I let myself into the room. The blinds were open, but only residual street light filtered in. Aiden was at the desk, still in his flannel pants and a tight white T-shirt that shouted better than a neon sign Look how cut these shoulders are. He hadn’t done anything with his hair since he’d showered. The cowlick curved higher at his hairline. My palms itched to run through it.

He glanced at me and his eyes warmed. “How was your day?”

All I wanted to do was cross to him, drape myself over his lap, and get lost in one of his lingering kisses. I couldn’t afford to confuse chemistry with a strong relationship at this moment. “Good. Bisa and I went to many of the same workshops.”

“She still in Idaho?”

“Same place. We talk about getting together all the time, but the drive across Montana to Billings eats up most of a day.”

“You can always fly there.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” I said as I dug through my suitcase. I’d kept my costume under all of my underclothes. It should’ve been hanging up, but then I would’ve had to explain, and after I’d ripped his head off about Hailey, I’d been raw.

Had I ever thought of going anywhere by myself since I’d been married? When I was single, I’d traveled as much as my pocketbook would allow. A week in Cozumel. A weekend in Regina, Canada. Going alone didn’t bother me.

Going alone when I was married did.

I rose with an armful of blue tulle and caught Aiden staring at me.

He was doing that thing with the office chair. His body was hitched to the side, an arm draped over the back. A move that was devastating in his dress shirt and suit jacket. But with a T-shirt that left nothing to the imagination—well, I didn’t have to imagine.

Concern welled in his dark eyes. “What’s wrong? Why wouldn’t you visit Bisa?”

Sometimes he surprised me with how astute he was—about me. Not about anything else. “It just never worked out.”

“You enjoy traveling. I would’ve gone with.”

How did I explain? “When I was single, I made sure it didn’t limit me. I wasn’t going to be one of those spinster women who sat home with a bunch of cats and read books. After I was married…I didn’t want to travel with someone who didn’t want to be with me.”

He unhooked his arm and rose, towering over me. “I want to be with you, Kate.”