Chapter Twelve

Kate tried to forget about Donovan Briggs. But since she was still on vacation from work because her trip got cut short, she had all the time in the world to replay every single moment of her time with him.

And the more she thought about how easily he'd walked away from her, the more it hurt. He hadn't even suggested they keep in touch or visit each other or talk. Then again, neither had she. With a frustrated groan, she threw herself onto her couch and stared up at the ceiling.

Maybe she should've encouraged him or flat-out asked what their future held. But she didn't want to look desperate or naive. Perhaps keeping it as a weekend affair was the best thing. Since they lived so far away from each other, what did she expect? Her memories of their time together were beautiful and she would cherish them forever.

But she wanted more.

Maybe she could track him down in New York. No, how pathetic. After all, he was the hacker and, if he wanted to, he could find her in a heartbeat. But she hadn't received a single call or text to indicate he wanted to pursue anything with her.

And it hurt more than she thought possible.

At least she returned to work next week so it was something else to focus on other than Donovan. Eventually, these unrequited feelings would lessen and go away. Wouldn't they?

As much as she'd like to forget about him, to erase her from her mind and heart, it was impossible. Kate couldn't stop thinking about him and filled her time off reliving every moment of their adventure. She could still taste him, smell him and feel him. The night they danced in the street to the samba band, surrounded by the spirit and energy of Carnaval, she fell hard.

Covering her face with her hands, she tried not to cry again. He doesn't want you, she told herself and sniffed, doing her damndest to hold back the tears. A knock sounded at the door and she sat up, swiping the back of her hand over her runny nose.

Despite looking like an utter wreck, she slowly stood up and walked over to open the door. Not expecting anyone, she figured it was her Amazon delivery with the two new romantic suspense books she'd ordered about a couple getting lost in the jungle and running from bad guys.

God, she liked to torture herself.

Kate opened the door and, for a shocked moment, she couldn't find her voice as she stared into a pair of familiar brown eyes swirled with caramel.

"Hi, Kate," Donovan said, standing in front of her holding a large bouquet of wildflowers. When she didn't respond, he shifted uneasily. "Can I come in?"

Kate cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah." She stepped aside, allowing him in. "What're you doing here? How did you even find me?"

His mouth edged up. "I'm a hacker, remember? I can find anyone."

"Right." She waited for him to say more, trying to wrap her head around what this visit might mean. She didn't want to read into it or get too excited. Her heart couldn't take another rejection.

He offered her the wildflowers. "These are for you."

"Thanks," she said softly and took them.

"When the florist asked me what your favorite flower was…" He hesitated, voice trailing off. "I couldn't answer. And I realized what a goddamn tragedy that was."

His remorseful tone caught her by surprise. He was clearly upset. "It's hardly a tragedy," she said, trying to make light of the situation. "How would you know? We barely spent a weekend together."

"But I wanted to know." He hesitated, as though searching for the right words, but they seemed to be eluding him, and he ran a frustrated hand through his silky hair. "Do you want to put those in some water?"

"Sure." Kate turned and went into the kitchen where she pulled out a vase. While she filled it with water, Donovan came up behind her.

"I want to apologize," he said, voice low and earnest.

After placing the flowers in the vase, Kate slowly turned around. "Okay." Apparently, her communication skills weren't working well at the moment. She was too flustered at his unexpected visit.

"This past week has been hell. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Kate's heart lurched into a wild, out of control rhythm.

"Everything happened so fast down in Rio and I know that's no excuse. I shouldn't have let you go. Watching you walk away and get on that plane nearly killed me. But, I needed to make sure you got home safely and were no longer in danger. I never would've forgiven myself if anything happened to you. So, I went back to New York, hacked into Warren's hard drive and found the evidence I needed to bring the bastard down. He's no longer a threat."

"Oh," she whispered, her hope deflating. So, that's why he showed up. "That's…a relief."

"I felt bad about cutting your vacation early. I know how much visiting Tijuca meant to you."

"Guess I'll just have to go back. One day." Though the idea of returning to Rio de Janeiro by herself wasn't exactly something she looked forward to doing anymore. The more she thought about it, the more depressing it sounded.

Donovan studied her intently. "Did you miss me, Kate?"

Her mouth dropped open. "Of course."

He stepped forward, brown eyes searching hers. "Because I missed you like hell. And now I'm scared I fucked up by letting you go."

Hope swelled and her pulse skittered when he placed his large hands on either side of her face. But words escaped her. It's like they were stuck in her throat and she couldn't spit them out for a million dollars.

"I'm hoping we can start over. Or, at least, pick up where we left off." He dropped the lightest of kisses on her lips and her belly clenched. "What do you say?"

Kate's breath shuddered out of her lungs and she wrapped her fingers around his wrists, never breaking eye contact. "I say yes," she whispered.

A smile curved his mouth before it crashed against hers. Whenever Donovan kissed her, everything seemed to spin out of control like a possessed merry-go-round. There was nothing she could do to slow it down, so she leaned into his embrace and kissed him back with a fierceness that left them both gasping for air.

"God, I missed you," he murmured, stroking his thumb along her cheekbone.

Even though he was saying all the right words, her wary heart needed answers. "Is this just an extension of our weekend fling?" she asked. "Or do you see a future?"

Something flickered in the depths of his brown eyes. "I see more than a future, Kate. I see forever."

Kate's eyes pricked with tears. "Me, too."

At that moment, she knew they were on the verge of starting an entirely new adventure together. And, Cautious Kate be damned because she was ready to jump in with both feet.