I look over the tray I’ve prepared. It’s not great, nowhere near as elaborate as what I would have prepared if I had access to my own kitchen, or was even able to run to the store, but considering how little I had to work with, it’s not bad.

Picking it up, I walk, bare chested, through Lara’s small apartment and use my toe to nudge the bedroom door open.

“Rise and shine,” I softly call out.

The blanketed lump that is Lara barely moves, but the skinny, naked Atticus who curled up on my pillow the second I left, shoots to his feet.

His back stiffens, his eyes sparkling as he takes a moment to scent the air, then, with a happy yip, he springs into action. Scrambling over Lara, triggering an agitated yelp, he scurries to the end of the bed that’s nearest me. His haunches hit the mattress in a perfect sit and he gazes up at me expectantly.

“Nice try, pal,” I say, shooting him a warning glare. I get the distinct impression that this little animal has judged me and decided that I’m not worthy of Lara’s time. “But this isn’t for you.”

“What time is it?” Lara, still buried beneath a pile of blankets, grumbles.

I glance at the alarm clock for confirmation. “Ten twenty-two.”

“Practically dawn,” Lara says, her voice thick with sleep. “Way too early to be up.”

“Most of Chicago is awake right now.” Placing the tray on her nightstand, I sit beside her, bumping her with my hip.

“Not the ones who stay up half the night tending bar.”

I fold the blankets back, revealing the face she’s smashed against her pillow. She opens one eye and glares at me.

“Come on now. I need to leave soon, but before I do, I want a few more minutes with you. Surely that’s not too much to ask?” I pick up the tray and move it in front of her face. “I made you breakfast.”

She stares at the tray for a second, weighing her options. Apparently hunger wins out over sleepiness because she sits up, tucking the sheet under her arms as she does, hiding her amazing body from me.

It’s a crying shame.

Once she’s up, I place the tray across her lap and thrill at the smile spreading across her face, chasing away the sleepiness.

“This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” She picks up a piece of the peach I sliced up and sinks her teeth into it. A small drop of juice runs down her chin.

“You’re so sweet.”

“Not as sweet as you.”

Unable to resist, I lean forward and lap at the juice before taking her mouth is a whisper-soft kiss. By the time I pull back, she’s all but purring and her eyes are heavy lidded with desire.

“Mmm,” she moans, gesturing at the tray. “Still, you didn’t have to do this. Usually, I just grab a bowl of cereal in the morning. Or maybe a breakfast sandwich from one of the fast food places if I want to get fancy.”

“Based on the contents of your kitchen, I guessed as much.”

The sliced-up peach, a bowl of healthy cereal, and piece of toast pretty much used up the entire contents of her kitchen. I lift the glass of orange juice and take a sip before handing it to her. She follows my example.

“Mmm,” she repeats. “Mimosas, but where did you get the …”

“I liberated a bottle of champagne from downstairs. I left some money on the counter to cover the cost.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” She takes another sip. “I’m drinking it, I should pay for it.”

I shake my head. “Don’t. It’s something I wanted to do.”

Lara looks like she wants to argue, but she restrains herself. Good. I don’t want to fight, I want to enjoy this last little chunk of time with her.

“Champagne isn’t the only thing you liberated.” She touches the tiny black satin bat I plucked from one of her Halloween decorations and rubber-banded to a spoon.

“Breakfast in bed isn’t one hundred percent complete without at least one flower on the tray, and since I couldn’t find any flowers downstairs, I improvised.”

Lara breaks off a piece of toast and gives it to Atticus, who inhales it in a single gulp before shooting a smug look my way. I ignore him.

“I had silk flowers on all the tables, but I put them in storage when I put up the Halloween decorations.”

Lara picks up her spoon and digs into the cereal. “And soon it’ll be time to replace those with the Thanksgiving ones. And after that, I need to think about where to put my Christmas things.”

Her brow creases. “Funny how fast time flies once you start thinking of it in terms of decorating. I never noticed that before I became a business owner.”

Christmas, is it really so close?

I do the mental calculations. One week until Halloween, which means Christmas is ten weeks away. Just a moment ago it seemed like a lifetime. For me, this Christmas was going to be very much like the last several, just another day, only notable in that so many stores were closed.

And right now, there isn’t any reason to think that the next one will be any different.

“So, when I asked what brought you into town, you only said business, but you didn’t mention what kind.”

Lara’s statement draws me from my thoughts.

Leaning close, I brush a kiss across her cheek. “It wasn’t all business; it turned out there was quite a bit of pleasure mixed in as well.”

Lara snorts. “Fine – don’t tell me what it is you do.” She hesitates a moment, weighing her next words. “I don’t suppose it’s the kind of business that keeps bringing you back to Chicago..?”

In a flash, I recall wondering about what would happen if the one-night stand turned into something more. And here she is, providing me with the perfect opportunity to find out.

“I … I don’t know.”

Even as I utter the words, my heart twists. I nearly flinch at the sudden, sharp pain. Maybe I should tell her the truth about why I’m in Chicago. She’s already proven herself to be exceptional; maybe she’s also the one woman out of a million who’d understand.

I feel the words rise in my throat, ready to spill out, but I swallow them. Everything about Lara has been simply magic. A perfect encounter. Far better for both of us to remember one another like this than to say something that would completely change my opinion of her, and vice versa.

“Probably not,” I add.

“Oh.” Disappointment flashes in her eyes, but she masks it. She lifts the tray and puts it on the night stand, letting the sheet fall as she does, baring her breasts.

My mouth goes dry.

“In that case, one more bout of lovemaking before you have to go.” Her gaze captures mine. “Something to remember me by.”

