Serenity kept wiping a spot that had been cleaned long ago. It had been difficult getting through dinner and not thinking about the kiss that had literally made her weak.

Gabriel gently eased the towel from her hand, tossed it on the counter, and led her to her family room. They sat next to each other for a moment without speaking.

Serenity clasped her hands together in her lap and lowered her head. “Gabriel, you are…a great guy, but I don’t think I’m ready to open myself up to be hurt again. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. I’ve finally gotten my life to a place where I’m happy, and I can’t mess that up.”

“And I don’t want to mess that up, either. But something is happening between us, and it’ll be hard to go back to being just friends. Or am I out here by myself?”

“No, you aren’t,” she said, her voice barely audible. “But there’s something else.” She lifted her eyes to meet his. “You’re not planning to stay, are you?”

“I’d like to tell you yes, but since I’ve already told one lie for the day…” Gabriel shrugged.

She tried to hold back a smile. “Yeah, you might not want to press your luck. My generosity only goes so far.” Even though this was a serious discussion, he’d still managed to put her at ease and make her laugh. It was one more thing on a growing list she found to like about him.

“But, honestly, I can’t say right now. When Andrea asked me to move here, I had it in my mind to hang out for three or four months and convince Nana to go back to Atlanta with me. Nana doesn’t want to leave, but my plans haven’t changed.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Do all the things we’ve been doing and let the future take care of itself. We don’t have to label it anything—we can be just two people who enjoy each other’s company.”

Serenity rubbed her hands up and down her thighs. “Can we keep it light—no commitments, no ties? Just two people enjoying each other’s company,” she added, tossing his words back at him. The short time he planned to stay would be a plus, and in her mind it was a win-win for both of them, since neither wanted an emotional involvement. She wasn’t one to fall in love quickly, and that worked in her favor, as well.

“If that’s what you want. Absolutely.”

“Then, okay.”

Gabriel slanted his mouth over hers, once again robbing her of her senses.

“Deal. Now, I’d like to take you out on a real date. We could do the wine train later.”