. Business was already booming, so why not dream big?

Only… it was quiet in here. And empty.

In fact, it felt just as empty as her place did when she cried herself to sleep at night. Who knew she could miss anybody this much? Wasn’t it supposed to have stopped hurting by now?

Though the business was going better than her wildest dreams, maybe she’d made the wrong decision. Perhaps she should have gone to New York.

She sucked in a deep breath and let it out again.

Too late now. The deal was done. The card was dealt. She had an Ace in her hand and all she had to do was to stop feeling like she’d drawn the Joker.

“Suzie.”

The voice came from behind her and she turned.

A man was standing in the doorway.

Nate.

She wanted to run over and throw her arms around him, but she was frozen. Her heart had stopped beating.

“What are you doing here?” She sounded breathless. Maybe it was because he was gorgeous enough to empty any woman’s lungs.

“I was hoping you’d agree to have lunch with me.”

“Lunch?” Whatever she’d been expecting him to say, that wasn’t it. Had he turned up in LA to take her to lunch?

“I want to apologize.”

“What for?”

He stepped forward and she saw he was holding a small box. “I have a gift for you. But you can open it later. After lunch.”

She shook her head, confused. The conversation wasn’t making sense. “What is it?”

He put the box down on the coffee table and moved toward her. “I should have asked you if you wanted to go with the coastguard when we were on the yacht.”

“I forgive you.” That felt like a long time ago. What did it matter now?

He took her arms. His touch filled her lungs and loosened her chest. He was really here. It was really him.

“I’ve missed you,” he murmured. “You’ve made me rethink a few of my rules. The ‘no apologies’ one for starters.”

She stared into his eyes. She hadn’t drunk any champagne, but she had bubbles in her stomach as though she’d downed a whole bottle.

“And the one about not wanting a relationship,” he continued. “Just because I can’t stop bad things from happening, I’m not going to close myself off from good things. Like spending my life with you.” His hands ran down her arms. “I know you’re not sure, because you have no idea how incredible you are and how lucky any man would be to get to wake up with you each morning. But I intend to change your mind about that. I want to be with you. And if it takes me forever, I’m going to talk you into it. Wear you down, like Harrison did with Nancy.”

She felt her mouth drop open. He still thought she didn’t want to be with him?

He pushed her curls back from her face, brushing his fingers across her cheek. “I love you,” he said. “And I’ll tell you that every day until I change your mind about—”

“Iloveyoutoo.” It came out too fast, so it sounded like one word. She gulped down a breath and tried again. “I love you too.”

His crooked smile dawned over his face like the sun breaking over a brand new day. Then he pulled her close. His lips were soft against hers. Every minute of every day since they’d parted, she’d imagined kissing him. Now it was finally happening. And suddenly she was smiling against his mouth, her heart too big for her chest.

She wanted to laugh. Or to grab him and swing him around in circles. The way she felt, she could probably do it.

“Suzie,” he murmured, his hands on her face. “I want us to be together.”

“I do too.” Right now, she was ready to give up everything if it meant getting to kiss him some more. “I could go to New York.”

“Don’t do that. I signed a deal with the car people. We’re building a prototype here in LA.”

She blinked, wondering if she’d misunderstood. “You’re moving here?”

“Only until the research and development part of the process is done. Once we’re past the prototype stage, we’ll need to move to one of their manufacturing plants.” He grinned. “But we can cross that bridge when we come to it. See? My rules have changed.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “What else has changed? Have you rethought your no kids rule too?”

“How many do you want? Half a dozen?”

“I haven’t decided whether I want any yet.”

“Well, I definitely think six is too many. They wouldn’t fit in my car.”

The realization of what he was telling her was starting to fizz through her veins like fireworks. He wasn’t holding back on anything. He’d committed himself, and how could she feel like she wasn’t good enough for him, when he was looking at her like that?

Surely there had to be some catch. Life couldn’t get this good, could it? It was too much. A lump was forming in her throat and tears were rising.

