I don't know what happened. He kissed me and I felt that he wanted me. I knew that he did and I wanted him, too.

Our mouths found each other and, suddenly, it all made sense. Then things changed.

He pushed me away. He tried to pretend that he didn't, but the trance of being there in his arms had dispersed.

I run down the steps to my car with angry tears in my eyes. I'm such a fool.

How could I let that happen?

My anger has nothing to do with Alex. I know that I don't owe him anything and we are no longer together.

I've done nothing wrong. Still, my anger remains.

I hate that I have put myself into this situation.

Why?

The events of the whole day mash together in my mind. I have come here looking for D. B. Carter, knowing full well that the guy on that forum was lying or at least making fun of me.

Then, I happen to actually find the real D. B. Carter, who turned out to be someone I had already met.

Liam promised that he was not the guy from the forum who pointed me in this direction, but how could he not be?

I get into my car and shut the door. I take a few deep breaths and look in the rearview mirror. He is standing on the porch but doesn't make a step to follow me.

I let out a sigh of relief.

I don't want him. He told me all about his writing and it felt like he was opening up to me, but in reality, he's as shut as a clam. He's unreachable and I don't need that in my life.

When I look back in the rearview mirror again, my body longs for him. It's a silly expression, one typical of books, and yet that's exactly how I feel.

Every part of me, down to the molecular and cellular level, craves him.

I shouldn’t compare, but kissing Liam was nothing like kissing Alex. With Alex, things were simple. I knew that he liked me. I knew where we stood. I liked that certainty.

In the end? In the end he broke my heart in a way that will probably take me months if not years to recover.

Is this what is really going on?

Do I just want Liam because I can't have Alex?

I inhale deeply and exhale slowly through the mouth. I feel the breath escape my lips and I run my tongue over my lower lip, pausing briefly over each indentation.

Out here under the bright desert sun where the humidity is below ten percent, my lips are chapped and dry.

I lick them again to give them some moisture and then wipe a rogue tear running down my cheek.

I press the start button on my car, but the engine doesn't start. I look at the screen thinking that I had left the key somewhere in his house, but the missing key notification doesn't pop up.

I feel around my purse and find it in there.

I press the pedal and the start button again. Again, nothing happens.

What the hell am I supposed to do now?

I try again and again, but still nothing happens. A sudden knock on the driver's window startles me and I jump.

It's Liam.

He moves slightly out of the way when I crack the door.

“My car won't start,” I say.

Even though it's spring and I can feel a breeze of cool air settling on the valley, the sun is still beating down hard on the earth. Without air conditioning, the inside of the car becomes unbearable.

I step out, leaning my body against the powder blue door.

“I'm sorry,” Liam says.

I ignore him and instead bury my head in my phone.

“I'm going to call AAA,” I explain.

He leans over and brushes his fingertips against mine. A shock of electricity runs up my arm. When I look up at him, he takes my hand in his and squeezes it tightly.

“I'm sorry,” he says with his eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

“It doesn't–”

He kisses me.

He takes a step forward and pushes my body against the car. When we collide with one another, the world falls apart and is put together again with all the pieces that make sense.

He runs his fingers slowly up the nape of my neck, reaching all the way up to my earlobes and then cradling my chin as if it were a saucer. His lips are firm and determined. At first, he was hesitant, but now he takes control.

I haven't seen this side of him before, but I like it.

I kiss him back, gently touching my tongue with his, but when he pulls away slightly and then kisses me again, his mouth gets feverish.

His hands move up and down my body from the small of my back all the way up my spine.

After a few moments, they move toward my waist and then he cups one of my breasts.

“You're so beautiful,” he says through his kisses.

Our bodies become heated, dirty, messy, and wonderful all at the same time.

When I toss my head back, he kisses down my neck to the top of my breasts. My breathing speeds up and my body starts to quiver.

I look up at the cloudless blue sky as he tugs at my jacket. The buttons seem to come out of the loops all on their own and he slides his hand under my loose-fitting blouse.

It's a peasant top that keeps my breasts slightly separated and away from him. I look down and he looks up at me, silently asking permission.

I smile and wait for him to act. It's all the consent that he needs and he slides his hand firmly under my bra.

His body reacts against mine. I feel the hardness of it. It's almost as if it's made out of marble.

Beautiful on the outside and yet hard and imposing when up close.

The muscles in his stomach contract and retract with each breath, forming that elusive six pack and then disappearing all in a mere moment.

I run my fingers up and down the washboard abs, noticing how big he seems in comparison to me.

I'm not very tall and I'm not very thin, yet he towers over me.

Continuing to kiss me, he pulls down on my blouse exposing my breast. He takes my nipple expertly between his lips and kisses it gently. I run my hand over his belt buckle and down his pants.

His body is firm against mine so I don't quite touch it, but I can feel its outline and it’s huge. The biggest I've ever felt with a nice curve to it, veering slightly to the left.

When his hands make their way down past my panties to my core, I open my legs. I want him to feel how much I want him.

“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone,” he whispers into my ear. “I’ve wanted you since the first time I spotted you on the patio.”

“That's because you thought that I was taken,” I joke.

He pulls his lips away from mine, meets my eyes, and shakes his head.

“No, absolutely not. There's something different about you, Emma. It scares me.”

When he swallows hard, I see the outline of his Adam's apple dip up and down.

I know what he means. I feel the same way.

We lose ourselves in each other's eyes for a moment, unwilling to even blink out of fear of allowing reality to rush back.

“I want you,” he says.

I reach over and put my lips on his.

“Although.” He pulls away slightly and presses his index finger to my lips. “I want you for more than just this moment.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, kissing his finger.

“I want you to spend the week with me, here.”

“I can't stay that long,” I say and try to kiss him again. “I don't even think I can stay the night. I have to get back to work by Monday.”