Sully lay awake staring at the ceiling. He reached out to turn off the alarm. He hadn’t needed to worry about oversleeping. He’d hardly slept at all. He’d tossed and turned, his mind full of images of Jess. What did he think he was playing at? He’d only met the woman yesterday. He’d known her for twelve hours before he’d kissed her. Okay, to be fair, she’d kissed him first, but hers had been a tentative peck on the lips. It could almost be claimed as a friendly kiss goodnight. He blew out his lips. Yeah, right. It had been a whole lot more than friendly; it had been a question and an invitation all in one. She was attracted to him, she’d had a great evening, she’d like to be more than friends. Her one quick peck had told him all those things and had asked if he felt the same. His answer had been swift and adamant. He’d pulled her to him, loving the feel of her slender body pressed against his own. Yes! he’d told her as he swept his tongue inside her mouth. Yes, he was attracted to her. Yes, he’d had a great evening; it’d been the best evening he could remember. And, oh, hell yes, he would definitely like to be more than friends—and not just physically more than friends. He wanted to know her; he wanted her to know him. He wanted to explore this connection that they were both feeling. And then he’d let her go.

He’d had to walk her out to her motorhome and watch her drive away, because what he’d wanted more than anything was to take her to bed with him and never let her walk away again. She made him feel alive. She made him question everything. As he’d tossed and turned into the small hours, he’d even questioned whether love at first sight really did exist. He would never have believed it until yesterday. Lust at first sight, maybe. But love? Nope. No way. He’d admit to being a cynic about love at all, but there was no way you could instantly know a person and connect with them on any meaningful level. Or so he’d thought. He sat up slowly and put his feet on the floor; it was symbolic in his mind. He needed to get his feet planted firmly back on the ground. He was being ridiculous. Maybe he was overstressed; well, there was no maybe about that one. And maybe his grief for Patrick was affecting him more profoundly than he’d realized. Perhaps at some subconscious level, he was trying to please his old friend and mentor by doing what he’d been telling him to. He was opening himself up to the possibility of love and a life outside of his work. He was creating a fantasy around a woman because some part of him believed that was what Patrick would have wanted for him.

He made his way to the shower. He needed to get a grip. He’d go hiking with Jess today, then maybe he should head on home. He could always go back to work. Manny had told him he didn’t want to see him till his leave was over, but he’d cave. Sully was sure if he turned up in the office, he’d soon be sucked into whatever was going on. Manny would forget that he wasn’t supposed to be there. And he would forget about the beautiful, ditzy Jess. Maybe.

Fifteen minutes later he was showered and ready. He’d made a pot of coffee and took a cup of the dark steaming brew out onto the little balcony that overlooked Main Street. Even at this hour in the morning, there was activity down there. People were arriving to open up their businesses. He had to wonder what that kind of life might be like. He couldn’t imagine. Even if he could follow Patrick’s advice and leave the Bureau, make a life for himself that was about people he loved, he didn’t think he could be happy. He needed to serve. He had a special skill set; yes, some of it was God-given, but much of it was learned, trained into him. How could he walk away and live a selfish life? How could he not contribute to his country? Patrick had told him often enough; there were hundreds, if not thousands of private outfits now. Contractors who handled many aspects of the intelligence community’s needs. Sully could use his skills, still contribute, still make a living, and still have a life.

The sight of Jess’s motorhome trundling down the street brought a smile to his face. His heart rate quickened, and he knew it wasn’t just the caffeine kicking in. He downed the rest of his coffee and headed for the door. Whatever his future might hold, today was about spending time with Jess. He didn’t need to think beyond that right now. He smiled to himself as he bounded down the stairs. See, he was already thinking more like she did.

He strode down the street and was at her door by the time she opened it. She smiled at the sight of him.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning yourself.” He couldn’t help it. The sight of her bright smile, and let’s be honest, the sight of her gorgeous face and lithe body made him reach out his hands to cup her face. He planted a kiss on her lips and then stepped back.

Pink patches appeared on her cheeks as she smiled up at him. “Wow! It’s good to see you, too!”

He laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

“I’m glad, keep it up.”

He didn’t need telling twice, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, just as he’d been remembering doing all night. Her body felt just as good against his as he remembered. Her arms came up around his neck.

“Shall we take this inside?”

He looked back up at the room above the café. He’d like nothing more than to start the day that way, but this was all moving a little too fast. He didn’t want just a quick hook up.

