PROLOGUE

Ordering a coffee shouldn't be complicated.

Black.

Two sugars.

That's it.

A sane man with a flight to catch would have gone directly to the airport to get his uncomplicated caffeine fix. But he wasn't sane, and who he wanted to see wasn't at the airport. She would be here. In this trendy downtown café.

Today was his last chance. Once that plane departed, he would be away for who knows how long, and he had to make an impression. He had to make her understand how this could be something.

The beginning of everything.

If he were a romantic, he would call it destiny.

And who was he to argue with destiny.

They met on his first day in town when he had wandered into the café next door to his hotel. The line had been long, and as he waited impatiently, his arm had brushed against the woman next to him. They turned together to speak the obligatory excuse me, and that had been it. When their gazes connected, an understanding struck like lightning under the skin. Bright and beautiful, the feeling glowed with enough strength to illuminate his future, laying it out ever so neatly in the smiling eyes staring back at him.

The barista had the woman's order ready when she reached the counter and waved her off with a, see you tomorrow. He noted the time, openly staring as she left.

The following day, the line was even longer when she appeared, and he snuck in behind her, striking up a conversation involving iced coffee. She suggested one of her favorites, lingering as he took a sip.

"It might be too much sugar for you?"

Forcing himself not to gag, he had shaken his head. "It's perfect."

On the third day, he kept his distance, watching from a corner. She pretended not to notice him, yet her gaze occasionally would creep in his direction. It took all his willpower to remain at his table and not speak. Especially when she tossed him a wink on the way out.

The fourth day revealed how beautiful she looked in the rain.

Entering the café without an umbrella and drenched from the downpour, she had paused in the doorway to dry off. The view offered was nothing short of stunning, and a visceral tug, with its end firmly corded from somewhere deep at his center, had taken him straight out of his chair and over to her. He offered his jacket as they talked, and she left wearing it, humming a happy little tune as she went.

On the fifth and sixth day, there had been work to do. Using his frustration over not seeing her, he had given his boss more bang for the buck, making everyone involved happy.

And today was his last day. He had to get this right. He could miss his flight and stay, but the consequences would be dire, so this was it.

The entrance bell jingled.

She entered, her gaze landing on him sitting at the corner table. He held up the coffee already purchased, having memorized her order since day one. Iced white mocha with vanilla crème and caramel drizzled on top.

Approaching slowly, her gaze nervously darted around the room. "Is that for me?"

"It is." He nodded at the empty chair next to him. "Today is my last day in town, and I was hoping you would join me."

Taking the coffee, she sat and shifted the chair to place her back to the wall. "Your last day, huh?"

"Actually, it's," he checked his watch, "the last hour before my flight."

That nervousness in her eyes calmed slightly, and she scanned his travel attire. On rare occasions, he came across people who had a problem with it, but judging by the blush tinting her cheeks, that didn't seem to be the case here.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere I want to be."

"Where do you want to be?"

The stretch in his facial muscles felt foreign. A smile. Something he hadn't done in forever. It was no surprise she would be the one to drag one out of him.

"I'm happy where I am." He leaned forward to drive his point home. "In this coffee shop. At this moment. With you."

"With me." She took her time gauging his words. A survivalist, this woman had tasted trauma somewhere in life and had come out the other side not quite whole. "I see."

"Is that a problem?"

Her lips twitched, but the happiness building faded before becoming something breathtaking. "Things are…complicated."

Complicated.

Just like her coffee order.

His smile deepened. "How so?"

"My family is something of a nightmare."

Relieved, he reclined in the stiff café chair. Another man in her life would have been an issue. One that could be solved easily enough. But a problematic family?

Easy.

"Things in my world are complicated, too." There was no need to elaborate. The signs of his occupation covered him from head to toe. "Work keeps me busy."

Staring down at the coffee cradled in her palms, she nodded. "But it won't last forever?"

"Two more years," he confirmed. "That's all I owe them."

"Then what will you do?"

"I don't know," he replied, feeling that tug at his center again. "That's for you to decide."