On Wednesday at three, Cameron poked his head out of his office and told Diana to get out before he called security. She’d been trying to finish a document he needed for a client, but he had insisted it could wait until the next day.

“But hey, no matter what you do tonight with your ex-hubby, you better be here,” Cameron said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Diana blushed furiously and waved her hand at him as if shooing him away. “Don’t harass me.”

“Oh, girl, you wish this sexy bod would molest you,” Cameron called as he returned to his office. “Now get the hell out of here.”

Diana finished gathering her things and headed for the door. Excitement buzzed through her, causing her steps to quicken as she left the building and walked towards her car. Alyssa had agreed to meet her at her house, though she was behaving petulantly and making snarky comments via text about Diana’s choice of date. Diana had no idea why Alyssa was so irritated by the reconnection, other than her irrational hatred of Travis, but planned to ask while she helped her get ready.

She had splurged on a new outfit for the date, remembering Travis’ comment from Saturday that comfort was essential, but they would be going to dinner after the surprise. She had a perfectly respectable little black dress but didn’t feel right wearing that to a five o’clock date. Always practical, she had checked the weather for Wednesday before deciding on boots or heels, and long sleeves or short. The dark skinny jeans she’d chosen paired with strappy, four-inch heels and a flowing, shoulder-baring blouse was perfect for a late afternoon date. With a lightweight, matching jacket, the outfit could easily be perfect for an evening dinner. She hoped Travis hadn’t become fancy when he’d earned his first million.

Cameron had tried to convince Diana to let him do a quick background check on Travis, which she felt was an invasion of privacy. He had rolled his eyes and told her he’d done it until he met his true love. She still refused, so he agreed to merely an internet search, what any normal person would do if going on a date with a stranger. They’d learned that Travis and his partner had created a company that was now worth millions, and that both men were individually worth almost as much thanks to investments in other companies that had paid off tremendously.

Diana almost wished she didn’t know about the money. She certainly didn’t want Travis or anyone else thinking she’d traipsed back into his life so she could have access to his money. His parents wouldn’t believe that of her, she didn’t think. They’d always gotten along, and when the marriage had ended, his mother had called to check on her several times. Her mother hadn’t bothered until she thought about possible alimony checks. When she’d learned Diana had forfeited any and all alimony, she’d called her an idiot and disappeared again. Until the house had sold.

Travis’ mother and father had always treated her like a daughter, though once the divorce was final, they had stopped calling her. Diana understood his mother was angry with her, and she had every right to be. Losing those two as her family had been incredibly painful, however, and she missed them almost as much as she missed Travis.

When she reached her apartment, Alyssa was already inside, lounging on her couch with a glass of wine and another waiting. She had a key to Diana’s apartment just as Diana had a key to hers. They took care of each other since neither had much in the way of family.

“You do know it’s not even four, right?” Diana asked as she dropped her bags on the kitchen table, chortling as she lifted the glass out of Alyssa’s outstretched hand and drank.

“I always know what time it is,” Alyssa replied haughtily. “You ready to look beautiful?”

“I know it’s a hard job, and I could never manage alone,” Diana sympathized, pursing her lips in a pout at Alyssa’s tone.

“Whatever.” Alyssa groaned as she shoved off the couch and pushed Diana towards the bathroom. “Your hair already looks great, but we can pull a straightener through it to get rid of the strays.”

“Okay. Did I show you my outfit?”

“You sent me four pics while at the store, and another when you got home and tried it on. But”—she lifted a finger as Diana looked at her in the bathroom mirror— “I may have forgotten what it looks like. Is that it hanging from the shower curtain rod?”

Diana saw it and laughed in self-deprecation. “I’m being ridiculous.”

“Yes, you are,” Alyssa said as she grabbed the little stool Diana kept in the bathroom for while she was putting on makeup and pointed at it. “Sit so I can reach your hair, Amazon.”

Diana laughed at herself and Alyssa’s comment. “Cameron wanted to do a background check on Travis,” she announced, wanting Alyssa’s opinion even though she could guess it.

“Did you let him?”

“No. We did search him on the internet, but even that felt like an invasion of privacy,” Diana told her as they waited for the straightener to heat up.

“It kind of is, and if he was a complete stranger, I’d say do it,” Alyssa called as she left the bathroom. “Forgot my makeup in the other room.”

“We can use mine!”

“Girl, please,” Alyssa scoffed. “You have some mascara and”—she dug in the drawer where Diana kept her makeup— “some face powder, and an eyeshadow that looks ten years old.”

