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  Liam laughed, “I bet. So what else did you discover?”

  “I spent a semester abroad studying in Italy, then a summer backpacking around Europe. Experiencing other cultures, seeing the world outside the tunnel of academia in which I’d been raised was enlightening and nothing short of miraculous. My mother pushed hard for me to go to law school or med school but I’d discovered my calling. I loved books and wanted to be a librarian.”

  “A dream you made a reality.”

  “Yes, although not without a fight, one I ended by paying for grad school myself, a decision that meant some financial hardships but was so emotionally freeing it was worth every penny. I attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, as they have an excellent library science program. It was while I was there that I discovered London on a weekend hiking jaunt to the north Georgia Mountains. After that, I came back as often as I could. London’s the sort of place that’s easy to fall in love with and difficult to forget.” She studied him for several seconds. “But I guess you understand that.”

  Liam nodded. “Perfectly. But you only moved here recently.”

  “Yes. After grad school my mother hounded me to apply for admission to a doctorate program. In her mind, if I had to be a librarian, I of course should earn my Ph.D so I could be one at a prestigious university. But the truth was I’d had enough of school. I’d been a student my entire life and the last place I wanted to work was a university. I longed to get out into the ‘real world.’” She emphasized the last two words by making air quotes with her fingers.

  “I landed a job at a branch of the New York public library system in Manhattan. At first I really embraced the hustle and bustle of the city, but after a few years I found myself longing for… something. I wasn’t sure what. I loved my job, but the rest of my life wasn’t nearly as fulfilling. I only knew that I was living in a city of more than eight million people, yet I felt alone. Plus the cost of living in Manhattan was nothing short of ridiculous. I started researching job opportunities and happened upon the opening here in London. The instant I saw the ad, I knew it was where I was meant to be. I applied, came for the interview and got the job. And so here I am.”

  She gave a self-conscious sounding laugh and pushed up her glasses. “And that’s waaay more than you ever wanted to know.”

  “Not true. I told you-- I want to know everything.”

  “And now you do, so your turn. Where did you grow up, what brought you to London, and spill all the details about your family.”

  He laughed. “Yes, ma’am. But before I do… ” He sobered and searched for the right words. “I just want to say that I really admire the way you followed your dream and didn’t allow anyone to derail you or pressure you into doing something you didn’t want to do. That took a lot of strength and courage.”

  She blinked several times and appeared both surprised and confused by his words. “I… um, thanks. No one’s ever said anything like that to me before.”

  The battle not to touch her was lost. Reaching across the table, he took her hand in his. If he’d ever touched softer skin he couldn’t recall when that might have been. “Maybe all those geniuses you’ve been hanging out with aren’t so smart after all.”

  There was no missing the gratitude that flashed in her eyes. Her gaze rested on his and Liam swore he felt something pulse between them. Something warm and intimate and unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Something he couldn’t name other than to know it felt right. And that he liked it. A lot.

  The waiter arrived with their dinner and Liam reluctantly released her hand. And immediately missed the warmth of her skin against his. He dragged his gaze away from her to look down at the plate in front of him.

  “This doesn’t look like Lima beans,” he deadpanned.

  “Lucky for you. I hope you’re not a vegetarian and that you like your steak medium.”

  “Not a vegetarian and medium is perfect.” He was grateful-- and surprised-- to have a steak to eat. Not to mention a baked potato and some grilled asparagus spears. In his experience, women usually ordered salads with the dressing on the side. He always had the sneaking suspicion that they stopped off at McDonald’s on the way home for a burger and fries because for some crazy reason they didn’t want to eat a lot on a date. Clearly Emma wasn’t afraid to eat, a fact he definitely liked.

  “It’s your turn,” she reminded him, cutting into her steak. “And don’t try to renege. You owe me for not ordering a salad with the dressing on the side.”