“I’ll always remember you.” I swallow. I’ve always hated goodbyes, and the sadness in Lara’s eyes isn’t making this any easier. “But I really need to get going.”

And if I take her up on her offer, I might never find the willpower to leave her bed again.

“How long before you have to leave?”

I glance at her alarm clock. There’s still a few hours before I have to meet my plane, but I still have to check out of the hotel and attend one last appointment before making my way back to North Carolina.

“I should get out of here in the next five or ten minutes.”

“That’s just enough time.” In a blur of naked skin, Lara scrambles off the bed. The suddenness of her movement causes Atticus to leap off the other side and bolt from the room.

“For what?” I ask, bemused.

Lara tugs an oversized T-shirt over her head and yanks a dresser drawer open. “For me to get ready to go with you.”

“To North Carolina?”

I’d be lying if the idea doesn’t light a tiny flame of hope within me. Lara pursuing me to my home state feels far more natural than putting over a thousand miles between us.

“No,” Lara snorts. “To walk with you to the hotel.”

She quickly rolls on a pair of black leggings and slides them over her bare ass. For some reason, knowing she’s commando under the pants makes it hard to believe that up until I debauched her a few hours ago, she was still a virgin.

“You don’t have to do that,” I say as she races out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. A moment later the sound of running water and tooth brushing fills the apartment.

“I want to,” she says, her voice garbled. “Besides, Atticus needs to go for a walk. Do you mind getting his harness ready? It’s hanging by the door. Next to my purple handbag.”

Finding the harness is easy. Putting it on the dog is an entirely different matter. Not only does the animal refuse to come near me, preferring to remain about two feet away, but I can’t even begin to figure out which strap goes where on his little body.

Lara, looking just as spectacular in black leggings, baggy, stained T-shirt, and with her hair up in a messy, crooked ponytail as she did last night in full makeup and a flapper dress, lets herself out of the bathroom. She watches me fumble with the collection of narrow nylon straps for a second before rolling her eyes and plucking the harness out of my hand.

“Here. I’ll do it.”

A second later, the harness encases the dog’s chest. A matching leash appears in Lara’s hand, and a heavy blue coat hides the dog’s naked body. Lara shoves her feet into a pair of battered slip-on shoes, drapes a sling bag over her shoulder and pushes the apartment door open.

Side by side, we make our way down the steep flight of stairs. Atticus scrambles ahead of us, his thin plume of a tail whipping to and fro.

Lara’s and my hands brush together, our fingers tangling. Why does the feel of her hand in mine feel so right and the idea of getting on a plane and flying home feels so wrong?

“What’s that?”

Lara’s words startle me from my thoughts. “Hmm?”

She nods to the main entrance. “On the door.”

A large white envelope has been attached to the opposite side of the heavy glass with duct tape.

The three of us push our way through the door, shivering as the late October air swirls around us. Atticus tucks his tail between his legs and shivers as Lara rips the envelope off the door and tears it open. She twists her body so she blocks the wind while she reads the note inside, effectively blocking me from seeing the message.

Swearing under her breath, she shoves the note into her coat pocket in a move that reminds me of the note Emile gave her last night.

A prickle of concern tickles the back of my neck. “Problem?”

“Just an unhappy customer. Nothing I can’t handle.” She tightens her grip on the leash. “Come on, Atticus. We have to deliver Paul back to his hotel.”

Too soon, we’re standing in front of the main entrance to the Philistine Hotel. We face each other, neither of us knowing exactly what to say to one another. Lara toys with Atticus’s leash and looks everywhere but at me.

“So,” she says, her voice thick with emotion. “I suppose this is good-bye.”

I should make a clean break of things. I know that. Lara and I are from two different worlds. We barely know each other, but the thought of cutting all contact with her ties my stomach in knots. And the way she reacted to those notes. All of my instincts tell me there’s more to them than she’s letting on.

“What’s your number?”

Her brow furrows. “Why?”

I tug my cell phone out of my pocket.

“I’m going to text you mine. I want you to call me if you ever need anything from me. It doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is, or how big the problem might be. I want you to let me know about it.”

Lara’s chin juts out and a defiant glint lights her eyes. “I can take care of myself.”

“That doesn’t mean you don’t sometimes need someone in your corner,” I tell her, keeping my tone mild. Something tells me that if I push too hard, Lara’s stubborn streak will kick in – and that once that happens, she’ll refuse to ask for help no matter how badly she may need it.

Looking irritated, she rattles off her number and I shoot her a quick, impersonal number. It doesn’t feel like enough.

“So.” She looks at the Philistine’s ornate doors. “I suppose this is it.”

Before I have a chance to respond, she grabs the front of my shirt, yanking me close and taking my mouth in a kiss that is pure fire. It rocks me back to my heels, melting all rational thought.

She pulls back, leaving me stunned and gaping. Tears sparkle in her eyes, but she keeps her voice light as she backs up, tugging on Atticus’s leash as she goes. “If you’re ever in town again, make sure you swing by and see me. I think we have the start of a great friendship.”

Before I can think of anything to say, she disappears around the corner of the building. Walking out of my life.

Twenty Minutes Later

I step out of the lobby just as a sleek black town car pulls to a halt at the curb. The trunk pops open a moment before an elegant, uniformed driver lets himself out. His eyes meet mine.

“Mr. Sullivan?”

I nod and tell the porter to load my suitcase into the car. “I have an appointment I need to keep before you deliver me to the airport.”

The driver nods. “Very well, sir. Where am I taking you?”

“Loving Embrace Fertility Clinic.”