Melt

"He's okay with the fact that we kissed last year?"

"He is." I smile. "I'm not going to fill him in on what we did tonight. Some things are better kept behind closed doors."

"I agree." He slips his coat back on. "I asked him not to mention to anyone that my family owns Cremza and that I've been helping out there. Gem's fans have been relentless with their attacks on me. I wanted to keep Cremza out of it, so I thought the fewer people who know the better but I'm glad he told you where to find me."

"Me too."

"I need to run, Lark. I have some work at Matiz I have to finish up before the break. I didn't have a chance to get to it this week so I have to clear it off my desk tonight."

I'd offer to tag along and help, but it's an offer he could have made if he wanted to. He didn't so I'm staying put inside my warm apartment. "I understand."

"I'll be busy with family stuff over the next few days. I'll call you on your birthday."

It's a sweet gesture. I want to ask him to stay but he's already got one foot out the door, literally. The door to my apartment is open and his left foot is in the corridor.

"I'd like that," I say quietly.

He reaches into his pocket and tugs something out.

I laugh aloud when I catch sight of it. "You had that in your pocket, Ryker? Why?"

He holds it in the air above my head. It's a small bunch of wilting cilantro. The stems are wrapped in red ribbon and tied in a bow. "I wanted a repeat of last year. This was my guarantee to get it."

"I didn't think you remembered that kiss."

"I'll never forget that kiss." He leans forward and softly brushes his lips over mine. "I let you walk away after I kissed you then. I'm not going to make that same mistake twice."

"Why did you act like it never happened?" I try to form a smile. "For an entire year I thought you completely forgot about it."

He cups my chin in his hand. "You'd barely look at me after that. I thought you regretted it. I knew it could complicate things at work for both of us so I didn't bring it up again."

"What's changed now?" I question, pinning my gaze to his. "What makes this year different than last?"

"I've spent too long trying to run from what I feel for you." His thumb traces a circle on my skin. "I'm tired of running. I want you. I'm not waiting another year to make sure you know it."

"What about Gem?" I blurt out the question without considering how it tarnishes the moment.

"What about the guy from the deli? I couldn't order one of my favorite sandwiches for months because I couldn't stand the sight of him. I knew you were kissing him, touching him. I knew he was important to you."

I take a step back. "He's nothing to me. It was a fling. He was a distraction."

"Gem was the same." He closes the distance between us. "They're both in the past. They need to stay there."

"I agree." I scrub my hand over my face.

"You want to talk about Gem and why I was with her, don't you? You want me to explain why I started anything with her when I'd just kissed you? Is that what you want, Lark?"

It is. I want all of that. I want him to tell me why tonight couldn't have happened a year ago. I want to know why I wasted so many nights with Dale while I constantly thought about him with Gem.

"Was my kiss not enough?" I ask sheepishly.

"It was too much." He presses his lips to my temple. "I was confused by it, terrified as fuck. I wanted the job more than anything back then and your brother was scary as hell when I first started at Matiz. I knew if I pursued you, it would potentially complicate my position and work has always been everything to me. I found Gem and tried to forget our kiss."

"Would you take Gem back if she came here for you?"

"Never." He closes his eyes. "I left her for good, Lark. That woman is nothing to me. Don't let her ruin tonight."

"She left you," I correct him. "I might be a rebound. Am I a rebound?"