Slowly, Leo reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of pieces.

She froze, on her knees, gripping the coffee table.

“Wait,” she said slowly. “You have my puzzle pieces?”

“I might have taken just a few.” Four, to be exact. And he was going to hold them for ransom.

“Um, okay. Why?”

“For every question you answer, you get one back.”

“No, Leo. Come on. It’s been a grueling day.” Her hair was wet, and her shampoo filled the room with its fragrant scent. Her robe and slippers made her look sweet and vulnerable. But now she looked like she might kill him if he didn’t give her back those pieces ASAP.

“Humor me,” he said. “This will help us to get to know each other better. So we avoid those embarrassing gaffes in front of our family and friends.”

She heaved an overly patient sigh and sat down next to him on the couch. “Fine. Go. Ask if you must.”

Leo suppressed a twitch of nerves. He was going to tell her the truth. Because he wanted—no, needed—the truth from her.

And he was going to do what he’d never done before.

Get to know her. Understand her. Without getting carried away by physical attraction. A first for him.

“Let’s try it. What’s your favorite color?” he asked.

“Blue.” She held out her hand for a piece and wiggled her fingers impatiently until he handed her one.

“Okay, that makes sense. Because the kitchen dishes are blue. And you wear a lot of blue tops. And your eyes. Very blue.” He sounded like a fool. He also forced himself to stop staring into them.

“Next question. What’s your favorite food?”

“That’s easy. Pizza.” Her hand stretched out again. “Fork over another one, buddy.”

Okay, he was going to have to step it up or he was going to run out of pieces before he got her to tell him anything meaningful. “The questions are too easy.”

“Not my problem,” she said. “This is your game.”

“Aw, come on. Don’t you think games are fun?”

“I think puzzles are fun. By myself.” She chuckled a little. “Maybe that’s a big difference between you and me. You’re always upbeat and cheerful. You seem like you’d be a huge game player.”

“I’m not always cheerful. But I try.” He paused. He really didn’t want to get into talking about himself. But how else would she trust him if he didn’t do what he was asking her to do?

That was part of getting to know someone. Give and take. He wasn’t that much of a relationship newb.

“Before my mom died, she made me promise her something.”

“Leo, I’m just going to stop you for a sec.” She held out her hands. “Because this sounds a lot more serious than ‘What’s your favorite food?’”