“I have some lip gloss in my purse,” Diana defended half-heartedly.

“What do you put on in the mornings for work?”

“Face powder and mascara,” she responded, smiling at her friend.

“My God, how are we friends?” Alyssa grumbled, dropping a bag on the counter and reaching for the heated straightener. “I’m so high maintenance, and you barely care.”

“I care, just not enough to buy all that makeup. How much does that bag weigh?”

“Probably five pounds.” Alyssa shrugged. “And costs nearly five hundred.”

Diana choked on her wine. “Jesus, are you sure you want to waste it on me?”

Alyssa bent so their heads were even and smiled in the mirror. “It’s never a waste to help a friend look hot for a date.”

Diana blushed and thanked her, wondering again how she and Alyssa were friends. They were very different, always had been, but their friendship was strong and had survived a lot: the deaths of Alyssa’s parents, the rocky relationship with Diana’s mother, Alyssa losing job after job because of her attitude, Diana’s divorce, Alyssa putting herself through cosmetology school and setting up her own salon, and Diana’s battle with gambling. They pulled each other through the good and the bad, and loved each other like sisters. And squabbled like siblings as well.

“So, what made you decide to give Travis another chance?” Alyssa asked after several minutes of silence. She had finished her hair and moved on to her makeup, asking Diana to move to the kitchen table so they could both sit.

Diana’s eyes were closed as Alyssa added a touch of eyeliner, claiming the baby blues needed to shine. “Well, he’s giving me another chance too.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“True,” Diana mused, taking her time answering. “At lunch on Saturday, it felt like we’d never been apart. Despite the ugliness, we chatted like nothing bad had ever happened. And he said he could fall for me again.”

“Again? You mean he fell out of love with you?” Alyssa asked sharply. Diana opened her eyes and looked at her, frowning. Alyssa picked up a brush to do Diana’s eyeshadow and opened a pallet. When she saw the look on Diana’s face, she defended her statement. “What I mean is, I know you never stopped loving him, even if you haven’t said it.”

“I didn’t think about it that way,” Diana said quietly. If Travis had fallen out of love with her, had he ever loved her? As much as she loved him? A new form of nervousness filled her, concern for her heart and its safety in his hands. She stared off into space as she realized she might be putting herself in a situation that would end with her heart tearing apart like it had last time.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Alyssa said, drawing Diana’s eyes to hers by putting her hand under her chin. “I didn’t mean to bring you down.”

“It’s okay,” Diana replied, shaking herself a little. “I have to face facts, right? I mean, if I go into this with both eyes open, he can’t blindside me.”

“Huh. I guess that’s one way to look at it,” Alyssa said. “You know what? You should just have fun.”

Diana chuckled a little, her excitement dimmed by Alyssa’s comments. She couldn’t let the negativity drag her down. Like Alyssa advised, she should just have fun and not let expectations for the future cloud the present. Another question leapt out of her mouth before she could stop it.

“Do you think I should have sex with him?”

Alyssa jerked at the sudden explosion of words. “I nearly fucked up your eyes,” she murmured, correcting the erred swipe with another.

“Sorry, but answer my question,” Diana insisted.

“If you want to, do it,” Alyssa answered with a shrug, though she frowned. “We were just talking about how long it’s been since you’ve had sex. You know he’s safe. Why not?”

“What if I fall for him and he doesn’t fall for me?” Diana asked, her insecurity out in the open.

Alyssa pursed her lips and looked into her friend’s eyes. “Diana, you know it going in. If that’s what happens, you’ll survive it like you survived it last time.”

“That was both our faults,” Diana reminded her.

“Yes, yes, I know,” Alyssa said, her voice bored with the conversation, “but watching you starve because you were so sad almost killed me. I wanted to kill him, and if he breaks your heart again, I just might.”

Diana laughed and grabbed her friend’s hand. “You’re so protective.”

“I have to be. You’re all I’ve got,” Alyssa told her, setting her brush down with a huge smile. “And you’re done. Stunning!”

Diana giggled and jumped up to run into the bathroom to look at her reflection. “Wow,” she breathed as she stared at herself. Her eyes, outlined with liner and with a hint of deep blue shadow, popped dramatically they were so bright. And the contouring Alyssa had done made her look like a model. “Holy shit, Alyssa! You should work the runways!”

“That sounds like you’re telling me to be a prostitute,” Alyssa said with a laugh as she packed her makeup. “Hurry up and change. I want to see the whole package before I go.”

