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“When I’m done editing.”

“How long are you staying in Texas?”

“Until the end of next week.”

She was here for two weeks. I flipped through the calendar in my mind. My schedule was tight for the next few days, but I didn’t want to dismiss this rare opportunity to get answers. What had happened that night that forced her to leave without a word? Was there a chance we could start a relationship?

I didn’t think she’d be my type, but she was the only woman who made me feel and want more than any other woman. I used to date women who spent hours shopping at boutiques, who wanted to attend fashion shows and charities, but they all lacked substance.

No woman had hooked me for this long. No woman had made me yearn for her long after she left. I’d been careful about obstacles along my path. But somehow, Kiera had become the biggest obstacle I had to face. She wasn’t just some business endeavor or a holistic medicinal venture I was after. She provoked things in me that weren’t there before. And if they had been, I hadn’t noticed them until now.

A man who spent too much time pondering lacked vision and purpose. But I needed to focus and not get sidetracked. Otherwise, I could inadvertently detour down an unfamiliar path that would eventually lead me to a cliff.

Despite the risk, Ineededthis second chance with her. I needed answers only she could provide.

“Let’s have dinner before you head back to Providence. Okay?”

She stared at me for a while. The air in the room thickened, stirring up sexual energy.

I stepped closer and used my finger to wipe the drop of water clinging tothe bottom of her lip. “Unless you’re afraid of me.”

That did the trick. Her eyes flashed with a challenge. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Again, I placed my finger on the throbbing pulse in her neck. “This tells me otherwise.” My lips hovered close to her ear, and she shivered. “Your heart rate is telling me I’m affecting you. Your heavybreathing shows you want something, but you’re trying very hard to stop yourself.”

“I’m terrified of you,” she confessed.

“Why?”

“Because you make me want something that’s out of reach.” There was sadness in her voice. “I have a lot of baggage I need to deal with before I can think about relationships.” She placed the water bottle on the counter. “I’m not interested in another one-night stand or casual sex.”

Her humble admission held so much power. I brushed a finger down her cheek. “Thank you for your honesty.”

I hadn’t been attracted to anyone since her. That one night with her was like some drug I’d never experienced. She was the mystical potion that had alchemized me. Nothing about me remained the same. My body only wanted her. My mind only saw her. Her scent still lingered in my blood. My heart pounded every time I remembered the passion in her eyes when she’d come for me.

Kiera was a new medicine that entered my senses and affected me slowly. I didn’t know what had happened until it was too late. She’d already seeped into every cell, every molecule. She was the only one who could cure me.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend you can have dinner with?” she asked with annoyance.

“I’m not seeing anyone. Are you?”

“Don’t lie to me.” Kiera pursed her lips. “She was all over you at the restaurant.”

I had to think back for a moment. When I realized who she was referring to, a smile formed on my lips. Nothing mattered but this simple joy I hadn’t felt before. I was probably losing my mind, but I didn’t care. She’d been watching me, looking at the surrounding women just as I had been observing her.

“You were watching me?”

“I’m a photographer. Details matter. I enjoy watching things.”

Anyone could spot the obvious lie.

“Do you have a lot of images of me in here, Special K?” I gently tapped her forehead.

“Special K? Is that like a nickname you give to all the women on your roster? Do you have nicknames for nurses and doctors with specialties?”

She had been checking out whom I had dated. This conversation revealed more than I thought.

I gripped her adorable chin. “You’re better than that cereal. You taste good, and you’re good for me.”