Harlan didn’t answer immediately. She heard him change position again and sat up to see what he was doing. He had turned so that he could look at her around the edge of the passenger seat. His eyes burned.

“I’m thinking there might be something to the speed date thing. I met you at my first-ever event.”

She caught her breath. “Yes, you did.”

“You asked me a question.”

“You gave me the right answer. For the wrong reason, but still, it was the right answer.”

“You were the woman I was looking for. A disinterested observer could call it a win-win.”

“You’re saying we’re a good match?”

“All the available evidence indicates that, yes.”

“For now,” she said, feeling her way into what had suddenly become a very fraught conversation.

“For now,” Harlan said.

“This is probably one of those be-careful-what-you-wish-for situations.”

“Probably, but we won’t know the outcome until we run some experiments.”

“In the back of my car?”

“I’m told it’s an old tradition that was popular in the twentieth century,” Harlan said.

“I am not opposed to honoring certain traditions.”

“Good to know, but a little enthusiasm would be nice.”

She smiled. “Consider me enthusiastic.”

He was suddenly there with her in the cargo compartment of the SUV, having forged a path over the console that separated the two front seats. He unbuckled the holster and put it within reach. And then he was sliding under the comforter, leaning over her, bracing himself with a forearm on either side of her head.

“I’ve been looking for you for a very long time, Olivia LeClair,” he said. “You change everything.”

His mouth closed over hers before she could decipher the meaning of his words. The temperature shot up several degrees and she stopped thinking about words and their implications. The intense physical intimacy was reinforced a thousand times over by the sense of resonance in their flaring energy fields.

She shoved aside all thoughts of the future. She wanted a time-out to explore and experience the currents of desire that flooded the confines of the vehicle.

Harlan deepened the kiss and moved one hand up under her pullover. The feel of his palm on her bare skin aroused and thrilled her. The sensation was similar to the vibe she got when she watched the approach of a storm. The energy crossed the spectrum, eliciting frissons of intoxicating excitement. She had never felt so powerful, so certain of what she wanted.

She struggled with the buttons of his shirt. When she got them undone she started to peel off the garment. Her hand brushed against an object strapped to his right arm. Leather.

“What?” she whispered, confused. “A wrist brace? Did you injure your wrist?

“Not exactly. Sorry, I forgot about it.”