When he kissed her again, she melted into him. Exploring his lips made her forget her tears. Made her forget everything except how good he felt. How right.

“I’ve missed you.” His hand was on the back of her neck, under her hair. The way he touched her sent shivers down her spine. “I was thinking we could pick out a nice place and move in together. Or we could move into your place. Not that I’ve seen it yet, but I’m sure it’s great. Or we could live here. Whatever you want.”

“Here?” She stepped back to take another look around. “This place?”

“If you want.” His lips twisted. “I rent it because thought I might need to work on you a little longer. You know, order a few more lunches.”

She frowned, the pieces finally clicking in her head. “You’re the client who ordered lunch. And you want me to eat it with you?”

“When I saw your menu, I couldn’t resist. I hope the calamari tastes just like the dish you made on the boat. And that salmon dish sounds incredible.”

“But there’s enough for thirty people.”

“You don’t accept orders for less.” He shrugged. “It was the only way to lure you up here. Otherwise, I was afraid you might not come.”

How could he think she wouldn’t want to see him? Didn’t he know how she felt about him? If he didn’t, she had the rest of her life to show him.

“So,” he said, stepping close and putting his arms back around her. “What do you think about moving in together?”

What did she think? If he wasn’t holding her against him, she’d do a happy dance around the living room. She grinned. “Screw it.”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Does that mean what I hope it does?”

“I don’t know.” She couldn’t resist teasing him a little, so she put her finger to her lip, pretending to consider it. “Now that the ‘no apologies, no relationships, and no kids’ rules have gone out the window, you need to come up with a new motto. I couldn’t possibly be with a man who doesn’t have one.”

“Oh, I already have a new motto. And I like it a whole lot better than the old ones.”

“Well?”

He shook his head. “I can’t tell you what it is. I’ll have to show you.”

“Show me?”

He pushed her hair back from her face, then his lips were on her neck. “It goes something like this,” he murmured. One of his hands ran over the curve of her waist. The other was on her back, pulling him against him. “And then, something like this.” His mouth moved up to her ear and her legs weakened. “I’m still working on the exact phrasing.”

“Mmmm.” She was breathing hard. “Your new motto’s not bad.”

“I plan to keep working on it.” He pushed her shirt up so he could stroke the bare skin of her back while he nipped her ear lobe.

“You do?” She bit her lip as warmth rushed between her legs.

“Day and night.”

She blinked, trying to fight off the desire to immediately rip both their clothes off. What was the hurry? They had all the time in the world and they’d get to do this every day. The thought filled her with so much joy, she wanted to laugh like a lunatic.

“Well, I don’t know,” she said, remembering the gift he’d brought her, still sitting on the coffee table. “Maybe you’d better show me what’s in that mysterious box before I decide.”

“Oh yes, I’d forgotten.” He picked it up and gave it to her. “I hope you like it.”

She pulled the ribbon off the box and opened it. Inside was a simple printed card that just said, Your ticket to the stars. She lifted it out. “What’s this?”

“You wanted to go into space, so I booked us both on a commercial flight. VirginGalactic are taking reservations, did you know? Those aren’t our real tickets, I haven’t got those yet. And don’t get too excited, because we’re not going for five years. Just think of the delay as giving us plenty of time to get ready.”

He looked serious, but there was no way he could be. Even the idea of it made her feel dizzy, like he was tilting her universe upside down.

“You’re joking, aren’t you? I happen to know those tickets cost a quarter of a million dollars each.”

“The car company threw in a bonus to sweeten the deal, and I can’t think of a better way to start spending it. Suzie, I love you. Will you go to the stars with me?”

She stared at him, this gorgeous, incredible man who made impossible dreams come true. “Nate, I…” Then she was laughing. Or crying, she wasn’t sure which. Through her tears, she managed to say, “I love you too. And I think I’m already there.”

He shook his head. “Not yet.” He took the box and ticket from her and set them on the coffee table. Then he pulled her close and kissed her. “But I’ll bet we can circle the moon.”