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His gaze softens and a blinding smile etches on his face as he slides his muscular body right up against me.

“You remembered my drink,” I chirp, my eyes sparkling with delight.

He stretches his arm along the back of the booth and begins to play with a loose curl from my bun. “You’re so cute. Noone forgets their first date, especially when the girl really tries not to like you back.”

“So, you admit I was a challenge to you.”

A low, throaty laugh slips out from him. “I wouldn’t have you any other way. You, my darling, are a treasure and any man should earn the privilege of having you in his life. If I have to, I’ll fight till the end of time to make you mine.”

His declaration is like a balm to my soul.

One flaw that I’ve always known about myself is that I have abandonment issues. I mean, who wouldn’t if their own parents forgot of their existence? That kind of scars you for life...

Hearing Kingston make such an earnest promise heals my broken parts.

“You’re the kind of man that every woman yearns to call hers, King.” Resting my palm over his thundering heart, I confess, “The past week has been the most unforgettable, dreamy, and perfect week of my entire life. It’s all because of you. You said I’ll be wishing for another day when it’s time to leave because of this town. You’re wrong about the reason, because it’ll be you.”

He exhales roughly as though my words sucker-punched him.

Like he was doubting for a second that I don’t feel for him as strongly as he does for me.

Summoning courage, I say past the sudden dryness in my throat, “I know you haven’t asked about me leav—”

A swirl of pain and trepidation shadows his sharp features as he presses a finger against my lips and shakes his head.

It’s the first time I’ve seen such emotions reflect on his handsome face and it breaks my heart that somewhere along the way, it began beating just for him.

“Tonight, I don’t want to think about what’ll happen tomorrow, because it’s a conversation I want to have when it’sjust us back at my cabin,” he says thickly and cups my jaw. “I promised you that we’ll live in the present until your last night here. So, that’s what I’m going to do. We’re going to eat, dance, and celebrate together.”

Tilting my head, I kiss him deeply and whisper, “Okay, King.”

We pull apart when our drinks arrive and we clink our glasses. A nice buzz thrums through my bloodstream by the time I finish the second one halfway. Together, we read the menu, and I jump up in excitement when I see there’s sushi.

Kingston notices and chuckles. “I guess I know what you’ll be having.”

“I haven’t had it for months.”

“Why not?” he casually asks, flipping the page and browsing the options for himself.

“Because every time I thought of ordering it, it reminded me of you.”

He freezes at my whispered confession while I try to act breezy by absently peering at the starters section in the menu.

Capturing my chin, he tilts my face up to his and asks roughly, “Do you want to know how badly I pined over you?”

The intensity of his stare, full of possession and bone-deep longing, causes my breath to hitch. “How?”

“Since I was fighting not to ask you for a second chance and ached to be near you, I bought candles that smelled like you so I could feel closer to you. I probably searched hundreds of shops before I found the one that reminded me of you.”

The mental image of him walking into shops and smelling candles to find the one that reminded him of me is both adorable and romantic.

What kind of man even does that?

The one who is in… I don’t finish the sentence.

“Do I look like the kind of guy who buys scented candles for his house?”

I smile, biting my lip. “No.”