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last words. He wanted to kiss her again—for starters. What else did he have in mind? Did she want the same thing?
    He opened the door to his truck and she hopped in, tucking her skirt around her legs and fastening her seatbelt. They were going back to her place. And she’d have to decide whether to leave him at the door or invite him in. She knew what she wanted. She just didn’t know if it was the smart move.
    Brett eased the truck out of the garage and back on to the street. With the radio playing softly in the background, she gave him directions, and soon they were heading north. It would only take a few minutes to reach her apartment. Minutes that seemed to go by so fast and yet so slowly.
    â€œTake a left at the next set of lights,” she instructed softly, her hands fidgeting in her lap. Brett was not interested in a serious relationship. She knew that. She was looking for something permanent…eventually. But maybe not yet. She’d done a crap load of thinking over the course of the week and she’d realized it wasn’t fair to pin a prospective-husband tag on someone after a date, or even two. Why couldn’t they just be in the moment and see where it led? Didn’t that make more sense?
    â€œTurn right, and it’s the second building on the right,” she advised. As he turned the truck into the small lot, she pointed at a few vacant spaces. “That’s visitor parking.”
    He pulled into the spot and put the truck in park, then killed the engine. When she would have reached for the door handle, he put his hand on her left arm.
    â€œWait,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “I’ll get it.”
    With her stomach in knots, Melly waited as Brett hopped out and went around the hood of the truck to open her door. He held out his hand and she took it. She got out gingerly and reached back for her clutch.
    â€œNo big handbag tonight, huh?”
    â€œNot tonight,” she said, a little bit breathless as she faced forward again and found herself close to his broad chest.
    They started walking to the door of the building, and Melly’s nervousness ratcheted up several notches. Should she say goodnight at the door? Invite him in? If she did, would he make assumptions? Damn it, wasn’t dating supposed to be fun? Instead, she felt as though she were walking through a field of landmines, afraid to take a step unless it was a mistake.
    Brett stopped at the main door and waited. She was glad. He wasn’t assuming anything and that helped. “Thank you for dinner,” she murmured and then ran her tongue over her lips that suddenly seemed dry.
    â€œIt was nice,” he replied and put his hand on her wrist, squeezing lightly. “And nice to spend time with you again.”
    She looked up. The tension sizzled between them, the elemental attraction that she simply couldn’t deny existed. Was it so wrong to want to enjoy it? Maybe the whole narrow-down-the-search thing had been a good idea at the time, but right now she didn’t want to think too far into the future. She wanted to enjoy the here and now. And right here, right now, Brett Harrison was standing in front of her, his fingers circling her wrist, his lips slightly parted and his eyes locked on hers, waiting for her to make the next move.
    â€œNice is an innocuous word,” she said softly. “It was a good date, Brett. And I don’t think I want it to be over yet. Do you want to come up for a nightcap?” He smiled a little and she winced on the inside. Could she have said anything more cliché? It sounded like something a woman would say on one of the soap operas she used to watch after school…
    â€œI’m driving, so a nightcap might not be the best idea.”
    Disappointment and embarrassment rushed through her.
    â€œBut I’d like to come up anyway.”
    Whoosh. There went the embarrassment and back came the nerves. The excited