Two weeks of lessons had passed, and while it would take more practice for Violet to completely master swimming, she was more than proficient enough she wouldn't drown.

And as for helping Jimmy with etiquette, it was apparent he didn't need much help after all. Once he’d learned a few social rules, he was surprisingly eloquent. Every time she was with him, teaching him, he impressed her.

She enjoyed his company. He was easy to talk to in a way she’d never been able to with others. She was grateful for Ivan’s brides, but she'd never been the kind of person to get along with people in large groups. She was beginning to believe she did better one-on-one and would possibly thrived in an intimate relationship.

Not that she was that experienced. Her one serious relationship with her ex-fiancé hadn’t been anywhere near this level. Sure, she’d kissed Richard, but it hadn’t moved her. In fact, his lips had been cold, and in a way, soggy. No man would want to be described as such, she imagined, but there it was.

She’d assumed all kisses were the same. How wrong she’d been. Since her first kiss with Jimmy by the river, she’d become addicted to him, addicted to kissing. She never thought she'd see the day.

Although they were careful not to do anything which would require marriage, they took it right up to the line.

Heavens! She couldn't get enough.

Violet forced her thoughts of Jimmy aside and looked both ways before stepping into the street from the boardwalk in Promise Creek. Willow and Juliette had come with her into town to purchase supplies, and before they’d all separated to go their own ways, they’d agreed to meet two hours later in front of the mercantile.

Violet had gathered together everything she’d needed, but there was still time before she needed to meet her friends, so instead of grabbing something to eat, she headed toward Tom’s forge. She didn’t need any more jewelry, but the lure of such beautiful craftsmanship was hard to ignore.

Besides, she missed Rosalie now that she'd married Tom and moved into town a few months ago.

That should've been surprising in and of itself. Her missing someone. All her friends in New York were nothing but people in her past. She didn't care about them, wasn't worried for them, and she was sure they felt the same about her.

Thinking of all the times she’d written her parents, asking for funds to return, she was surprised a part of her had wanted to go back and was glad she’d never followed through and sent the letters. There was nothing for her there. She knew that now. Her time with Jimmy had shown her that. She’d been so lonely, even with the other women, and had thought returning was the answer. But it wasn’t.

Those women had become sisters to her. They were her family now. She’d only been lonely because she hadn’t let them get close to her. But she was going to change all that. She was going to open up, even if it made her vulnerable.

She’d worried that by staying, she’d never have a family of her own, but Jimmy had shown her that wouldn’t happen. She knew what kind of man she wanted, and that man didn’t exist in New York.

That man was Jimmy. She wanted Jimmy. Everything she’d hoped for, everything she’d dreamed of, was suddenly possible. And it was all right here.

She sucked in a deep breath, feeling stupid that the revelation surprised her, but it did. She didn't know when it had happened, or more importantly how, but she knew it in her heart. They’d had such a strong physical connection, but it was so much more than just that. She liked the man he was, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life learning every little thing about him.

But did he feel the same way? She chewed her lip, contemplating the issue. They’d had plenty of fun together, and even if their attraction was incredible, none of that meant he wanted a life with her.

The thought dropped a boulder into her stomach. What if all of this meant nothing to him? What if he was just having a good time with her? She’d been the one to say she didn't want anyone to know about their relationship, that she wanted to hide it. Had she made a mistake?

Maybe this was something Jimmy did with a variety of women. Had he kissed Aria? She moved to one of the overhang supports and sagged against it.

Do I really want to know?

Heaven help her. She’d made a mess of this.

Almost as if she’d conjured him, Jimmy stepped out of the hotel on the other side of the street. His eyes quickly found hers, and his slow smile turned into a wide grin. Her heart beat faster, and she accepted she had no control over her own body anymore. Her lips tingled, and her body ached as if she were already pressed up against him.

They’d made an agreement—her idea—they wouldn't talk to each other while in town, but when he took two steps into the street toward her, she simply didn't care. She just wanted to talk to him, and it no longer mattered who saw or heard them.

