He found her mouth again and kissed her hard. “And now that you’ve won me back?”

“I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight for a while,” she said, her hand caressing his face. “I’ll stay here with you until you’re ready to go home with me.”

“Good. Then there’s time for me to take you on our fourth date. You haven’t forgotten we have one date left, right?”

“Forgotten? No way. When you left Weldon early, I was furious. A deal is a deal.”

“Yes, it is.” He laughed, rubbing the tip of his nose against hers. “I still can’t believe that you’re really here.”

“Oh, I’m here all right.” This time she kissed him until he became light-headed. “Do you believe it now?”

“Yes,” he said. “And you really love me?”

“With all my heart,” she said without hesitation.

“I love you, Tara Park.” His heart was so full of happiness, he was surprised he wasn’t floating on air.

“That’s what I like to hear.” A single tear slid down her cheek. “Never stop telling me.”

“I love you. I love you. I love you.” He punctuated every I love you with a kiss, then let his kisses show her how much he loved her. That he was hers. Forever.

EPILOGUE

Two weeks later

“Is it as good as you remembered?” Seth asked.

“Mmm,” she moaned, her eyes fluttering closed. “It’s even better.”

They’d had trouble leaving Seth’s apartment for a while, so their fourth date was a bit delayed. But they finally made it to Berthillon for the promised three scoops. The ice cream shop resided in an elegant multistoried stone building surrounded by rows of similar buildings. The wooden façade of the shop gave it a refined, old-fashioned air that was perfect for the exquisite ice cream they served. The narrow street in front was nearly traffic-free, adding to the feeling of being in a place out of time.

“I could watch you eat ice cream all day,” he said in a low growly voice that should be illegal on public sidewalks. Even on the atmospheric, romantic sidewalks of Paris.

Tara felt her cheeks warming up, and her body softening. The man sure knew how to turn her on. But not now. They were on their date, and she wasn’t going back to the apartment until they visited Sacré-Cœur.

“I actually can eat this stuff all day, and every day,” she said, tickled pink by the song of French voices chatting around her. It felt wonderful to be immersed in a culture so different from hers. “But I can’t have you staring at me and neglecting your work, so I’ll refrain from doing so.”

He chuckled and pointed at her cone. “Can I have a taste of your melon flavor?”

“Sure.”

She smiled, remembering their first kiss at the park. She licked a dollop of her melon ice cream and brought Seth’s mouth to meet hers. He moaned and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the ice cream or the kiss.