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STORY EXCERPT

Without a word, he lowered his head until his mouth met her slightly parted lips. At first he kissed her softly and gently. When he detected no resistance, he deepened the kiss and swirled his tongue around hers.

“Damn, you taste sweet. Like nectar of the gods,” he murmured, and she felt him stir where their bodies met. She moved her hands up to his neck, entwining them in his thick hair, and kissed him back until she was nearly breathless.

“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered in her ear.

His warm breath feathered across her skin, and she nodded in agreement. They walked outside to find his car and make their getaway.

They rode on in silence, and Maggie wondered if he was trying to figure out where this would lead. She certainly was doing that. When he pulled up to the Ambassador a few minutes later, he switched off the engine and turned to look at her.

“Maggie,” he started, but she interrupted.

“No, Robert, let me go first while I still have my wits about me. I would like to ask you to come up with me, but I’m not sure that I’m ready for anything to happen between us. This is a strange situation, and I don’t take my relationships lightly. If you come up, I want you to understand I’m not making any promises of what may or may not happen tonight.”

He took her hand, softly kissing the back of her fingers. He gave her an understanding smile. “I don’t have any expectations. You can’t disappoint me.”

They got out of the car and went inside. Maggie gave him the card to get them into her room, and they walked in. She kicked off her shoes and went to the stereo to put on a CD. Music filled the room, setting the mood for romance.

“Would you allow me another dance with the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met?”

She blushed and would have disagreed, but he stopped her as his mouth descended hungrily upon hers in a deep, heart-stopping kiss.

“You have no idea how distracting you were this week.”

She raised an eyebrow. “But you barely even saw me this week.”

He gave her a wicked grin. “I beg to differ. I saw every inch of you each night in my dreams, Maggie. And it was enough to keep my mind off business during the daytime.”

Maggie felt the heat as her cheeks reddened. She admitted, “I found myself thinking about you, too. A lot, actually. I kept asking myself why I didn’t ask you to come over that first Sunday when you offered your services as personal translator.”

“So, why didn’t you invite me over? I wondered that myself. To be honest, I thought you didn’t like me. I figured it was either that or else you really did have a boyfriend back home and were being very cautious about not spending any time with other men while you’re so far apart.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, knowing she’d never meant her refusal to come across that way. “Trust me, I didn’t mean to make you feel like that. I wasn’t trying to avoid you. Actually, I thought you were only offering out of courtesy or because your father put you up to it. I thought I was doing you a favor by letting you off the hook.”

“You did not do me a favor. I’ve had more cold showers in this one week than I care to remember,” he informed her, grinning.

At the mention of that, he felt her tense up, and her shoulders tightened.

“Listen,” he said as he stopped dancing, and he tilted her head so she looked him right in the eyes. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m not attracted to you. You wouldn’t believe me anyway because you’ve felt proof otherwise.”

She was keenly aware of how aroused he had been when they were kissing. There was no doubt he’d enjoyed the experience immensely.

He continued, “But I meant it when I said it’s your call how far we take this. I can assure you that I want you badly, but I’ll only act on that if you tell me you want it, too. And if you don’t share your bed with me tonight, I’ll still want to see you tomorrow. Sex isn’t a requirement, Maggie. Although, I assure you, it would be one hell of a good time.” He waggled his eyebrows playfully at her, breaking the tension.

She smiled and relaxed again. “Thank you, Robert. It’s not that I don’t want you. What’s not to like? You’re gorgeous and kind. It’s just that I’m a little too aware of the fact that in a few weeks you’ll be flying out of here back to your jet-setting life, and I’ll head back to the West Virginia mountains soon thereafter. We can’t offer each other anything beyond our time together here in Germany. I warn you, I’m a romantic. I don’t take my relationships lightly, and I don’t believe in casual one-night stands. I fall head over heels when I fall in love. And it only takes someone as wonderful as you for me to start to feel that way. I’m not sure I want to risk having my heart broken when the inevitable separation comes.”

“You’re really laying all of your cards on the table aren’t you,” he said, clearly referencing her talk of falling in love. “No beating around the bush, huh?”

“We don’t have much time together. I can’t afford to play games. You’re being honest. This is me being honest, too.”

He looked out the window for a minute then turned to her and said, “And what if I said I felt it, too? This is Bremen, Germany, near the very birthplace of most of the childhood fairy tales you said you grew up reading. And now there you stand, about to make even me believe in love at first sight.”