But before she could reach him, Lizzie McGill, one of the town’s young widows, called out to him, holding a basket in her arms. He turned toward the woman and stepped back on the boardwalk.

Still on the opposite side of the street, Violet couldn’t discern a word of their conversation, but she saw the way Lizzie touched his arm, the way she laughed as if he’d said something funny. More importantly, she saw the smile he gave her.

Jealousy coursed through Violet. As irrational as it was, she didn't want Jimmy to smile at anyone else.

The other woman spoke animatedly, and her body language clearly revealed she was interested in Jimmy as a man.

As if feeling Violet’s stare, Jimmy glanced at her but turned back and continued speaking with Lizzie. Finally, she passed the basket to Jimmy, then locked her hands in front of her, as if she were shy.

Jimmy nodded his thanks and gave her another smile. Before he left, Lizzie patted his arm, as if she couldn’t stop herself from touching him.

Violet fumed. No one had any right to touch him. She wanted to march over and set the other woman straight, but the conversation was finished, and Jimmy was crossing the street toward her, still holding the basket.

Jealousy wasn't a new emotion for Violet. She’d felt it many times in her life. Jealous the other children had parents who loved them and spent time with them. Jealous when one of the other debutantes gained more popularity. Jealous of the woman her ex-fiancé had left her for.

But none of those feelings compared to how she felt now. Because mixed with the jealousy, was panic, and panicked-jealousy was a new emotion for her.

She needed some time alone to figure this all out.

Jimmy crossed over to her, a smile in his eyes, but her fears didn’t subside. If anything, they just got a whole lot more confusing.

“I wasn't expecting to see you in town. How are you?” He looked her over and grinned, as if he liked what he saw.

Such a look would've normally heated her blood, but instead, she remained chilled. “Juliette, Willow, and I needed a few things, so we came into town.”

“It's a good day for it.” He tilted his face up to the sky and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. “Whenever I think about leaving during the winter, I try to remember days like this.”

She had to agree with him. The air was clear and fresh, and the temperature was in the sweet spot, neither too cold or hot. She should have been enjoying it, but all she could keep thinking about was the basket, hanging like a thorn at his side.

She should ignore it, wait for him to mention it, but she simply didn't have enough patience. Or self-control. “Why did Lizzie McGill give you that basket?”

His brows wrinkled as if the changing of topics had jarred him. “Oh.” He looked down at the basket as if he'd forgotten it was there. “She gave it to me as a thank you for helping her the other day.”

Violet arched an eyebrow but remained silent. What had Jimmy helped her with? All sorts of horrible ideas filled her mind, and she hated herself for it.

Seeing her look, Jimmy closed his mouth abruptly. “It’s not like that.”

“Not like what?” she asked, a little too sweetly.

“It’s not whatever you’re thinking to give you that look,” he said seriously.

She didn’t want to think about how he knew her looks. It brought her feelings of love to the surface and made her even more upset. “Then why is she bringing you a basket?” It took all of her willpower to ask him in such a moderate tone. Her instincts were screaming for her to yell at him, berate him for courting another woman. It wasn’t rational at all, but she didn’t care.

“A tree near her cabin blew over in the last storm, and she needed help removing it. I happened to hear about her dilemma and went to help.”

Violet’s shoulder’s relaxed, but she still wasn’t completely convinced. “That’s all? You helped her clear a tree and nothing else?” She glanced down at the basket, remembering how Lizzie had put her hands on him, how she’d gushed just talking to him. “She seems interested in you.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it closed and seemed to think better of it. He looked up and down the boardwalk to see, she assumed, if anyone was watching them. Apparently satisfied, he took her arm and whisked her down the small space between the buildings until they reached the back where no one lingered.

“What are you do—”

He dropped the basket, the contents spilling over the ground, and spun her until she was pinned between the building and his body. His mouth hotly claimed hers, nudging her lips open, shocking her with his aggression. Before she could recover, he pulled away, but kept their heads close together.

His breath heaved. “I would think it obvious that I’m interested in one woman, and only one.” There was a quiet, dark edge to his voice which sent shivers of delight through her body. “If I want someone, I don’t play around. And I certainly don’t peruse other women.”

