“I’m okay, Katy.”

“You need to eat.” I went to the kitchen and threw graham crackers, nuts, a cereal bar, a banana and some cheese on a plate. It took me less than thirty seconds. I ran it over to him and could tell he was already a bit more lucid.

He laughed. “What’s all this?”

“I didn’t know what you would feel like.”

“You are such a sweetheart.”

“Did this ever happen to you when you were alone?”

“If I felt low at night, it would wake me up. I would keep the meter by my bed. I think it must have been the combination of the long day and then the champagne. I’m glad I was here with you.”

“Me too.”

After he ate and we checked his blood sugar again, he fell asleep on the couch with his head in my lap. I sat there for part of the night, unable to sleep. I thought about Jamie and I together, going to Napa, getting married, starting a family, and coming back to Chicago every now and then. It started to become impossible to imagine my life without him. The ending to my book was the beginning of my life. It was the story of us, and how we came to be. What started out as a journey for one girl who kept herself hidden in the darkness became the story of two souls connected and growing together in the light. I couldn’t imagine exactly what the future looked like for us or where in the world we would be, but I knew that none of it mattered because we were becoming a part of each other. There was no other place but where we were, as long as we were together.

In the morning, Jamie asked me about birth control. We hadn’t talked about it, and I assumed he was leaving it up to me. I had an idea of where Jamie stood on the matter.

“I haven’t been using any. Should I?”

“No,” was all I said. He squinted his eyes curiously, and he flashed me a small, tight smile before looking back down at his magazine.

Jamie rented a car and decided we would road-trip it back to Napa since I would be taking some of my belongings. We moved everything else from my place to the new gorgeous apartment Jamie bought, and then we left Chicago. We hoped that we would see everyone at our wedding in the spring.

We got to know each other in every possible way as we drove to southern California before heading up to Napa. We stayed in a cute boutique hotel in downtown San Diego overlooking the gorgeous bay near the East Village. We stopped into a restaurant called the Cowboy Star. Jamie went off to the restroom while I took a seat at the bar. I ordered a martini called a Mae West from their cocktail menu, and then a few moments later I heard Jamie behind me ask for a glass of the Lawson Pinot. I turned around and smiled. “Good choice, sailor.”

He sat on the stool next to me and held his hand out. “I’m Jamie.”

“Kate,” I said, as I shook his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you.” He bowed his head very slightly.

“That’s a very sexy wine you ordered.”

“Agreed. I know a little bit about it. I’m R. J. Lawson.”

“Get outta here.” I socked him in the arm.

He laughed. “It’s no lie.”

“But you said your name was . . .”

“Jamie. That’s right. That’s what my friends call me.”

“Jamie, huh? So we’re friends?”

“I’d like to be.” His gaze fell to my mouth.

I took a sip of my martini and worked very hard not to crack a smile. “Well, I’m Kate Corbin. I used to be a reporter for a newspaper, and I would have killed for an exclusive with you.”

“Sounds quite violent of you, Kate, but what the hell, I’m exclusively yours . . . Ask away.”

“I said I used to be a reporter.”

“Oh . . . I see. What do you do now?”

“I’m writing a book, actually, and I could use some inspiration.”

“How can I be of service to you?”

“Why don’t you tell me something about yourself that I won’t find on Wikipedia. Like, what’s next for you?”

“What’s next for me? Hmm . . . Just one thing?”

“Yeah, why not.”

“Okay, I’m hoping that by some serendipitous miracle I will end up in bed with an angel tonight.”

Looking sharply at him, I shook my head. “Seems impossible, and anyway, what fun is that? Angels are so pure.”

“Okay, maybe a mildly naughty angel.”

“What will you do with her?”

He arched his eyebrows, leaned in, and whispered, “Would you like a preview of what I would do to her?”

“Yes!” I practically shouted at him. My heart was racing, and I could feel the beginning of that pulsing ache between my legs.

He shook his head back and forth very slowly. “No, we only just met. I think we should take it slow.”

“What?” My voice got really high.

“Yeah, I mean, telling you, a complete stranger, a reporter no less, my innermost thoughts and feeling . . . I don’t know, it just seems a little reckless.”

“Is that how you want to play it?” I said before downing my entire martini in two gulps. He didn’t respond. He just watched me as I looked at the time on my phone and then reached into my purse and grabbed a ten-dollar bill. I threw it on the bar, waved to the bartender, and hopped off my stool.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m calling it a night. I hope you find your angel.” I winked at him.

He followed me all the way back to the hotel and then stepped in front of me to open the large glass door.

“Ma’am.”

“Sir, are you following me?”

He walked beside me toward the elevator. “I’m stalking you,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’m going to stalk you for the rest of my life.”

We stepped in and the doors closed. “Sounds terrifying.”

He pushed me against the wall and tried to kiss me, but I dodged his face back and forth. We started laughing. “For the love of god, let me kiss you.”

“I don’t kiss on the first date.”

“You had sex with me eighteen different ways on our first date.”

The elevator doors opened and I hurried out. “That wasn’t really our first date.”

“Okay, how about this, you stripped down and went skinny-dipping with me five hours after you met me.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m charming.”

“You have an ego,” I said as I slipped the key card into the door and pushed it open.

“I like it when you’re a tease.”

I flipped on the lights as the door closed behind Jamie. I threw my purse and coat on a chair and put my hand on my hip. “Okay, then I’ll be a tease more often.”

“I’m lying, I don’t really like it when you’re a tease. Now, get naked,” he said as he tore his clothes off.

I obliged.

We were still naked in the morning, with the covers pulled all the way up to our necks. We were lying on our sides, facing each other and smiling like two lovesick kids. “You know what I find entertaining?”

“Tell me.”

He scowled and then spoke in a deep, steely voice. “Watching you squirm.” He laughed maniacally and then sunk beneath the sheets.

“You will not tickle me!” I protested.

He turned me forcefully so that I was lying flat on my stomach, and then he bit my butt.

“Ouch!”

From under the covers, I heard him mumble, “Oh sorry, baby.” He tore the sheets away and then grabbed my arms and forced them above my head. The light from the window was blaring across the bed. He didn’t move for several seconds, he just hovered, holding my hands tight. My face was resting sideways on the pillow so I could just barely see him in my peripheral vision. “Am I hurting you?”

“No, but what are you doing?”

“Looking at you.”

“Looking at my ass?”

“All of you. Your shoulders and your hair sweeping across your back. I’m looking at your breast pressed against the bed.” He paused. “I’m going to lick that soon, just so you know.”

I giggled into the pillow. “I’m starting to feel a little vulnerable and self-conscious here.”

“Why? You’re beautiful, Kate. You have a beautiful body,” he said seriously, and then laughed. “And a really nice ass.” He bit my butt again.