“Zoe! Wait up!” My heart was hammering way too hard for such a short jog.

I was headed home from brunch with Marie when a familiar car caught my eye in the parking lot of Samurai Blue. There were many practical black sedans in the city of Tampa but only one that had “House Stark” on one corner of the rear window and “So Say We All” on the other, with a blue Tardis next to her license plate.

Given the lecture I’d just gotten from Marie I decided it had to be fate that an opportunity to run into Zoe was dropped in my lap. Before I knew what I was doing I’d made a hard turn into the parking lot and was inside.

I wasn’t hungry so this made no sense, but then again, I rarely made sense around Zoe. I wasn’t a funny guy and I wasn’t a talker, yet somehow being near Zoe always managed to turn me into a mumbling idiot.

Today was no different. She choked on her sushi as soon as she saw me. Then I managed to stick my foot in my mouth about her books. It was clear from the look she gave me she thought I was using them as a line or something when in reality her fantasy series was one of my favorites. I’d read them twice and was dying for the next installment.

And then I really went and ruined everything. Stupid Marie had me convinced Zoe had feelings for me. So I went for it.

But instead of kissing—what I really wanted to do—or getting a polite rejection, I scared her. There was no other explanation for the way she reacted. I had four sisters. I liked to think I was fairly well attuned to the many reactions of a woman. My youngest sister in particular liked to give me a run for my emotional money with everything from panic attacks to abusive boyfriends. I knew what paralyzing fear looked like.

So here I was, chasing Zoe Burke across a parking lot, hoping like hell she was okay. It was my disastrous flirting from two years ago all over again. Except worse this time.

She hit her key fob and opened the door. Fuck. I could see her hands trembling from here. What the hell had I said to set her off like this?

“Zoe. Are you okay?” I slid to a stop behind her.

She threw her hands up like she was surrendering to me.

Not a good sign. A really bad sign, actually.

“I’m fine.” The words came out all choked and forced. Emotional. She was most definitely not fine. I’d peg her somewhere between a general freak-out and a full-on panic attack.

“You are not fine.”

She spun, eyes wild, and I remembered rule numero uno: never tell a woman how she feels. Then her shoulders slumped, whatever fight she’d just mustered completely draining out of her. “Look, Erik, I shouldn’t have run out like that, but I promise I will be fine.” Her dark hair swirled around her face as the wind caught it.

I still couldn’t get over how beautiful she was. Every time we got close . . . it was like looking at a movie star in person for the first time. Real, but way too good to be real.

Familiar when she shouldn’t be.

Sure, we’d spent a lot of time around each other over the last couple of years, but not quality getting-to-know-you time. She always avoided me and I didn’t hunt down women against their will.

There was no reason looking at her should feel so right or normal, and yet that was absolutely how it felt every damn time. Her dark hair begged for me to run my hands through it. I ached in ways I shouldn’t to grab it and hold her to me while I kissed the crap out her—made her knees go weak so I had to hold her. Add in the brilliant green eyes, alabaster skin, and angular face . . . she was a work of art I couldn’t get enough of.

“But you’re not fine right now, Zoe.” I searched her face, looking for the answers, but all I found was an empty stare. Normally Zoe was a spitfire. Words were her weapon but she also had this spunk, this general attitude toward life, like she was ready to kick its ass.

I found it incredibly attractive.

But right now all of that was gone. Zoe was scared and vulnerable. It made me want to wrap her up and protect her from everything. It was an instinct I usually felt around my sisters, which only made this reaction even weirder because my feelings toward Zoe were most definitely not of the platonic nature.

“No. I’m not fine,” she said slowly, her eyes not quite meeting mine. “But as I said, I will be in a few minutes.”

Her hands still shook. Hell, her whole body was essentially trembling. She was in no state to go anywhere or be alone, so when she turned away from me, trying to leave, my arm shot out to stop her.