Diana grabbed her outfit and changed rapidly, smoothing the shirt and her hair for fly-aways, of which there were none since Alyssa had done her hair. With a clutch in hand to carry her essentials, she walked into the living room and spun around. Alyssa wolf-whistled and clapped.

“If the man isn’t begging for it, I’ll eat your shoes,” Alyssa said as she picked up her bag to leave. “Have fun.”

“Thanks,” Diana answered, kissing her friend on the cheek. “You made me beautiful.”

“Nah,” Alyssa replied as she walked into the living room. “I just added some highlights. You’re always beautiful.”

“I think I’ll just marry you,” Diana commented as she grabbed the bottle of wine Alyssa had opened. “Want some more wine. It’s early.”

“Sure.”

The two plopped down and talked about work while drinking their wine. At 4:45, Alyssa said, “Okay, I need to go. Your dude will be here any minute.”

“My dude?” Diana laughed, her expression confused. “You act like you don’t know him.”

“Well, you know,” Alyssa shrugged as she grabbed her bag.

“I don’t know.” Diana watched her friend pause and stare at the floor. “Why have you always hated him?”

“I don’t know. There’s something about him that’s off,” Alyssa told her, though she wasn’t looking at her. “He always seems…I don’t know…sketchy. Like the type of guy who would hit on your friends while you’re in the bathroom.”

“What? That’s absurd! Sketchy?” Diana asked, disbelief coloring her words. “He’s so far from sketchy it’s not even in his vocabulary.”

“I know you think that,” Alyssa comment drily. Diana stared at her, surprised, and Alyssa sighed. “I don’t know why I think that. I just do.”

Diana watched her friend’s eyes, trying to read her thoughts, which was impossible. She shook her head and smiled to ease the tension between them. “Alyssa, he’s not sketchy, or a bad person, and he certainly wouldn’t hit on my friends. I promise.”

“Yeah, okay,” Alyssa answered, sounding unconvinced. “I need to go.”

“Okay. Thank you for making me pretty,” Diana replied.

“As I said, you’re always pretty.” Alyssa stepped closer and hugged her, then hurried to the door, opened it, and left.

Because Travis wouldn’t be there for another few minutes, Diana decided on another glass of wine to ease her tension. She hadn’t finished the first, so really, she was only having a glass and a half. Not enough to be tipsy but enough to take the edge off. And her nerves were roaring like a lion after a deer.

Something was off about Alyssa, specifically where Travis was concerned. However, she thought as she sipped her wine, I’m putting that away for now so I can enjoy my date.

She returned to her bedroom for another glance in the full-length mirror she’d found at a thrift shop downtown. She’d spent fifteen dollars on it, and it was easily worth a hundred. The sales woman had no clue, and though Diana had felt a little guilty about basically stealing the mirror, she had parted with her fifteen dollars and walked away. As she twisted and turned, she realized she hadn’t put on a speck of jewelry and hurried to her dresser and her jewelry box.

She found a lovely pair of faux sapphire earrings that matched beautifully, and as she dug for a bracelet, she found her wedding ring and the sapphire ring Travis had bought her the night they’d ended their marriage. She lifted it out of the box and stared at it, wondering if she should dare wear it. The ring hadn’t been on her finger since the night he’d given it to her. Its beauty had remained hidden.

She looked into her reflection’s eyes, an eyebrow cocked. “Wear it? Or not? That is the question.”

Her botched Hamlet quote made her chuckle, and she sipped her wine as she stared at the ring. After a few more seconds of deliberation, she slipped it on her right ring finger and walked into the living room.

Alyssa’s comment returned even though she’d tried to shake it off. Her best friend always seemed to know what scared her most and put it into words to make her face it. Travis had thought she was a bitch to do it, which might be the reason Alyssa thought he was “sketchy.” Alyssa didn’t like people who didn’t like her, though her negative attitude caused the dislike around her. But she was right about one thing: Diana’s heart, though not fragile, needed to be protected.

Diana closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She swallowed a gulp of wine and let it do its job, toying with the ring on her right ring finger. I will have fun with Travis, and I will guard my heart, she told herself, remembering this was the deal she’d already made with herself before going to lunch. She admitted she could easily fall in love with him, which meant she knew the danger. And if a person was aware of the danger, the danger could be avoided.

If I’m falling for him, and I can tell he isn’t on the same wavelength, she promised herself again, I’ll walk away. Simple as that. But she knew it wouldn’t be simple to walk away from him, and she was terrified by the idea.