She laughed and patted his cheek, making him turn to look back at her. “I meant inside my place so we can get going.” She pointed at her motorhome, and he hung his head in mock shame.

“Oh, err, yeah. I knew that.”

She laughed. “You did not. And I’m not going to claim I didn’t like your idea, but we’ve got a long day ahead of us if we’re going to make it up to the falls and down before nightfall.”

He let go of her, but held onto one hand and brought it to his lips. “Okay then. Let’s get going.”

Her gaze flew up to meet his as he kissed the inside of her wrist.

He smiled, knowing the effect it was having on her. He was surprised at himself; this wasn’t like him, but she was bringing out a side to him that he liked—and from the desire evident in her eyes, she liked it too. Her next words surprised him even more.

“Be careful. A girl could fall for a guy when he does that.”

He held her hand a little tighter. Her tone was joking, but her eyes held a mixture of shock and truth. It wasn’t just him, then? He wasn’t sure he could make any words come out, and he knew if he did they wouldn’t be the right ones, so he simply kissed her wrist again and raised an eyebrow as he let her hand fall.

She continued to stare at him for a moment before turning away to open up the motorhome. “We should get going.”

~ ~ ~

Jess drove in silence, following the directions Tessa had given her to find the trailhead. Her mind was racing. She couldn’t believe what she’d said. Nor could she believe his reaction. A girl could fall for a guy…? Too damned right she could! And she was afraid she was doing. Except for the fact that she couldn’t be. Twenty-four hours ago she hadn’t even known that James Sullivan existed, so how could there be even a remote possibility that she was falling in love with the man? That was just too silly for words. Her churning stomach and thundering heart begged to differ with her, but really!

She shot a glance over at where he sat in the passenger seat. He seemed to be lost in thoughts of his own. Perhaps he was wondering how to politely extricate himself from this. How could he have taken her words seriously? How could she? She decided she could put it down to sleep deprivation. She’d hardly slept all night. She’d been too busy remembering the way he’d felt when he kissed her, the way he’d made her feel.

He turned to look at her with a smile. She smiled back, immediately feeling more relaxed and reassured that perhaps she wasn’t going crazy. When he smiled at her like that, he felt like an old friend, one who could read her thoughts and put her at ease.

“What are we getting into here?” he asked.

She was tempted to tell him about the hike ahead, to deliberately misunderstand him and take the pressure off, but she wasn’t that much of a coward. She shrugged. “I don’t know, but it scares the hell out of me.”

“It does?”

She nodded as she turned into the parking lot at the trailhead. “I’m not saying I don’t like it, but I have no idea what to do with it. I will say I’m relieved that you feel it too—and even more so that you’re prepared to talk about it.

He nodded. “I told myself I could try to ignore it, but that’s not going to be possible.”

Relief flooded through her. “So, what do you say we just roll with it, see where it goes?”

He nodded again. “It’s not my usual MO, but then I don’t see what else we can do.”

She smiled and brought the motorhome to a stop. “I say we have fun with it. With each other.”

He reached across and cupped her cheek in his hand. “Okay.”

She closed her eyes as he lowered his face toward hers. She opened up to him as he kissed her. How could it feel so right?

Eventually, she lifted her head and looked deep into his eyes. “What are you doing to me?”

The corners of his lips lifted in the tiniest hint of a smile. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

~ ~ ~

It took them a good couple of hours to reach the falls. Sully was impressed by the way Jess pushed on, undeterred by the steep terrain or the rocks they had to climb in places. The morning had started chilly, but it was a beautiful warm fall day by the time they stood before the cascading water and the serene pool it filled.

She turned to look at him. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Gorgeous,” he agreed, thinking more about her face than the waterfall.

“Do you mind if I just take off with my camera for a few minutes?”

He grinned. “Not at all. Go do your thing.” Not only did he not mind, but he was also happy that she had such a passion. As he watched her, she was engrossed in her work, finding the right angle, switching lenses. She wasn’t one of those women who wanted the whole world to revolve around the two of them. She didn’t want or need him to entertain her or devote all his attention to her. He’d never understood women like that. She simply wanted to share the experience of the hike with him.

