“You have no idea how hard it is not to take you right here, Willow,” I groan in complaint. The warmth of her body is causing mine to come alive just knowing how close she is for me to take. I have to tighten my grip on the car door I’m holding open so I don’t reach out and pull her body into mine. “I want you. So fucking badly.”

She blushes and reaches out her hands to timidly run them up my chest before curling her hands around the back of my neck. I close my eyes and savor her touch. I can still feel the heated burn left behind from the path of her hands. She moves her feet forward the inch needed to press her body against mine. There’s no way I can keep my hands off her now.

With my eyes still closed, I let go of the door and allow my hands to grab her hips and pull her roughly against my body, fusing us together. She lets out a small gasp before it turns into a low moan.

Her breathing speeds up and she whispers, “I think I have a pretty good idea just how hard it is, Kane.”

My eyes snap open, and I look down into her eyes. With the soft glow of the lights within the house burning out into the darkness around us, I can make out the slight blush against her pale skin. But it’s her eyes, always those expressive doe eyes, that tell me what I need to know.

She wants me just as furiously as I want her.

“Kiss me,” she pleads.

“Fuck, yeah,” I snarl and crash my lips to hers.

HOLY CRAP.

That kiss.

I didn’t think it was possible for him to beat the kisses I’ve had from him so far, but each one seems to grow in intensity.

And that kiss was … wow.

After reluctantly pulling ourselves apart, he gave me one more slow kiss before walking me to the door. I understood what he meant when he told me that he didn’t want to let me go. I felt the same way as I watched him walk heavy footed away from the porch. Each step he took away from me felt as if some imaginary livewire was violently pulling me.

I haven’t been able to pull myself from the closed front door since walking in and reluctantly shutting it behind me. The cool glass soothes my feverish skin as I rest my forehead against it.

“Shit, Willow. That was hot.”

I spin around and gape at Kirby. She holds up a bottle of wine and two glasses, signaling for me to follow her with a nod. I drop my purse on one of the two chairs to the side of the entryway and follow behind her.

She takes a seat on the couch and I move to the large chair next to the side she settled in. Leaning back, I take a deep breath.

“So? That kiss?”

I look over at Kirby and burst out into a deep laugh, letting the heaviness of the evening and every other overwhelming feeling I’ve felt since this morning rush out of me as I let go of the tightly wound tension in my body.

Kirby smiles, and before you know it, we’ve already polished off the whole bottle and started on the next.

“Tell me again,” she demands, her voice high with excitement.

“Which part?”

“The part about the charity dinner.”

I sigh, remembering how powerful his words were. “He said he felt like he had finally found something he didn’t even know he had been searching for. God, Kirby, how crazy is that?”

She lifts her head from where it had been resting against the couch and looks over at me. Stars dance in her eyes and her expression is just shy of dreamy. “That’s so romantic, Wills! Holy shit! I mean, who would have thought … all this time.”

“I had no idea. I’m still shocked.”

“Tell me what happened next again.” She flips onto her belly, reaches out for her glass, and downs the rest of her wine in one gulp, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand when she finishes. “The part when he said you were a witch.” Her brows crinkle together trying to remember my words.

“He said … he said I had bewitched him. What does that even mean?” I pull myself from my crouched position and reach my hands behind me to unsnap my bra and pull it off without removing my shirt, sighing in relief when that torture device hit the ground—away from my breasts.

“That man has it bad, Wills. So bad. Did he really tell you to lean on him and let him be the power?”

I shake my head. “No, he told me to let him be the strength when I can’t be … or something like that.”

She sighs.

“Am I crazy?”

“No. Well, yes. Crazy that you didn’t molest him right there in the front drive, but I wouldn’t say crazy in general.”

My eyes widen.

“You thought about it,” she smugly states.

She isn’t wrong. I ignore her and take another sip of my wine. I can feel my buzz crossing over toward drunk at this point.

“He said it felt like he was coming out of his skin when he thought about dropping me off tonight. Kirb, I felt it too. I didn’t want to leave him. I don’t know what to do with the way he makes me feel. Isn’t it too quick to be feeling something this … powerful for someone I literally just met?” She sighs again, and I narrow my eyes at her. “You aren’t helping,” I snap.

“Willow,” she starts, the serious tone making me lean forward in my chair so I can focus on her and not the spinning ceiling from moments before. “What you’re explaining to me is something that some people never find in their lives. You have a connection to him way beyond the definition of time. It transcends that and has a power of its own. I can’t tell you what to do, but if you want my advice, I would tell you to hold on to that and do everything you can never to let go. No matter how scary the enormity of those feelings can be. If he said let him be strong for you, then let him, but Willow, do not let this go.”

“And what about Mia?”

She flops back down and waves her hand in the air. “What about her? He said trust him, and as hard and daunting as that is, do it. I don’t know him that well, but Willow, he wouldn’t be working this hard if he just wanted a cheap thrill. A man like Kane Masters could have any woman in the world. He’s not going anywhere. But more importantly, he’s in the public eye. Do you really think he would start something with you if he was already in a relationship, or whatever the hell?”

“I don’t know, Kirby. I’m completely new at this!”

“I know, honey,” she says and turns her head to meet my eyes. “And it’s so beautiful to watch him bring you to life.”