When Kelly reemerged from her room, there was a lightness to her eyes that had been absent ever since he’d found her in the café in Houston. She looked a lot like the old Kelly. The Kelly he’d been crazy about. The one who always had a ready smile, was quick to laugh and who offered her affection freely.

The reserved, angry Kelly was someone he didn’t know.

She seemed a little nervous and unsure as she came to stand by the bar, and he hated that there was a tangible barrier between them. Before she wouldn’t have hesitated to launch herself into his arms and give him one of her big, squeezing hugs.

Now? He ached to get close enough to her that she didn’t withdraw.

“You ready?” he asked, forcing a casual note into his voice.

She nodded. He put his hand to her back, noting the expanse of flesh bared by the sundress. Jansen had done well. The dress fit her like a dream, molding in all the right places. The bodice was held up by ends tied at the nape of her neck; but her flesh was bare all the way down to the small of her back.

Where his palm rested, he itched to caress and stroke until she responded to him, until he proved that the attraction between them hadn’t died.

They walked down to the restaurant that overlooked the ocean and were seated in a private alcove that had a huge glass window, giving them an unobstructed view of the beach.

As they looked over their menus, Ryan stole a glance at Kelly. Seeming to sense his perusal, she looked up and offered a tentative smile. He smiled back, captivated by the sparkle in her blue eyes.

She was…beautiful. And this time when she looked at him, he didn’t see the dark anger that had sparked so often since their reunion.

The moment came to a shrieking halt a second later.

“Ryan! What are you doing here?”

The feminine voice rang out over the secluded area, making him wince and Kelly jump in surprise. He glanced up to see Roberta Maxwell bearing down on their table and he muttered an appropriate expletive under his breath.

As she approached the table, he rose to return her greeting. He brushed a polite kiss over her cheek when she presented it to him and tried to extricate his hand from hers when she grabbed on to it.

“I’m here on business. The question is, what are you doing here?”

Her laughter tinkled out like fine china. “Oh, this is one of my favorite places to visit. The food is just divine, and the accommodations can’t be beat.” She turned to Kelly who was eyeing Roberta warily. “Who is this, Ryan?”