her life had been like over the past five years. He’d always imagined she’d found the true love she’d been seeking, had found a man who’d made her happy. And if the thought occasionally had made him grind his teeth, he told himself a guy couldn’t have everything. He had what he wanted.
Now he wondered if Daisy had got what she wanted. Suddenly he wanted to know.
“Another time then,” he suggested.
“Thank you, but no.”
He knew he was going to get “no” if he asked a hundred times. And the knowledge annoyed him. “Once upon a time we had a lot to say to each other,” he reminded her.
“Once upon a time is for fairy tales, Alex. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”
“Let’s,” he said readily. “I’ll walk with you.”
“I don’t mean go somewhere else,” she said. “I mean I have to go back inside. I have work to do. In my office.”
“Matchmaking?”
She shook her head. “Not tonight.”
“Photography?” He remembered the camera, how it had been almost a natural extension of who she was.
She nodded, smiling a little. It was a real smile.
“You’ve got your own business then?” he pressed.
“Yes.” She nodded. The smile stayed.
“Families? Kids? People of all shapes and sizes?” And at her further nod, he said, “Show me.”
She almost moved toward the door, almost started to invite him in. But then she stayed where she was, gave her head a little shake. “I don’t think so.”
“You took photos of us.” Sometimes he’d wished he had one. To take out and remember. But that was stupid. It was better to forget.
She shrugged and looked just a little uncomfortable. He wondered if she still had the photos.
“Why matchmaking?” he asked her suddenly.
She shrugged. “Long story.” And no invitation to ask her to tell it.
He lifted a corner of his mouth. “I’ve got time.”
“I don’t.”
“You’re scared.”
The color in her cheeks bloomed again. “I am not scared! What’s there to be scared of?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.” He cocked his head. “Temptation maybe?”
She shook her head adamantly. “I’m not tempted. I’m busy. I have things to do. I haven’t seen you in five years, Alex. I barely knew you then. We don’t have a past to catch up on.”
“We had a hell of a lot.” He didn’t know why he was persisting, but he couldn’t seem to leave it alone.
“And we wanted to do different things with it. Goodbye, Alex.” She turned away and started to go back inside.
But before she could, Alex caught her arm, and spun her slowly back, then did what he’d been wanting to do ever since he’d realized who she was.
He dipped his head and kissed her.
It was instinct, desire, a mad impetuous hunger that he couldn’t seem to control. It was a roaring in his ears and a fire in his veins. It was the taste of Daisy—a taste he’d never forgotten. Never. And as soon as he tasted her, he wanted more.
And more.
For a second, maybe two, Daisy seemed to melt under the touch of his lips. She went soft and pliable, shaping her mouth to his. And then, in another instant, it was over.
She jerked away from him, stared at him for one horrified moment, cheeks scarlet, mouth still forming an astonished O. Then she pulled out of his grasp and bolted back inside the foyer.
“Daisy!”
The door slammed in his face.
Alex stared after her, still tasting her. Jolted, intrigued, stunned. Aroused.
Five years ago Daisy had been like a siren he’d followed eagerly, mindlessly, hungrily. He’d wanted her on every level imaginable. And having her that weekend over and over hadn’t assuaged his hunger. He’d only wanted more.
Leaving, thank God, had removed the temptation.
And now—within minutes of having seen her again—it was back. In spades.
It was the last thing he wanted. The last thing he needed.
Alex turned and walked down the steps, pausing only to drop the paper with her name and address in the trash.
She had been right to say no. He would be smart and walk away.
Ten minutes later Daisy was still shaking.
She sat at her desk, staring at the photo she was editing, and didn’t see it at all. Eyes closed or open, she only saw Alex—older, harder, stronger, handsomer—in every way more, even more compelling than the younger Alex had been.
She shuddered and scrubbed at her mouth with her fingers, trying to wipe away the taste of his kiss.
But all the scrubbing in the world wouldn’t do that, and she knew it. She’d tried to forget it for years. It hadn’t done a whit of good.
She hadn’t even tried to forget him. That would have been impossible. But as time passed, at least she’d managed to put him on a shelf in the back of her memory’s closet. He was still there, but he couldn’t hurt her.
But now Alex was here.
She’d just seen him, talked to him. Been kissed by him. Had almost, heaven help her, kissed him back. It had felt so right, so perfect, so exactly the way it had felt the first time.
But she knew better now.
He had come. He had gone. The other shoe had finally dropped. He wouldn’t come back.
“And it wouldn’t matter if he did,” Daisy said aloud.
Because if one thing was completely obvious, it was that however much more he had become, in fundamentals, Alex hadn’t changed a bit.
He might want to get married now, but he obviously didn’t want anything more than “friends—with benefits.” He didn’t want love. He didn’t want a real marriage. He didn’t want a family.
He didn’t want her.
For a nanosecond her traitorous heart had dared to believe he’d finally come to his senses, had learned the value of love, of relationships, of lifetime commitment.
Thank goodness, a nanosecond was all
