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have an affair. But only an affair.
    She couldn’t stop the words that spilled from her. “You want an affair?”
    He looked from Kara to Stacy. “Sweetie, why don’t you go wash your hands for breakfast?”
    Stacy sighed, but she slid off her chair.
    The minute she was gone, Gabe said, “You can’t read anything into my explanation to a four-year-old.”
    â€œSo you didn’t mean what you said?”
    He rubbed his hand along his nape. “Which part?”
    â€œThe part about us only being boyfriend and girlfriend.”
    â€œKara, you’ve been my assistant for a whole year. Now suddenly you’re this beautiful, tempting woman and I—”
    â€œYou what? Want to sleep with me but don’t want anything permanent?”
    â€œIt’s a little soon to talk about something permanent.”
    All right. She’d give him that. “What about serious?”
    â€œWhat about serious?” He ran his hand along his neck again. “I’m not going to lie. Even serious scares me. I never want to get into another situation like I had with my ex-wife.”
    Her heart dipped. “You believe I would run out on you?”
    He didn’t say anything but the answer was written on his face. He didn’t trust her. After an entire year of being the most loyal assistant in the world, he didn’t trust her.
    â€œI’ve shown you myself, my real self, for an entire year. This week I told you my secrets. And you still don’t trust me?”
    â€œI don’t trust the system.”
    â€œWhat system?”
    â€œMarriage and promises. They’ve never worked for me.”
    â€œThey’ve never worked for me! My God, my mum wouldn’t even feed me, yet I trust you.”
    â€œI’m sorry. I just can’t trust. And if you decide to be with me, that’s something you’re going to have to accept as part of the deal.”
    â€œYou think this is a deal?”
    â€œYou think this isn’t?”
    She glanced around wildly, her poor unloved heart knotting in her chest. He thought of their relationship as a business deal? And why not? That’s how he looked at everything.
    â€œYou know what? I’m going home.”

Chapter Eight
    The sound of the front door closing barely registered in Gabe’s confused mind. By the time it had, he’d raced to the entryway but the taxi in front of his house was already driving off.
    Holding the Mother’s Day card his daughter had made for Kara, he backed away from the front door slowly. His heart jackhammered in his chest. His pulse thumped. His brain overloaded.
    In a few days, Kara had gone from being his assistant to being a woman—a very attractive woman he was interested in romantically. They’d shared three kisses. They’d also bonded on a level that took them beyond friends. But was it enough to consider something serious? To bring her into Stacy’s life on a regular basis? To allow his little girl to grow attached to her? To let himself grow attached to her?
    Just the thought sent fear skittering down his spine. He’d been burned. When his ex had left him and Stacy, he’d walked around his house like a zombie for three weeks before he’d pulled himself together. After that, he’d vowed to protect himself from that ever happening again. And Kara believed a few kisses changed all that?
    He headed to the kitchen. “Stacy! Let’s get our bathing suits on. Maybe we can find the triplets.”
    They left the beach house ten minutes later. The McKenzies weren’t anywhere in sight, so he and Stacy began building a sandcastle. But every time he went for water to fill the bucket, he remembered how this had been Kara’s first ever trip to the ocean. Remembered the laughter in her eyes and the excitement in her voice.
    He squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t be missing her already. It hadn’t even been an hour. And they