Her throat clogged. “But we said this wasn’t serious. We said we didn’t want anyone to know.” He ran his index finger up and down her throat, and she wondered if he could feel the flutters of her pulse.

“That’s what you said. You didn’t want anyone to know. But I never said I wanted that.”

“You didn’t?”

His eyes were entranced by her throat, and as if he couldn’t help himself, he bent his head to nip at the skin there. Her eyes closed as she leaned her head back against the wall.

“I can’t get enough of you.”

A startled laugh escaped her lips. He said it like he was amused and frustrated at the same time.

Both of his hands trailed up to the back of her head and into her hair. He gently brought her gaze to his and held her there. “If I haven’t made it clear enough, I don’t want anyone else but you.”

“So you’re saying you want a snobby girl from the east?” she teased, but knew some of her insecurities had seeped out.

“I’m saying”—he placed a soft kiss to her lips—“I want you.”

His words made her lower stomach flutter. The wants and needs flowing through her felt as if they would drown her. “I want you too,” she said softly.

The admission ignited him, and he was there, kissing her, urging her to kiss him back with the same frenzy he was feeling. And she complied until their breaths became one.

It was madness.

He finally pulled away and tucked her against him, cradling her. She didn’t know she could ever feel like this. She didn’t know she could want something or someone so much. It seemed as if the world was good and beautiful and made sense for the first time in her life. And she never wanted it to end.

“I was thinking,” she began, her words partially muffled against his neck, “would you like to come to dinner at the house? I could invite the other women, and they could get to know you.”

“Are you saying you want others to know about us?”

She could hear the amusement in his voice, and she smiled. “I think I want to see where this takes us. We can’t do that if we keep it hidden.” She wasn’t ready to admit she loved him just yet, but she couldn’t stay quiet about what she wanted any longer.

He pulled away to look at her, and her breath caught at his happy look. “I’d like that. A lot.”

She laughed. “Me too. I’ll talk to the others and let you know when.”

“All right.” He held her loosely, but it was comfortable, like they’d always held each other. “But what about our lessons? Do you want to tell others about them?” He raised a brow as if he already knew her answer.

And darn it. He did. “Let’s keep those between us still.” She wanted to be alone with him, and their lessons were a good excuse.

“All right. We’ll keep it a secret. But if we’re going to be courting in public, it’s just going to be you and me, no other suitors. I’ve already put myself out there with Aria and was rejected. I don’t want anything similar happening this time.”

She could understand that. He’d helped out Aria, but he’d also cared for her, and of course it must have been a bit painful when she hadn’t chosen him. “I don’t have any other suitors. I scared them all away,” she said dryly.

“Their loss.” He squeezed her tight.

She snorted, amused. She appreciated she didn’t have to pretend to be someone she wasn’t. He accepted her for who she was, and who she was in her past.

“We should probably go back, I don’t want anyone to worry about you,” he said. Violet knew he was right, but she didn’t want to leave him yet. She wanted more time together. She sighed. “You’re probably right.”

He gave her one last squeeze before releasing her. “Don’t worry. I’ll see you again tomorrow,” he teased.

She tried to sneer at him but couldn’t. She wanted to spend more time with him, and she didn’t care if he knew.

He chuckled. “Go on. You head out first, and I’ll wait a minute before leaving so no one knows we were together.”

“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She took a step away, but he grabbed her hand and yanked her back for a quick kiss. “Think of me.”

Her breath was short from excitement and pleasure. “Always.”

With a final heated look, which told her he was already thinking of kissing her again, he nudged her toward the gap between buildings. “Go. Before I forget why staying is a bad idea.”

She giggled, a sound which didn’t often escape her lips. When he took a step toward her as if he was going to take her back in his arms, she squeaked and jumped toward the walkway.

She dared a glance over her shoulder, and he was leaning against the building, watching her, devouring her with his eyes.

He heated her, warmed her, and filled her with joy. No one had ever looked at her like that, no one had ever wanted her so much she thought they’d combust. And nothing had ever felt better.