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mischievous sparkle lit her eyes.
    “That sounds devastating. I can see how you’d never trust your heart to a man again.”
    “That’s how I felt. I guess that must explain why I’ve never even had a real boyfriend.” Her cheeks colored slightly.
    “That Randy has a lot to answer for. On the other hand, if you’d had a serious boyfriend you might have married him. Then you wouldn’t be sitting here sipping Thai beer with me.” He raised his glass.
    “I guess there’s a good side to everything.” Breeclinked her glass against his and took a sip. Her adorable nose wrinkled. “I don’t drink much, either. I’ve led a very dull life, really.”
    “Perhaps that’s all about to change.”
    Bree’s eyes widened. “Do you think?”
    “I do. I have a funny feeling about it.” He cocked his head and let his gaze drift over her face. Her lips parted slightly, moist, as if they’d like to be kissed.
    Which hopefully they would be in the very near future.
    Bree took a tentative sip of the golden liquid, then blinked as she swallowed it down. “You know what? I’m ready for change. I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines of life. I’m ready to get out and enjoy it more.”
    Their pad thai arrived, steaming and fragrant with basil. They ate in silence for a few moments. Then Gavin decided to head deeper into dangerous territory.
    “I’ve had girlfriends before, but never one that I thought was ‘the one.’”
    “I wonder how it’s different. If you just know a person is the one you’ll spend the rest of your life with.” Her smooth brow wrinkled slightly. “That must be an amazing feeling.”
    “I hear it happens fast.”
    Her brows rose. “Love at first sight?”
    “Something like that. The person just clicks with you.”
    Bree inhaled deeply, which drew his gaze to her bosom. Gavin’s arousal thickened at the sight of her full breasts under the clingy dress.
    She looked up at him, eyes soft. “I hope I’ll find that one day. You know, someone I can feel totally comfortable with.”
    Maybe you already have.
    Gavin tilted his head. “It could be the kind of thing that sneaks up on you as you get to know the person.”
    “You mean like one minute they’re a friend and the next…you can’t keep your hands off them?” She giggled.
    “I’m sure that happens to people all the time.” Her laugh tickled something deep inside him. “Probably just when they least expect it.”
     
    Gavin dropped Bree home and said goodbye with a restrained peck on the cheek. She didn’t invite him in, though she looked as if she wanted to. He wanted to keep things slow and steady, rather than rush in too hot and heavy and possibly scare her off.
    For their next date, he invited her to a jazz concert at the Palace of Fine Arts. For dinner he brought a carefully packed picnic from the gourmet store near his apartment, and a bottle of champagne. Bree, resplendent in a midnight blue dress and sparkly silver earrings, blushed with delight as he spread a blanket under a huge shade tree on the grounds and unpacked the food. The weather was warm and calm.
    “I’ve always wanted to come for a picnic here,” she exclaimed. “It’s got to be one of the most romantic spots in the city.”
    He looked up from the feast he was unpacking. “Tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity.”
    “Look at the way the sunset lights up the lagoon.” The expanse of water shimmered like liquid gold. Around them other couples and groups laughed and dined and took in the beauty of the spring evening. “The city has somany interesting places. You could live here for decades and never visit them all.
    “And what a shame that would be.” Bree unwrapped a lacquer box filled with stuffed grape leaves. “Ooh, one of my favorites. I swear the Kincannons must have Greek ancestry somewhere. We’re all crazy about Greek food.”
    “You fit right in with the architecture then. Or is this Roman?” He glanced up at the heavily ornamented