  Whoa. That was the second time tonight it seemed as if she’d read his mind. Normally he’d be worried about something like that, but not with this woman. Probably the fact that it didn’t worry him should have worried him, yet it didn’t. “I grew up in Chicago. My dad was a firefighter and it’s what I always wanted to be. Every year for Halloween I was a fireman. I remember my brother trying to talk me into being a pirate or a ninja or a ghost, but no way. Fireman. Every year.”

  “Your brother is older?”

  Liam nodded and spread some butter on his potato. “Two years older. Matt and I worked together in Chicago. He’s a paramedic. He got married six months ago. His wife Carol is a nurse. They’re as happy as clams at high tide.”

  “What about your mother?”

  “She died when I was fourteen. Cancer.”

  Emma’s eyes filled with sympathy. She reached across the table and briefly touched his hand. He tried to ignore the heat that sizzled up his arm and failed. “I’m sorry, Liam. Losing a parent can never be easy, but it must be especially difficult at that age.”

  “It was bad,” he agreed, his mind flicking back to those dark days during his mom’s illness and death. “For all of us, but my dad most of all. They were married twenty-two years and were still crazy about each other. She was a great mom. Never missed a sporting event and was always volunteering to help out with Boy Scouts and at our school. She could do a million things, but the one thing she just couldn’t do was cook.” He shook his head and chuckled. “She was a total disaster in the kitchen. The joke at our house was you knew dinner was ready when Mom set off the smoke detector. We ate a lot of pizza and Chinese take-out.”

  “She sounds wonderful.”

  “Yeah, she was.” After swallowing a bite of his steak, he continued, “The three of us sort of fell apart for a while after she died. My dad became a ghost of himself. Matt spent all his time with friends and I just floundered. School went down the crapper. I managed to graduate, but barely, and only because I finally got my act together my senior year. Lucky for me the local community college wasn’t fussy about who they let in. I earned my Emergency Medical Tech certificate-- turned out I could be a decent student when I was interested in the subject-- then attended fire school.”

  “How did you find London?” she asked, balancing an asparagus spear on her fork.

  Liam told her how he’d met Dave in Chicago. “I came here for his wedding, and like you, couldn’t forget the place.”

  “It sounds like you’re close with your dad and brother.”

  “I am. They’re good people.”

  “It must have been difficult to move away from them.”

  “Yes, it was.” True. Yet it had been even more of a relief to escape the stress of the job. And the memories.

  “What made you decide to leave Chicago?”

  “The same things that drove you from New York. I wanted to get away from the big city, the noise, the crowds, the high cost of living.” Again, all true, yet nowhere near the whole truth. But he certainly wasn’t going to get in to the real reason he’d left, to escape the nightmare of that high rise fire. The mere thought of talking about it cramped his insides. Yet the thought of not being completely honest with her didn’t sit well either. To assuage his conscience he added, “I also wanted a little less job-related stress. When Dave told me the London fire department was hiring, I jumped at the chance.”

  “London’s a big change from Chicago. Any regrets?”

 
; “Not one.” He shot her a grin. “Especially since I discovered the library. London’s a big change from New York. Any regrets?”

  She smiled. “Not one.” She ate a forkful of baked potato then asked, “What do you do in your spare time?”

  “I haven’t had a lot of it. Instead of renting I bought a cabin. I got a good deal because it was a foreclosure and needs some work. I spend most of my days off renovating the place and hanging out in Home Depot.”

  “How does a fireman know how to renovate a cabin?”

  “My mom’s brother is a home builder. I worked for him during the summers in high school.”

  “So you’re a man of many talents.”

  He shrugged. “I have pretty good hands.”

  Her fork froze halfway to her lips and he watched, fascinated, as a deep blush washed over her cheeks. She cleared her throat. “I’d say your hands are way better than pretty good. And, um, I would know.”

  And with those few words any calm, cool, and collected he’d managed to pull together evaporated into a puff of heated steam. He laid down his fork and gave up any pretense that he had any idea what he was eating. He wasn’t sure if her sentence was more of a conversation ender as it left him speechless, or a starter because it made him want to tell her all the dozens of ways he wanted to put his hands on her again.

