I stare at him in disbelief. “You could have sent flowers. An I’m-sorry-for-bumping-your-car card.” I grasp for words. “You could have turned up at Starbucks.”
He inclines his head, thinking. “And risk exposing myself to someone I couldn’t yet trust? I don’t think so. It’s hard to get to know people in the city. I was convinced you’d suspect who I was, like so many others. That you’d recognize my voice. That you might be a fan and would want to be with me because of my image and everything it stands for. When I realized you really had no idea who I was and that you’d never want to date a rock star, I thought that you were an extraordinary woman. No one ever rejected me the way you did. It reminded me of the times before it all started, when I was still me.”
“So it never bothered you in the slightest that I wasn’t a fan of Mile High?” I ask.
“I have to admit, I was offended…at first.” He catches my exasperated sigh and laughs. “What? I was an ass, okay? I really was. But…” He shakes his head, his laugh dying. “But my sister’s death has made me rethink life, the choices I’ve made. I think I lost myself along the way. It’s time that I change that.” He shrugs and leans into me, his breath scorching my lips. “I wish you could have met her. She would have liked you.”
It’s the second time he’s saying that.
“How do you know?” I ask softly.
“I just know,” he whispers and lifts my hand to his mouth. Slowly, he kisses my fingers, each touch sending shivers through me.
“You’re one in a million, Ava, and it was important that you know the real me, not the one you see in the media. I hope you understand that I needed you somewhere else. Somewhere outside of your comfort zone.” His eyes meet mine—green as the meadows. Emeralds catching the light cast by the moon over our heads. “I needed you to see my home. To fall in love with it.”
The moment is thick with meaning. I know letting someone into his private space is a huge deal for him. A rock star as famous as he is has no privacy. I understand his problem, his dilemma. He has to fight for what normal people take for granted.
“Every day I thought I would forget you, but the next morning broke, and then the next, and I couldn’t get you out of my mind,” he whispers. “So, here you are.”
“Here I am,” I reply.
“Are you mad?” He lifts his hand to stroke my cheek. The movement is gentle, the calluses on his fingers grating my skin.
“No. Not at all.” My lips tug upward, but the smile is somewhat nostalgic. “I think you went a bit overboard, but all in all, it’s nothing to be mad about.”
“I’m still amazed you found this place. It’s what people would call destiny.”
“You believe in destiny?” I ask, amused.
“Yes.” He cocks his head, catching my amused expression. “What? I believe that we earn what we reap. I believe in good sex. I believe in instant attraction. I also believe in love at first sight. And I believe that likes attract likes. I believe that we know when the right person comes along. That love doesn’t need to be sought and found. It’ll find you when it finds you.”
“You had to squeeze the sex part in,” I say, laughing. “You do realize that has nothing to do with destiny, right?”
“Fair enough.” He helps me off the fence and kisses me gently. “I want you to move here.”
That would require me to quit my job. Throw away all my future opportunities.
I feel faint as it hits me. The blood drains out of my body, and my knees turn weak until they feel like jelly.
“Please come back home with me,” Kellan whispers, his voice slightly choked.
Back home.
Not house, but home.
Coming from him, the words sound so damn inviting, I flinch. He says it like he means it.
Dangerous.
That’s what he is. To any woman’s heart, not just mine.
I know I’m in love with him. That’s why his words are so damn enticing.
I look at him and realize that, ever since seeing Kellan again, I haven’t missed my old life. I haven’t missed my job or my tiny apartment. But after saying our goodbyes, I sure missed him.
Home isn’t a place; it’s a feeling; it’s the people who make you feel that you belong.
I know that I belong here, with him, by his side.
But does he want me the way I want him? Is there even room for someone like me in his life? Can I throw away my job, my life, everything I’ve worked so hard for?
My mouth opens and closes. “You want me to quit my job?”
“I want you to move here. Live with me for a while. Enjoy the countryside, and see what happens.”
“But you don’t know me.”
“That’s not true, Ava. I know you perfectly. I know enough to be able to tell you that—” He stops abruptly, his expression darkening.
“What?”
He moistens his lips, taking his time. “I know enough to tell you that I want you to stay. In my life.” He brushes a strand of hair out of my face, curling it around his finger. “It was hard enough to get you here. I’m not ready to let you go.”
I stare at him in silence.