If You Hear Her

at 9:30, and this time, h

ndle and he’d found a s

ed in the back of his clos

it wasn’t until he was si

that he started

se he let himself think

aiting o

king

e hell was

to be dating ri

and too often, he spent

k mo

material.

nvince himself of that, he

ht? A meal with a pretty l

y, a pretty lady who coul

sation—should be

didn’t even have to

e end of the night, they’

could get her phone numbe

ated ab

a

Sitting back at the bar w

onvers

en he said it had been

been months since he’d be

y asked an

. Being with Lena? Fel

ery long,” she mentioned

ic

obvi

eard the name before if

name is familiar. You’r

strange places. A guy c

This was his particular

ded. His grandmother had

everybody who had known

w h

gged and took a sip of h

d I know her health started

few times, though. She se

e w

ad,” she murmur

scooped up some mashed p

in his throat. “She was a

u could have given her a

oing this—did you

o know?” A smile t

hat smile had him

to piss my

echoed. Baffled, he set

es becoming a chef warra

f

olves things like knive

led her lips, amused … and

le death trap for somebody

tective

your

aded from her face. “He’s

ntly she reached up, rub

lways pushing me to do wh

ant, but Dad encouraged h

ng me too close. Those overprotective moms yo

them l

rd his and grimaced. “No

we’re hav

shoulder against hers an

beats some of the inane c

fe

ssion on her face slowly

Ezra. But let’s try to ligh

you t

ngs up, he brooded. Trying

n Lexington until a few mo

ran left me the house, I

s some work on it, and it

yw

st

here to figure ou

hing in his voi

nough to entirely put her

g next to him, she had felt

himself to relax

asn’t goi

st, no

asked her

, easy

hought as he followed Len

und the old house. She wa

miled at him … well, he cou

st, in the wei

e was leaning at the rail

of her hair around her fa

slightly. As thou

he verandah, he stopped

t secretive,

, he decided, and now he

centuries. Trying to under

yeah, he could spend quite

Lena’s se

id, tucking his hands in

he reached up and brushe

en in a simple innocent way

ready knew that wasn

for the frust

m g

of figured I’d be

d man,” Lena teased, th

ght

terrified my folks might

nd trying n

living in fear

l-out smirk and he was h

h his. “Hey, you’ve nev

in hardened

She cocked

smile … her mouth.

hing up, he touched the tip

i

ft gasp and he dipped hi

nd I saw you, I wondered

ot find out, can

er brain had just go

mm

back-off?

I don’t t

oo

ers, easy and light, kee

red as he traced his tong

colate cheesecake and man.

There was the faintest ras

ailed her fingers along his

he was about how he looke

r the heat

ould

, she moved closer and b

hips, she couldn’t help bu

so lean, long and lean. He

rprise. It had already been

down nex

er spine, resting it at

and when he pressed her

his, the shivering got wo

r belly and she rocked clos

ressed again

ried to do that—just migh

lace—just might have lo

attering the calm night a

ir in des

unding so hard, she though

er c

er lips and then she cou

ld taste him. Taste him, a

iss him. Again, and again

ose all the

g for you,” Ezra said,

h?

ver there—staring up here—looks l

Taking a deep breath, she

ter. “The owner’s husband

rk

o get going.” He stroked

er brow. “Thanks for

itating, she battled down

o smile. “Maybe

init

and in less than two min

ant to leave, though. Actu

ith her, dri

or the time after,

he didn

t day, or t

imagined that heat betw

rom him, she gave up hop

. In a way she

d wormed his way past t

ie

ly dated a guy in town—R

iked him and they’d been

t hadn’t been a shar

a guy she’d fallen for

ling in love with him, al

even after they’d be

hips. That was the sum of

tes … and somehow, some

one date with, he’d mana

gu