I realized too late how my instinct to help was the exact wrong thing to do. Her eyes flared with panic, her breath caught like it was stuck in her lungs, and all the blood drained from her face as she stared up at me.

I really, really hated that look in her eyes. As if she’d never felt safe alone with a man. That look cut me deep and I think it was right then, in that moment, that my crush on Zoe changed into something much more significant.

Permanent. As if she’d been branded onto my soul. Mine to protect from whatever was causing this pain.

I settled my hands loose on her biceps to keep her steady as she swayed. “I am so sorry I put my hand on your car. I would never, ever stop you from leaving. You’re safe with me. I swear it.”

Thank fuck the color began to return to her cheeks. Her eyes wandered back to lock with mine. “You really mean that, don’t you?” she whispered.

The fact that she had to ask that, coupled with the waver in her voice told me a lot about Zoe’s past. Someone—no, some man had hurt her. Picking up and moving to Tampa so suddenly, not dating, this fear . . . there wasn’t a doubt in my mind what was causing it. Not anymore. It made me want to lift her car up and drop it on the first asshole I found. But she probably didn’t want to hear that part.

“Of course I mean it,” I said nice and soft. “The last thing I’d ever want is to upset you.” Men who hurt women were the lowest form of bottom-scraping scum on the planet.

Weak. That’s what my father had taught me and my brothers a long, long time ago. “Strong men need strong women to love. Weak men use women to make themselves feel strong, but they aren’t. It’s just an illusion. Find a strong woman like your mother, love her with everything you have, and you’ll be unbreakable.”

My parents love was so strong that even after he died it held my mom up, gave her the strength to raise eight kids on her own. I wanted that kind of love.

“I’ve been treating you like you’re an asshole,” she muttered, clearly embarrassed.

I couldn’t help myself. I reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. Soft, feminine, mine. My damn brain wouldn’t stop screaming that word. Mine. As if a woman could ever be mine. It wasn’t like she was a car or a batting glove. She was an independent person with a wildly successful career, legions of fans, and an entire life that had absolutely nothing to do with me. And yet . . . all I wanted to do was cage her in, get lost in those damn green eyes while I kissed her, and beat up any jerks who interrupted the process. “I try very hard to be the opposite of an asshole,” I said instead of any of the other thoughts racing through my big dumb brain.

“I know.” She said it so softly I barely heard her.

I took that as a good sign. Two solid years of striking out with Zoe Burke and now, “I know.” Two very simple words on their own, but coupled with the way she was biting her lower lip and staring up at me like she trusted me? It was like she was telling me a hell of a lot more.

Of course it could just as easily be my mind playing tricks on me because I wanted her so badly. “Do you? I know you’ve avoided me for a long time. I thought it was just because you didn’t like me. But Zoe, if you were ever scared of me for any reason, I apologize.”

Her eyes went round with wonder and then . . . Oh, and then everything changed.

I don’t know what came over her. Hell, I’m not sure she did either.

She looked just as surprised as I felt when she suddenly grabbed me and kissed me.

Hands on my face, soft lips against mine, kissing me.

Everything about her was right from the way she fit against me all the way down to how she made me feel. For those few heartbeats, nothing else mattered.

Not the fact that she’d never shown any interest in me before now.

Not the fact that I’d just ruined her lunch.

I didn’t even entertain the idea that this might be my one and only kiss.

Because for two solid years the only things I’d thought about were my family, my team, and what it would be like to kiss Zoe.

Holy shit I was kissing Zoe.

Did anything else matter anymore? I had enough money to retire. I could quit baseball and spend the rest of my life as Zoe’s professional kisser.

Worth it.

But then she gasped and pulled back, slapping a hand over her mouth. “Oh my god. Oh my god!”

I tried to chase her lips but with her hand in the way a kiss would be real awkward. “Is there a problem, darlin’?”

She shrieked. “I just . . . I just . . . ”

“Kissed the shit out of me?”

She shrieked again and nodded.