  Unfortunately, just thinking about his hands being on her brought on another bout of severe strangulation in his pants. His common sense kicked in and reminded him of that whole starved dog/pork chop promise he’d made himself. Stupid damn promise. It was the only thing keeping him from giving in to the craving to scoop her into his arms, carry her out of the restaurant and get them somewhere private. “As I said, the pleasure was all mine.”

  “We’ll just have to agree to disagree on that point.” She touched her napkin to her lips. “That was delicious. You up for dessert?”

  God help him, he was up all right. But it had nothing to do with dessert. “Are you hinting that you’d like a piece of cake?”

  “No. I’m saying it outright. Have you ever tried the molten chocolate cake here?”

  “Can’t say I have.”

  “It’s the most delicious thing you’ll ever taste. Want to split one?”

  “Sure.” Liam already knew there was no way a mere dessert could taste better than her kiss which currently held the title of Most Delicious, but he was more than happy to do anything that would prolong their date.

  After the waiter had cleared their plates, taken their dessert order and topped off their wine glasses, Liam said, “You already know I spend my free time renovating and Home Depoting. What do you like to do?”

  “Read.” Her lips twitched. “You may have noticed I sort of have a thing for books.”

  “Maybe, but hey, you’re pretty subtle about it.”

  She laughed. “Oh, I know. If I didn’t tell people they’d never guess. I also enjoy all the outdoor activities here-- boating, swimming, hiking, mountain biking, window shopping-- ”

  “How is window shopping an outdoor activity?” Liam asked, chuckling.

  “It’s outdoors until you see something you like. Then it becomes an indoor activity. Unless you’re at an outdoor flea market. Then it stays outdoors.”

  “I guess that makes sense. What else?”

  “I like playing tennis, watching movies-- ”

  “With popcorn or without?”

  She gave him a look that suggested he’d grown a second head. “With. Duh. And extra butter. There’s no such thing as too much butter on popcorn.” One dark brow shot upward. “You have a problem with that?”

  “God, no.” Holy crap, this woman was seriously turning out to be his dream girl. “Keep going.”

  “Kayaking. The lake is so gorgeous, especially this time of year. I used to rent a kayak when I visited here but now that I’m a resident I want to buy one. I’m just not sure what kind to get.”

  “I kayak and bought mine just last month from McMillan’s Sporting Goods on Main Street. It’s a great recreational model and wasn’t too expensive. You’re welcome to give it a try to see if it you like it.”

  “Thanks. That’s very… nice of you.”

  “I’m sure you don’t mean to sound so shocked that I’d do something nice.”

  A sheepish expression whispered across her face. “Sorry. It’s just...you keep surprising me. It’s throwing me off balance.”

  “In good ways, I hope.”

  “Is there a good way to be thrown off balance?”

  “I think so. It opens your eyes to new things. New challenges.” He reached out and touched her hand. “New people. One of my favorite quotes is ‘Getting thrown from your horse hurts when you hit the ground, but it lets you see the world from a different angle.’”

  “Interesting. And thought-provoking. Who said that?”

  “Marla Wilkerson.”

  Emma frowned. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with her work.”

  “Not surprising as I doubt you ever met my grandma.”

  “Your grandma?”

  Liam nodded. “Very smart woman. And man, could she bake a pie. She grew up on a cattle ranch and was always spouting some sort of folksy, down-home wisdom. Another favorite is: lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.”

  Emma laughed. “Very true. Smart woman, indeed.”

  “She might not have had as much philosophical panache as Winnie the Pooh, but she learned a lot during her lifetime and was a great lady.”

  “Winnie the Pooh?” Emma repeated in a bewildered tone.

  “Yeah. You quoted Pooh Bear to a boy at the library. The day we met. ‘You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’”

  There was no mistaking her surprise. “I can’t believe you remember that. Why would you remember that?”

