If someone had told Emily an earthquake would happen today and the ground would swallow her up and spit her back out—exactly the way she’d been ten years ago—she wouldn’t have believed them. Yet here she was, unraveled by this man in front of her. Not just because those kisses were amazing. She swallowed, thinking the kisses were just the tip of the iceberg. She took two steps back, wanting distance from Tom and needing to answer his question. “No, this won’t work.”

Tom’s face brightened. “I think those kisses proved it will.”

Emily had to concede that. She knew he was right, at least about the date. They had a lot zing between them, so everyone would definitely buy it. “Okay, we need a story. I broke up with Brett a month ago, and you and I have been dating.”

Tom frowned. “No, the truth.”

“What?”

“No story, Ms. Attorney. Just the truth.”

“The truth.”

“I’ve always found it useful.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Like when I say I’ll marry someone, I mean it.”

Emily glared at him. “Too easy.”

The edges of his lips went up, taking the sting out of his comment. “Okay, I ask that the previous comment be stricken from the record, judge.”

She cracked a smile. “Fine. The truth.”

“Great.” Hesitantly, he reached for her hand. “Maybe we should practice the kissing again, just to sell it.”

She let out a nervous laugh. What was she doing? They weren’t kids anymore. She shook her head and pulled her hand away. “No, Tom.” She pushed her fingers into her right temple, feeling a headache coming on. “We have to remember it’s just a date.”

Tom scowled at her. “Why?”

“Because there’s so much between us, and we obviously can’t get along.”

“I don’t think you can hide how well we get along, and it’s bugging you.” The side of his lip turned up in a sexy way. “Can you?” He wagged his eyebrows, something he used to do when they were kids and he was teasing her.

Hesitating, she couldn’t help but smile. Tom looked overly pleased that her kiss had betrayed how much she was into him. She shook her head, not wanting to think about that. “Okay, let’s just focus.” She wagged a finger at him. “You’ll come to my stuff, and I’ll come to your stuff. Then we’ll go back to our lives.”

The surly look was back. “That’s what you want? Back to your life?”

His question took her by surprise. This was all happening at lightning speed. What was he saying? “I just broke up with my boyfriend this morning on the phone. Now …” She threw up her hands and looked away, trying to clear her head. “This feels—”

“Normal,” he said quickly.

She blinked. “That’s not what I’m saying.” But she couldn’t forget the way he took her in his arms. “Maybe wrong.”

“Wrong?” He looked offended.

Her mind felt mushy and confused, exactly the opposite of the way it usually felt in court in front of a jury. “No. That’s not what I meant.”

“What do you mean, Ems?” he asked, closing the gap between them and trailing a hand up her arm. “Because it felt right to me.”

She couldn’t think with him touching her. “Why wouldn’t you see me last summer when I messaged you?”

Abruptly, his hand stopped running down her arm, and he pulled it back. He scrunched up his face. “Do you want me to be your date or not?”

Obviously, he didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t respond for a few moments.

Tom closed his eyes, then flashed them open. “You’re right. We shouldn’t do this.” He turned and walked out the door.

Then he was gone.