“But, even knowing all the reasons why it’s a bad idea, I want you.” He brought her hand to his lips and set her on fire by brushing his lips over her skin. “I want to hold you and kiss you and make love to you and talk to you and laugh with you and tell you things I’ve never told anyone else and spend time with you and your sweet daughter. And I can honestly tell you that I’ve never said anything even remotely close to that to any other woman. Ever.”

She tried to breathe, as if that could possibly slow the wild beat of her heart.

“It’s entirely up to you, Emma. I’ll totally understand if you ask me to take you back to Molly and Lincoln’s.”

“You would?”

He nodded, but his eyes gave away his sadness.

“I don’t want that. I want you, as much as you want me. I want to take this time with you and to feel the way I do when I’m with you, even if there’s no chance of it being more than what it is right now.”

“How do you feel when you’re with me?”

“Happy, safe, adored, edgy, nervous, exhilarated, hopeful.”

“That’s a whole lot of feeling going on.”

She nodded.

“I feel the same way. All of it, even the concern about what next week will bring and how I’ll ever stand to let you go when it’s time for you to leave.”

It helped, somewhat, to know he shared her concerns.

“So what now?” she asked.

“Do you want to come in, or do you want to go back to Molly’s? I’ll respect whatever you decide.”

“I’d like to see your new home,” she said, feeling shy and excited at the same time. If they went inside, she knew exactly what would happen, and was going into it with her eyes—and her heart—wide open.

“Come on, then.” He killed the engine and got out of the car.

Emma met him and followed him into the house and up the two flights of stairs to his third-floor apartment.

He unlocked the door and guided her in ahead of him.

Her heart beat so hard and so fast that she feared she’d hyperventilate. Ten years was a long time to go without. What if she’d forgotten how? Maybe it would turn out to be a disaster, and that would make it easier to put it—and him—behind her after this week.

Now there’s a cheery thought.

Annoyed with herself, Emma tried to shake off the worries and focus on the apartment and the man who’d so totally captivated her.

“So I told you my cousin Ella is moving in with her fiancé, Gavin,” he said. “She’s leaving the sofa and the bed because she doesn’t need either of them at his place.”