  “Two reasons. One, I recognized those words. Grandma Marla’s husband, Grandpa Bill, used to read Winnie the Pooh to me when I was a kid and say that same thing to me. That quote used to mean a lot to me and it clearly did to the boy you said it to. I hadn’t thought of it in years, but when you said it, it rang a bell in my brain and brought back a whole bunch of fond memories I’d forgotten. So thank you for that. It meant a lot.”

  “Obviously I had no idea. You’re welcome.”

  “And two… I remember everything about that visit to the library, Emma.” He gently squeezed her hand. “It was the day we met.” Yeah. And he hadn’t been the same since.

  As she appeared at a loss for words, Liam pressed his advantage. If she wasn’t talking, she wouldn’t disagree with his next statement. “About my kayak-- you should definitely test it out. When you do, I’ll borrow Dave’s kayak and go with you. Just to make sure you’re safe. It’s always good to kayak with a buddy.”

  “That sounds suspiciously like you’re asking for a second date.”

  “Figured I would since this one seems to be going okay.” He leaned forward and lightly entwined their fingers. “And just so you know, ‘okay’ is code for ‘best first date of my life.’”

  “Well, I can’t deny that this is going much better than my last first date.”

  “Oh? What happened?”

  “He was a herpetologist-- ”

  “What’s that? Someone who studies herpes?”

  She laughed. “Actually, that would have been preferable. A herpetologist studies reptiles and amphibians. He kept glancing pointedly at his crotch and making sly references to his ‘big snake.’ I ended the date before the appetizers arrived.”

  “Can’t blame you. That would have put me off my feed. And gives me hope since we’re up to dessert and you’re still here.”

  “You bribed me with chocolate molten cake.”

  “Note to self: the librarian can be bought with cake.”

  “Hey, not just any cake.”

  “Correction. The librarian can be bought with chocolate molten cake. So where’d you meet the herpes guy?”
/>   “He was a guest lecturer at the library in New York.”

  “No wonder you moved.”

  They both laughed and Liam experienced a sensation that felt like a direct wallop to the heart. The waiter arrived with their dessert, forcing Liam to again release her hand and sit back. After the waiter left, Emma dipped her spoon into the center of the dessert, releasing a flow of glossy chocolate. Liam scooped up a spoonful and tasted it. He was about to comment that it was delicious, but the words died in his throat as he watched Emily slip her chocolate-laden spoon between her lips.

  Her eyes slid closed and the low, throaty moans she made brought to mind rumpled sheets and naked entwined bodies. God. She was smart, sexy as hell, blushed like a lady, ate like a dude, enjoyed the outdoors, and wasn’t afraid to indulge in dessert-- and made orgasmic sounds when she did. He was truly, seriously halfway in love and they hadn’t even made it out of the restaurant. Oh, come on. You were halfway in love thirty seconds after you clapped your eyeballs on her.

  True.

  Damn. He couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the evening would bring.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Alessandra stood perfectly still under the onslaught of Lord Ryland’s kiss, pinned between the bookcase and his hard body. Terrified that the slightest movement would remind him of what he was doing. And who he was doing it with.

  And that he’d stop.

  Stop making her feel… like this. So incredibly alive. More alive than she ever had, including the twenty-three years she’d actually lived.

  She’d known… known his kiss would feel like this. Had known it for centuries. Had wanted this, wanted him for so long. Dear God, for so very, very long. All those years, watching, waiting, hoping. Wanting. Yearning.

  She heard him groan, low and deep, felt a tremor ripple through his large frame. His arms came around her, steely bands that crushed her to him and his kiss changed from thrilling, hard and demanding to an impossible-to-resist soft and coaxing. He tangled his tongue with hers, an intimate, erotic friction that melted her knees. His delicious taste, his intoxicating scent, his masculine strength all inundated her senses, drowning her in sensation. A moan escaped her and she lifted her arms to wrap them around his neck.