Jenny hid a smile she knew he wouldn’t appreciate. How could any woman not be crazy about a man who wanted her as much as Alex seemed to want her? And she was crazy about him. To deny that would be foolish. “This is one of my favorites,” she said when she found Notting Hill playing on one of the movie channels.

“Shoot me now,” Alex grumbled.

“‘I’m just a girl, standing before a boy, asking him to love her,’” Jenny said in breathy imitation of Julia Roberts’s famous line in the movie.

“Are you now?” Alex said, staring intently at her.

Undone by the way he looked at her, she said, “I was quoting the movie.”

He didn’t look away when he smiled and said, “Uh-huh.”

While they watched Hugh Grant bumble through the romancing of Julia’s international-movie-star character, Alex moved subtly closer to her until he was right next to her, his arm around her.

“You didn’t say no snuggling.”

“Mmm,” she said as she curled up to him.

He reclined against some pillows, his arms around her as Jenny used his chest as a pillow.

A wave of contentment flowed through her, and she realized, right in that moment, that she hadn’t felt this content since before her world imploded. “This is nice,” she said softly.

“It could be nicer.”

“This is as nice as it’s getting while your mother is here.”

“If you say so.” He didn’t try to kiss her again, but his hands were busy, moving up and down her back in a soothing pattern that made her feel relaxed and sleepy even as a buzz of desire kept her very much awake.

The movie was almost over when they heard a car door close outside.

“That’ll be Paul.”

Jenny reluctantly sat up and ran her fingers through her hair to bring order to it. “I should go.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t, but you need to get some sleep.”

“That’s not what I need.”

“Alex…”

“Jenny…”

They were engaged in a visual standoff when Paul came in, stomping his feet on the mat inside the door. “It’s pouring out there,” Paul said. “Relief is in sight.”

Jenny had been so wrapped up in Alex that she hadn’t noticed it was raining. A flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder made her startle. “I’m going to head out.”

“Will you be okay to drive in the rain?” Alex asked.

“I’ll be fine.”

“What about the gate?”

“I’ll leave it open tonight. No one will be out there in this weather, and it’s not worth getting soaked to close it.”

“I don’t like the thought of you out there alone in this weather.”

“You’re very sweet to worry, but I’ll be fine.”

“You could stay here if you wanted to.”