“I was contemplating our conversation on the boat.” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “You said something about coming back to Galway with me. I think you should. You could come to the conference on Thursday and see me in my element: Professor Aiden.”

Antonia gazed up at his goofy grin. He was beautiful, nearly perfect, and waiting on her to say something. The answer caught in her throat as she smiled and shook her head. This is moving too fast. It was only about a week since she ran away from Chicago to jump in bed with another man. “You want me to go to Galway?”

“If you’re worried about my mam, I can run interference. All you’d need to do is be your charming self and have tea with her, thirty minutes tops. I’m not above kicking me own dear mother and niece to a hotel,” he said with a chuckle.

“Sure, I’d like that,” she said, trying to join in his laughter, but panic seized her heart. Are we dating? He knows I have to go back to another country, right? How can he be so calm and lighthearted about something that’s only going to be lost to citizenship? Her mind was a flurry of questions that she couldn’t answer in that moment and that made her more anxious. Maybe she didn’t plan her meals, but Antonia didn’t like to be flapping in the wind when it came to other matters in her life. Aiden had a lot on his plate with preparing for the conference and writing book proposals. Clearly he underestimated how much time he’d need to do either of those things properly.

“What’s on your mind, little lady?” he asked peering down at her.

“Nothing,” Antonia lied. “I’m just thinking about the future.”

“About being on a fancy bestselling list?”

She nodded. “Right.”

“And perhaps what you’ll eat for breakfast?”

Antonia chuckled. “I’m starving.”

Aiden shifted to a seated position in bed and pushed his hair out of his face. “Because of all the sex, right?”

“Possibly,” she said as she ran her eyes over him.

Antonia enjoyed watching the muscles of his torso flex and ripple with each movement. His body was a treasure trove of many erotic secrets; from the muscular V at his pelvis to the hard-knotted calves slung over the white covers. When she held his hand, he seemed to marvel over her in the same manner. Turning her hand over by the wrist, Aiden kissed her palm and it sent a tremor of arousal through her belly. His emerald eyes flickered to hers, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. When will this feeling leave me? When will my body stop reacting to his touch like some ninny? Wordlessly, he ran his lips against her open palm before placing it on the center of his chest. The tuft of black hair brushed against her fingers in a promise of more to come. Antonia was ready to accept anything he had to offer, if it meant more baking experiments or canoe rides, she was game if it meant riding him again.