Then she spotted him. He was standing at the check-in desk where they’d first run into each other, a bouquet of jasmine in his hands. Her heart lifted. He’d remembered the scent of her perfume. He wore a button-up shirt and a pair of slacks, and he looked nervous in a way that she found deeply endearing.
Taking a deep breath, Kendra threaded between the other travelers until she was standing in front of him. He looked up, spotted her, and his eyes lit up.
“You came.” The statement was full of pleasure and wonderment.
“I did.” Kendra looked around. “May I ask why you invited me? Not that I don’t love a spontaneous trip to one of the country’s busiest airports…”
Lucas smiled and held out the flowers. “These are for you.”
“Thanks.” Kendra inhaled the scent of the flowers. Then her gaze fell to his wrist, where he was wearing the cheap gift-shop bracelet she’d bought in Cabo. Hope surged as she lifted her eyes to meet his again.
“I invited you here so that I could apologize,” Lucas said. He gestured for her to follow him away from the crowds to a large window overlooking the runways, where it was a little more private. “I shouldn’t have left like that, not so suddenly and not without talking to you first.”
Kendra began to twist the stem of one of the flowers. “I understand. I’ve seen the news about Omegron, and I know how hard you’ve been working since you got back. It looks like it paid off.”
“If you mean that my company is back on its feet, yes, it paid off. But I was missing something else.” His blue eyes locked on hers. “You.”
Immediately, Kendra’s knees went weak. Her heart hammered even harder in her chest, and her cheeks bypassed pink and went straight to red.
“Me?”
“Yes, you.” He took a small step closer. “I love Omegron. I’ve worked for years to make my company a success, and I thought my life had fallen apart when the scandal happened. But instead, I met you, and you gave my life a whole new meaning. You showed me that there’s more to life than work — so much more.”
“We did have a nice trip together, didn’t we?” Kendra asked. She was still bending and straightening one of the flower stems. “But you were clear about how your work is the most important thing to you.”
“I was, but I was wrong about that.” Lucas gave her an endearing smile that made Kendra’s heart flutter. “The most important thing in life shouldn’t be work. It should be swimming in the ocean under the stars with a beautiful woman, and falling off kayaks, and joking about fairy tales.”
“What are you saying, exactly?” Kendra accidentally snapped off the flower stem she’d been fiddling with and forced her hands to be still.
“We had a great vacation together,” Lucas repeated. “But I don’t want our time together to end. I know we didn’t talk about it, but I really think there’s something between us, Kendra. Don’t you? When I look at you or hold you in my arms, I feel something I’ve never felt before.”
“I feel it, too,” Kendra whispered. She barely wanted to admit the extent of her feelings. After all, Lucas had run off before, choosing work over her, and that had hurt. She wasn’t ready to be hurt like that again. Still, there was a time to be brave, and this was it. “I don’t want things to end with the vacation either. But I can never compete with your work. Our lives in LA are just too different. Don’t you think?”
“Maybe,” Lucas admitted. “But that’s why we need more time to get to know each other. Andthat’swhy I called you to the airport. I think it’s time for us to repeat our vacation. I’ve taken time off work, and I’m ready… if you are.”
Kendra laughed despite herself. “You want to leave on a trip right now?”
“Why not?” Smiling, Lucas took her free hand in his. “I don’t want to waste another minute without you. We can go wherever you want: Paris, Tokyo, back to Cabo, anything.”
“I do have some work to do…” Kendra said, but she was smiling. She did have a little work, but it could wait. She hadn’t booked any clients for the first six weeks after her wedding, so she was mostly free.
“I understand.” Lucas looked down.
“But, as someone wise said, there are more important things than work.”
He met her eyes with a wide smile that melted any trace of hesitation left in Kendra’s heart. “Really?”
“Really.” She laughed. Once again, she felt the way she had when they’d run through the resort under the stars after their dip in the ocean — wild and free and full of hope.
“So, where should we go?” Lucas asked. He took her hand and led her to the departures board, which was lit up with cities all around the world. There were even a few that Kendra had never heard of.
“Before we decide,” Kendra said, tearing her eyes away from the board, “there’s something I want to do.”
“What’s that?” Lucas asked. “If you’re going to saypack, don’t worry about it. We can buy new clothes there.”
Kendra laughed. “No, it isn’t that.” She reached up and caressed the side of his cheek. His five o’clock shadow was rough beneath her palm. She smelled his shaving-cream scent and felt his warmth, just inches away from her. “I think we should kiss.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Lucas winked, then his expression grew serious as he leaned closer. His hands slid around Kendra’s waist, gently pulling her against him, and hislips found hers. They were soft at first, tentative, but then he deepened the kiss.