* * *

Travis was wound tight when he parked in the parking lot near Diana’s apartment building. He’d been thinking about this date since they’d made it on Saturday evening, terrified she would hate what he thought was a good idea. He’d done a little more research about Madame LaLaurie and realized the woman had been an absolute monster, beyond what he’d imagined. According to legend, she had tortured her slaves in a manner that led the people of her time to believe she must have been the devil.

He knew Diana enjoyed the show and the character, but he hadn’t seen it and had no idea how gruesome the show might have been with her storyline. Probably pretty bad considering what he’d read about the woman. However, the reservations were made, and the mansion was reputed to be absolutely beautiful, if a little macabre when they went up to the attic, or “torture chamber,” as it was referred to on the website.

He climbed out of his car and walked up the sidewalk to the apartment, glancing around him at the building and the neighborhood as he did so. The building was older but not without charm and did seem to have some form of security. When he reached the front door, he had to ring her apartment and be buzzed in. Her voice sounded as nervous as he felt, which made him feel a little better.

As he stepped inside and turned back to close the door, he noticed the neighborhood wasn’t the greatest. A couple of homeless men loitered across the street, drinking from a shared bottle of cheap whiskey. As he watched, though, a nice car drove by and a gaggle of women, dressed for work, walked by together and into a restaurant with a bar for a happy hour drink. So the neighborhood wasn’t dangerous, merely ‘exciting,’ as a realtor would try to sell it.

He knocked on her door and waited patiently. A table with a mirror above it sat directly across from her door, so he turned and checked his appearance quickly. Not too shabby, he thought as he pushed his hair behind his ears. He’d chosen to wear it down because his hair was almost as great an asset as his smile. The dark skin and blue-black hair he’d inherited from his Native American mother had opened many doors—and legs, if he was honest. But the only woman he wanted beneath him now was Diana.

The jeans and polo he’d chosen to pair with his boat shoes were casual and comfortable, and he hoped she had dressed to match. He didn’t want to feel like a bum next to her, and really, regardless of what she wore, even a potato sack, she would outshine him and most other people in a room.

Travis jerked around when the door opened, and his eyes started at her feet encased in pretty sandals, her toenails a lovely shade of pink, and traveled up her figure. By the time he reached her face, he worried drool had slipped out of the corner of his mouth, which had dropped open as he ogled her perfection.

Her face, breathtakingly beautiful, stared at him and she smirked. “Have you lost the ability to speak?”

“I might be having an aneurysm.” He snapped himself out of his trance with a shake of his head. “You look…”

Diana’s eyes narrowed at him. “I hope that sentence ends well.”

Travis laughed as she stepped out, keys in hand to lock her door. “I’m trying to find the right word, but I’m at a loss.”

She straightened and smiled beautifully at him, taking his breath. “Well, I think you look extraordinarily handsome.”

“Extraordinary!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands. “You beat me to it.”

“You are trying to be charming,” she accused playfully as he gestured for her to walk ahead of him to the elevator.

“I hope I’m doing more than trying,” he answered, watching her ass in the tight jeans she’d chosen. For a thin woman who hated exercise, she had an ass that rivaled a swimmer’s.

When they reached the elevator, she whispered as the doors opened, “Still an ass man, I see.”

Caught, he felt his face redden slightly when they stepped inside. “What?”

“Don’t play! You were watching my ass! I saw you in the reflection of the elevator doors,” she said with a laugh. She tipped her head back as she did so, and he wanted to kiss the column and down to the hollow.

He shrugged good-naturedly, chuckling. “You know me. I can’t help myself when I see a nice ass.”

As they exited the elevator, she allowed him to precede her, and she whistled. “I like to look at a nice ass as well.” She slapped his ass and hissed, shaking her hand as if it hurt. “Your ass is like steel! How often do you work out?”

Travis, astonished she’d slapped his ass, laughed uproariously at her daring behavior. Shrugging again, he leaned close to her as he opened the door to her building. “I use my extra free time to work out.”

Diana shook her head, her eyes twinkling at him. “That’s great! I’m happy for you—and for me,” she added.

He tilted his head at her, eyeing her as if she was a new woman. “Who are you, and what have you done with Diana?”

He opened the car door for her, and before she ducked inside, she leaned close and whispered, “I’m not really Diana.”

Her face was so close to his he couldn’t resist. He let his lips drift to hers and touch lightly, just a brush of his lips against hers. The electric current that passed between them was stronger than he remembered, and he stepped back almost instantly. He watched as her fingers touched her lips and confusion filled her expression.

“What was that?” she asked quietly, her eyes mesmerizing him as she watched him.

“I think that’s the renewal of something fantastic,” he replied, touching her cheek with his fingertips.