“Could you do it again? I was having a real good time before you stopped.”

Her hand dropped away. “You don’t mean that.”

Lucky for her I was used to bossy women telling me what I thought. “I never say anything I don’t mean, Zoe. And kissing you? That’s been the top of my Christmas list for two straight years.”

“No . . . it’s not possible. I’ve been so mean to you.” She shook her head as if that was going to convince me she was right and I was wrong.

Fat chance of that ever happening. “You can be rude, mean, or anything else you want, as long as you kiss me like that again.”

Her eyes bulged but her bright red cheeks and soft little breaths told me she wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to be kissed by her. “Erik, no. It’s not possible.”

“Maybe I should kiss you back to show you how much I mean it.” And now that I said it, I knew I needed to do this. If Marie was right, if Zoe was interested in me even a fraction of—

“Erik, don’t make this more awkward that it already is.”

“Keep saying my name and it’s going to get real awkward real fast.” Every single time she said my name I got a little bit harder.

She blinked. “What?”

Cute. I cocked an eyebrow. “Do I really need to spell out what hearing you say my name over and over does to me? You’re the one who writes about these . . . reactions.”

Her eyes went round again.

Which was really interesting considering she wrote—in explicit detail—exactly what my body wanted right now, and yet she seemed so clueless. As if she’d never actually experienced any of this before.

Maybe she hadn’t.

Which meant I really needed to kiss her now.

“Me?” she whispered.

“You.” I leaned in a little closer. Not too much to be intimidating, but I needed to close this gap, needed her to feel this electricity that jumped from me to her. “Just you.”

Her lips formed the sexiest little oh.

I needed her. Now. “Zoe, tell me to kiss you.”

A million questions flew through her eyes but she didn’t ask any of them. Instead she stared at me. And then the words I wanted to hear whispered off her lips. “Kiss me, Erik.”

Three soft, vulnerable words. This kiss had to be just right because it was the only chance I’d get. I stepped into her while at the same time sliding my hand against her cheek and around to cup the back of her head. Every move was slow and deliberate, showing her that I wanted this and that she had the power to say no at any point. The only way this would ever work is if she felt safe with me.

She watched as I sank down until our lips met. At first it was just a straight up jolt to my system but then this warm electric sizzle replaced that. She tasted salty and sweet at the same time. Probably the soy sauce lingering from lunch. She whimpered, her hands gripping me hard, pulling me closer.

Wanting.

Yes . . . 

The amount of pride that surged up inside me was probably on the ridiculous side for a kiss, but this was huge. Monumental even. I was kissing Zoe Burke and she was enjoying it.

I let out my own groan of pleasure so Zoe could hear it. God, how I wanted her to understand how much I wanted her. I was so sick and tired of pretending that I was okay with distant friendship.

I wasn’t okay.

And now that I had this little window into the secret life of Zoe Burke, I wanted it all. Her trust, her body, her mind, her secrets . . . all of it.

As much as I hated it right now, that had to start with restraint.

Mine, to be exact. It took everything I had to end that kiss. Pulling away from her lips, knowing I might not get to taste them again for a while, it sucked. It sucked so much I couldn’t do it. I went back in for one last kiss.

Okay two.

Maybe three.

It wasn’t just my fault though. She kept kissing me back with this sexy little whimper each time I tried to stop.

“God, Zoe. I’m losing my mind right now,” I groaned against her lips.

“Yes,” she whispered.

I had to stop. I had to be the sane one. I had . . . to have one more kiss. I pulled her against me so that I was touching her everywhere with my arms wrapped all the way around her for one last deep, full body kiss. Then I pressed my forehead against hers, holding her face in my hands while we both caught our breath. This is just the beginning. Just the beginning.

I had to believe that or I’d never let her go.

And I had to let her go.

“Zoe?” I waited while she opened her eyes. “I know you’re not ready yet, but when you are, I want you. I want to know everything about you. ”