Pulling back with an even slower pace than the one he'd used for reaching out to her, she looked him in the eye. Studying those rich blue pools, she could spend weeks exploring their depths. Then, she smiled, leaned in, and kissed him.

Sweetness. Hunger. Titillation. And, pure passion rose within her.

She wanted to strip him bare and spend weeks, months, and years getting to know him. Why now? Why hadn't she met him before?

"Fate,” he said. “Fate brought us together."

"What?” She was confused. Had she spoken aloud?

"I was thinking about what my mother would say if I told her that I met the woman I want to-"

"You were thinking of your mother when you kissed me?” He didn't strike her as a momma's boy, but one never knew. Kathryn Marie started to wiggle away.

He held firm. “When we kissed, only one thought went through my head. She's the one I want to know better."

She stopped pushing against him. “Go on."

"Never have I wanted to spend time with one particular woman. I didn't connect with them here,"-he pointed at his head, then his heart-"and, here.” Brushing his lips over hers, he said, “Until you came into my life."

Her reply was to nod and rub her lips along his. “What, no words? I bare my soul and you nod?"

She smiled. “Get to know me. You have my permission to learn about every part of me."

"That's a date, then.” His phone buzzed. “I have to go back to work."

"I'm going to buy paint, and then go home and work, too.” She kissed him one more time. “When's our date for?"

"Every night for the rest of our lives.” He winked, and then he was gone.

Kathryn Marie could hardly breathe as she slipped into the Jeep and secured the seatbelt around her. Had Devin just proposed or did he just want to date her forever? No one could love someone that quickly, could he?

As she drove through the gate, a red Sedan with black tinted windows pulled in behind her. It followed her down Orange Avenue.

This time she refused to buy a seat on the emotional hyper train. Her choice was to believe it was a coincidence. So, she went to her favorite paint shop, bought her beautiful blue watercolors and more, left, and pulled up in front of her building.

Maneuvering the bundle of packages and bags was a feat. It was impossible to leave the store without new brushes, canvases, etc. Shopping in an art store was like being a kid in a candy shop or a toy store.

Finally, she managed to get the door open and step through before the packages and bags tumbled to the ground. She had to laugh at herself, because the mess it made had her thinking of kids and Christmas-all the paper ripped off, ribbons taken by the dog, and what remained were piles of presents. She'd loved the bows and wrappings. Her mother would spend hours on it, but their dog, Trident, always took off with them. They'd end up in a wet heap under her covers. That dog really loved her!

The thought of spending the holidays alone this year was acute. This was her reality now. She could invite Devin over. Funny how her mind went to him, and they hadn't known each other long. Yet, he fit inside her head like a puzzle piece or something she hadn't really known was missing.

"Do you need a hand?” A woman's voice sounded behind her.

Kathryn Marie stepped over the pile, her steps taking her farther into the apartment. When she turned, a woman with pale skin and white blonde hair dressed in a two-piece red suit stood in her doorway. There were black accents-a handkerchief in her pocket, Dooney & Bourke handbag, and a pair of stunning red shoes.

"Those shoes are Stuart Weitzman!” Kathryn Marie exclaimed.

The blonde woman pulled Kathryn Marie's keys from the door lock and tossed them in the air. She caught them in her hand. “I recognize the style from Vogue. You have excellent taste."

"You, Ms. Pente, have good fashion sense.” The woman looked her over from head to toe. “Even if you don't show it… on the surface."

Stepping inside the apartment and closing the door, the bolt clicking in place woke Kathryn Marie up. The gun in the woman's hand didn't exactly put her to sleep either. “For that I'll make sure you don't die too slowly."

Kathryn Marie paled. Oh, God! I thought the bad guy would be a man. How could I have been so wrong as to not suspect my own sex? “What… what are you doing?"

"I'm going to kill you, Ms. Pente.” The woman secured the chain across the door. “I'm sure you won't mind if I call you, Kathryn Marie."

Reaching in her pocket, Kathryn Marie clicked the text button on her phone. Like most of the individuals in her generation, she could text in the dark or in this case in pants. She was grateful Devin had insisted his number be added to her Blackberry and at the top of her list. She typed: 911 home, and clicked send. “Why not? Shouldn't every killer be on a first name basis with her victim?"

"Ha, ha, ha.” The woman laughed. “You are witty, Kathryn Marie, and a lot less stuck up than your sister. She tried to talk me out of killing her, too.” She waved a hand in front of her face. “All that psycho-babble."

The blonde tossed a length of long hair over her shoulder and began walking around the pile. The gun stayed steady between them. The Heckler and Koch.40 caliber looked like a cannon pointed in Kathryn Marie's face.

She swallowed the anger bubbling up within her. “There are a few things I'd like to know before you kill me. Think of it as a last request."

Pausing, the woman said, “Fine. That's workable. Sit over there."

At the direction of the gun barrel, Kathryn Marie walked over to the desk, pulled out the chair, and sat. The gunwoman remained standing. “Okay, I'm sitting. Please start with your name, and tell me why you're here."

"My name is Albina. I came to this country to undermine its infrastructure. Your sister devised a program that works with government employees and stress. It was quite brilliant actually and her techniques were beginning to have an effect on how astute and aware officials were in the workplace. Linking neuro-linguistic programming to motives, spies, and terrorists were being discovered. We cannot allow this greater observation to continue, and worse yet, spread.” Sitting on the couch, she waved the gun. “First, I went to speak with her, to talk about the program. I told her to cease her research and interaction, to put an end to her efforts, but she refused."

No kidding! Bren was a thousand different kinds of stubborn! She was the daughter of a Navy SEAL, and so am I.

"I was so frustrated, and she kept asking me to calm down, to explain what my issues were. Why didn't she understand, Kathryn Marie? Why didn't she listen to me? Why did she make me kill her?"

Kathryn Marie sat speechless. She was watching a horror movie unfold in real life with full interaction in her living room!

"When she reached for her phone, I brought my gun into sight.” Albina looked at her gun and then waved it about to emphasize her words. “We have been through so much together, this gun and I. That was when it got worse. She walked around the desk and asked me questions that no one should know.

"Did I have a lover? When was the last time I saw him? Didn't I miss him and want to see him again? Did I know what I was doing in bringing a gun in here? Who had touched me last?” The gun hand finally steadied and pointed directly at Kathryn Marie.

"As I groped for answers to her questions, she launched herself at me. I pulled the trigger and she fell a mere few feet away.” Albina's eyes darkened and her nostrils flared. “Her dying words were, ‘Don't do it.’”

"I assured her I would, and that her office would be the origination point of a bomb as big as Oklahoma City. They used ammonium nitrate. My bomb was more clever, and the finale is to kill you. The little sister whose paintings hung on her walls.” Tension streamed out of her. “This to me… is poetic. A loose string snipped and the last note played.” She sighed and relaxed. “It feels good to tell the whole story. Only my love was to hear it, but it is a good last request you've made. It is not as childish as to ask to call your mother or have an alcoholic drink.” She pushed her long hair over her shoulder. “But your mother is dead, so it is of little use anyhow."