I thought I’d fly by the seat of my pants for a change.

The only question left was just how far she was willing to take that.

Thirty-four

THE NEXT MORNING, Kyle sat at his desk at the downtown office of Rhodes Network Consulting, staring distractedly out the window at the view of the Chicago river.

When his cell phone rang, he blinked and quickly checked the caller ID, quelling a pang of disappointment when he saw that it was Sean.

He answered, and the two of them discussed the following week’s itinerary. Monday was the official start date for all company employees, which currently included Sean, Gil and Troy, two administrative assistants, and a receptionist. Judging from the volume of calls Kyle had already received since the Twitter announcement, however, he doubted they’d be able to operate for long with a six-person team—especially once the Time article came out.

As his father had said last night, from a professional perspective he had indeed turned his life around. And he was proud of those accomplishments. But they did little to ease the dull, empty ache he’d felt since leaving Rylann’s apartment.

He’d pushed her, and in the end he’d gotten the answers he’d needed. Just not the answers he’d wanted.

When his business line rang, another potential client wanting to set up a consultation, he forced himself to stay focused on work. Shortly after he finished the call, his cell phone buzzed with a new text message.

From Rylann.

AT SOME POINT, DIMPLES, DO YOU PLAN TO HAVE ANY ACTUAL CONSULTANTS AT RHODES NETWORK CONSULTING?

It took Kyle a half second, then he got up from his desk. He walked out of his office, going past the empty cubicles and workstations, and turned into the reception area.

Standing there, waiting at the front desk and looking very businesslike in her trench coat and heels, was Rylann.

“I hope you take walk-in appointments,” she said with a smile.

Hmm.

Kyle knew that smile well by now. But Prosecutrix Pierce would not find him so easily charmed this time. She could throw around all her wiles and quips, and flaunt whatever sexy skirt suit she had on underneath that trench coat of hers, and he would remain decidedly immune to all of it.

“How did you find me?” he asked.

“I went to the website for Rhodes Network Consulting and looked up the address,” she said matter-of-factly. “You’d mentioned that you were planning to get a jump on things at the office today.”

He remembered that now; he’d said something about it on Wednesday night, during the limo ride down to Champaign. “How’s your ex?” he asked dryly.

Rylann shrugged. “Okay, I guess. All things considered. He’s currently on a plane back to Rome, trying to decide what he wants to do with his life.” She looked him over. “You look tired.”

“I didn’t sleep well last night.”

She nodded, then shifted awkwardly. “Do you think we could go to your office and talk? I feel strange standing here by the reception desk.”

Kyle paused, thinking about that, then gestured behind him. “Follow me.”

They said nothing as they walked back to his office—probably the longest the two of them had ever gone without speaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her checking everything out.

“The place looks great,” she said when they got to his office. “How much did you have to change before moving in?”

He leaned against his desk and shoved his hands in his pockets, not exactly in the mood to make idle chitchat. “Why did you come here, Rylann?”

She reached into the pocket of her trench coat and pulled something out. “To give you this.”

When Kyle saw that it was his watch, his heart sank. And here he’d been hoping…well, obviously it didn’t matter now.

“You forgot it, again, when you left my apartment yesterday morning,” she said.

Kyle took the watch from her and slid it onto his wrist. “Thanks for returning it.”

She held his gaze meaningfully. “And I also came here to tell you that you’re wrong.” She stepped closer. “I do want to be with you, Kyle. More than anything.”

He remained motionless. “I’m waiting for the ‘but.’ “

She shook her head. “No ‘but’ this time. I’m in, all the way.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to tell Cameron about us this afternoon.”

In so many ways that was exactly what Kyle had wanted to hear. But he remembered her hesitation yesterday all too clearly. “Rylann, I’m crazy about you—you know that.” He held her gaze, laying it on the line. “But if we do this, I worry that one day you’ll regret it. And that would kill me.”

“I won’t regret it,” she said. “I promise.”

“You say that now, but what about later?”

Suddenly, to his utter surprise, tears sprang to her eyes.

“I will never, ever regret stopping you from walking out of my life a second time, Kyle,” she said in an emotional voice. “And I can prove it.” She reached for the buttons on her trench coat and undid them, one at a time. Then she opened the coat and let it drop to the floor.

And even if she didn’t say a single word more, Kyle knew he would never again doubt the way Rylann felt about him.

She was wearing his flannel shirt.

“You kept it,” he said softly. “All this time.”

She nodded. “For nine years, I’ve held on to this darn shirt, literally dragging it across the country and back.”