Page 148 of Homecoming

Renata was shocked speechless by his insight. She cleared her throat and forced herself to speak. “What would this diving in entail exactly?”

“Well…” He stepped even closer, took her wineglass and placed it on the counter. “It might start out like this.” He kissed her as softly and as gently as she’d ever been kissed in her life. “But I expect it’ll quickly escalate into something more like this.” There was nothing soft or gentle about the second kiss. It made her knees go weak and her heart rate accelerate into the danger zone.

She’d kissed her share of guys, but never had a kiss transported her out of the here and now to somewhere she’dnever been before. His tongue brushed against hers as he pulled her tighter against him. By the time he raised his head and gazed down at her in stunned amazement, Renata had grabbed handfuls of his shirt to hold on for dear life.

That amazed her. When had she ever felt the need to hold on for dear life during a kiss? Never. Not once. Ever.

He looked as undone as she felt.

“So, um, that happened,” he said.

“Yeah, it did.”

“Is this when you push me away and kick me out?”

“I don’t seem to be doing either of those things.”

“I noticed. I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“Are you making fun of me, by any chance?”

“Would I do that?”

“Yes, I believe you would.”

“Do you want me to go?”

Renata was well aware that this was one of those moments upon which a life could go in one of two directions. If she asked him to leave, he would. If she asked him to stay, he would, and that would be that.

“It’s okay if you’re still not sure,” he said as he started to pull back from her.

Renata tightened her hold on his shirt.

He froze.

“Don’t go.”

“Are you sure?”

She laughed as she shook her head. “Not at all sure of anything, except that I don’t want you to go.”

“If you give me a chance, I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.”

“Why me?”

He huffed out a laugh. “I’ve asked myself that a thousand times during the last few torturous years in which I realized thatmy ascension to the boss’s office had ruined any chance I had with you.”

“Wait. The last fewyearshave beentorturousfor you?”

“God yes. Before my dad retired, I felt like you and I were on the way to this, and that stopped when I became the boss. We were still friends, but not like we were before. I’ve missed that for all this time. I’ve missed you.”

“You see me every day.”

“I’ve missed the you I was friends with before I became your boss on paper.”

“On paper? You own the company. It’s more than on paper.”

“It’s very much on paper because we all know who runs that place, and it’s not me.”

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