He wandered over to the water’s edge and began to throw pebbles in, watching the ripples circle out from where they disappeared under the surface. His thoughts turned to Patrick again. Remembering the time he’d used the analogy of ripples in water. Every action, he’d said, was like a stone falling into water, it’s repercussions spreading from the point of entry and rippling away to cause waves in all directions, altering conditions far removed from the original action. He sighed. Patrick’s death had certainly sent ripples through his mind. What he didn’t know was whether the repercussions would spread as far as his life, or whether they would remain in the field of thought.

He watched Jess walk with her camera, seeking out just the right vantage point to get the shot she was after. She’d affected his mind already; would he allow her to affect his life? Would she even want to? Or was he simply overthinking now that he’d let his mind out of its usual box?

“Hey,” she called. “You have to come see this!”

He smiled and followed to where she was standing on the far side of the pool. She pointed up to where the water was cascading from the ledge high above. “Can you see the rainbow?”

He looked up through the mist of droplets and smiled as he did, indeed, see the rainbow.

“I love rainbows,” she said. “They always seem so hopeful. Like they’re a reminder that there is still beauty to be found even when it’s raining.”

Sully smiled. “That beauty wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t raining; it’s the light shining through the water that makes the rainbow possible. Beauty can be found even in the saddest times if you look hard enough for it.”

She looked surprised at his words, but she couldn’t be as surprised as he felt—where the hell had that even come from? “Do you know why it’s called Hope Falls?” he asked, wanting to move the conversation on from his deep and meaningless babble.

“No, do you?” She was obviously hoping he would tell her, but he had no clue.

“I don’t. I was just wondering.”

She smiled. “I’d rather it was called Hope Rises. I mean, it’s so beautiful; it doesn’t feel like a place where hopes should fall or be dashed.

“I don’t think falling is always a bad thing, do you?” Shit, there he went again! What was he doing?

She met his gaze. “Maybe not, but you have to admit, it does sound scary.”

Too right, it did! He nodded, and couldn’t help himself. “It does, but maybe that’s part of it. It’s scary, but it’s okay to fall if you have the right person there to catch you.”

She looked deep into his eyes, seemingly searching for something. He wouldn’t be surprised if she were checking whether he was mocking her. Even to his own ears it sounded pretty cheesy, but it seemed he couldn’t help it around her. He just kept spouting this shit! He smiled and shrugged.

Jess lifted her camera and began to shoot; he guessed she was trying to capture the beauty of the rainbow. He wondered if that was ever possible.

She surprised him when she spoke after a little while. She still had her camera held up to her face. “What do you think it would look like if I were to fall?”

It took him a moment to process her words. He knew she didn’t mean fall from the rock she was perched on. “Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve been asking myself the same thing.”

She let her camera down and peered at him. “You have?”

He nodded. “I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve been trying to convince myself that my reaction to you is a result of being overstressed for too long capped off by grief. You are the embodiment of everything Patrick kept telling me I needed to find in life.”

She stared at him then took a deep breath. “You are the embodiment of everything I’ve been telling myself doesn’t exist in life.”

He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to explain.

She gave him a weak smile. “This is going to sound so sappy; you’re probably going to run back down the hill just to get away from this crazy woman. You feel like coming home. Which is ridiculous enough in itself, and even more so when you remember that I’ve never really had a home, so I wouldn’t even know what it’s supposed to feel like. All I know is that you feel like you’re my safe place, my happy place; you make me relax, and you make me feel like everything is all going to be okay.”

He sucked in a deep breath.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry!” she said hurriedly. “It’s stupid, and I shouldn’t have told you. Now we’re just going to have an awkward climb back down until you can safely get away from me.”

He stepped toward her and closed his arms around her. “Would you just shush for a minute? My reaction was because everything you said is exactly how I feel about you. You put it into better words than I could have, and I wouldn’t have been as brave as you; I wouldn’t have dared to say it all. But Jess...” He tucked his fingers under her chin and tilted her head so she was looking up into his eyes. “I feel the same way. When I looked into your eyes yesterday, that was exactly how I felt—like I was coming home. I don’t know what’s going on between us. I don’t know what you’re doing to me, but I can tell you that I like it. I like it a lot. And I would love for us to explore it and see where we can go with it. What do you say?”

Her big blue eyes were round as they searched his face. He didn’t know what she was looking for, but he could tell the moment she found it. Her face relaxed, and she smiled. “I say yes, please. I would love to explore whatever the hell is going on between us.” She reached up and pecked his lips.

He hugged her to his chest and rested his chin on the top of her head. Whatever the hell was going on between them, it had him hoping that he wouldn’t ever have to let her go.