"I..." Eve bit her lip, and the words tasted as bitter as citric acid on her tongue. But too often in her life, she had been too cowardly to ask specific questions or clarify things, and ... in the end, she had deeply regretted it.

She knew things could only end badly with them, and he certainly knew that, too. Even if it was just a temporary fling for him, it wasn't easy for her: she was a young mother with a son.

If she fell head over heels in love, she'd stuff tons of ice cream down her throat and cry when the cottage eventually left, and she would fall back into her loneliness hole. It was better to lay the facts on the table and save herself the heartbreak now, as long as it didn't hit her THAT hard. So Eve cleared her throat and started again:

"Listen, I ... I'm not good at loosey-goosey stuff like this ..."

"Loose stuff?" Ray's brow furrowed. Suddenly, the expression around his lips seemed less amused.

Eve nodded. "I'm not the type for ... well, casual flings."

Oh boy, he must think she's a prudish, dull, uptight little fool. Anyway, she felt pretty stupid at the moment. Ray's intent and strange gaze made her feel even more insecure. "You know ... I have a child and am a single parent," she continued.

Ray looked at her, and this time, he nodded.

"I'm well aware of that," he replied dryly.

"Yes, of course," Eve would have been stepping from one foot to the other if Ray hadn't continued to hold her. "What I'm saying is," Why was that so damn difficult? "... I'm not looking for an affair or a lover."

Ray just looked at her silently for a few seconds, during which her heart beat restlessly in her chest. "The night was beautiful," she babbled on, not quite knowing how to put the chaos into a meaningful sequence of words to express what was going on inside her. "But know me too well, I'd definitely fall in love with you if it went on ... well, like this." Eve laughed nervously. "And we both don't want that, do we?"

One of Ray's eyebrows raised, forming a curious expression.

"We don't?"

Now, Eve's smile slipped even more than before. Her fingers involuntarily fiddled with the collar of his jacket, only to straighten it a little when she caught herself doing so.

Then she tapped him stiffly on the chest with the flat of her hand.

"Ha ha, no, of course not." Her laugh couldn't have sounded more fake. "I mean, you'll be leaving again soon, and ..." Eve pressed her lips together. It felt like she was finally scratching at the boulder in her stomach, "Well ... and I don't like sharing either, so ..."

"Sharing?"

"Um... You and Sally ..."

"Sally?" Ryker asked now, looking at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Yeah, I mean ... I kind of get it."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's okay. After all, she's very pretty and all," she babbled on unabated. She would have liked to bite her tongue at those words.

"Eve!" Ray let go of her, only to put his hands on her upper arms instead. "Wow-wow-wow—now wait a minute!"

Eve blinked at him, and Ray shook his head. He held her shoulders tightly so she could look at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

What she was talking about?

Eve's brow furrowed.

"Well ... I saw her take you to the café..."Eve searched for the right words. 'Touched you? Undressed you with her eyes?' "... flirted with you, and..."

At that moment, Ryker suddenly let out a choppy laugh before releasing one hand from her shoulder to grip her chin so she could look him straight.
"Eve, nothing is going on between Sally and me."

What?

"Oh... there is not?"

Ryker let out another snort accompanied by a chuckle and shook his head slightly as if to reassure Eve of the answer visually.
"No. For heaven's sake ... do you really think I could touch that woman after what she did to you? With your bakery and yesterday?« He almost sounded offended by the way he said it. "I told you, a beautiful exterior has no value if that stupid golden apple is utterly rotten on the inside."

Eve swallowed dryly. So she had been wrong all along?

"Oh..."

Oh God.

He probably thought she was completely stupid now. And jealous! If she was honest ... that was true. Damn! Her chest suddenly felt even tighter, and Eve wanted to sink into the floor.

Instinctively, she tried to avoid his gaze and lower her chin - but Ray tightened his grip with his thumb and forefinger and firmly prevented her from doing so.

"Sally means nothing to me. And I'm not looking for an affair, Eve."

It took a few heartbeats for the words to seep into her head. Slowly, more like honey than water. Then Eve's eyes widened, and she couldn't believe he really meant ...

"N-not?" she stammered hoarsely.

Ray's chest vibrated with laughter as he leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers. "No," he whispered against her lips, and Eve felt his warm breath. She could almost taste the sweet maple syrup and coffee on her tongue.

"And I'm not sharing either." Ray searched her gaze, and his eyes seemed a shade darker than before.

His scent enveloped her like a blanket, and his proximity seemed to clog any clear thought like the syrup he loved so much. It took her a few seconds to understand what ... or rather, who he meant.

"Jonathan?" she breathed and saw his jaw tighten.

"Do you have feelings for him?"

Eve's mouth fell open slightly as the scales fell from her eyes.

Ray was jealous.

Of Doctor Taylor.

Because of her.

While something inside her suddenly somersaulted, and a whole meadow of butterflies overtook her stomach, she was absolutely stunned for a few seemingly endless seconds. For far too long, she had been told how imperfect she was, how many faults and shortcomings she had, and that she wasn't enough.

And now this well-built, hot god of a man wanted to be jealous? Because, and she understood this even less, another guy might be interested in her?

Granted, the town doctor was hot and attractive. But he wasn't like Ray. He didn't pull the rug out from under her feet, hold her when she was feeling down, or make her smile.

Not long ago, she had prayed a straightforward mantra:

Everything will be different.

You are good enough just how you are and will be fine on your own.

All you need in your life is Liam.

You don't need a doctor; you don't need a craftsman.

You don't need a man.

But now?

Eve felt all these resolutions collapsing like a sandcastle under a rising tide.

Who was she kidding?

YES, she didn't need a man.

But ... she wanted one.

And a very specific one.

"Jonathan and I... there's nothing," she whispered against his lips, and a soft smile played around the corners of her mouth. "In fact... dark-haired craftsmen are more my type."

"That's a good point," Ray replied. Only now did she realize that he had been tensing his shoulders continuously—suddenly, they sank lower, and the tension left his muscles, only to tighten them again immediately afterward. "Because you happen to be exactly my type, Eve..."

Eve's heart stuttered and stumbled with the next beat. Before she could say more, Ray kissed her, bridging the distance.

The kiss was so tender it hurt her soul because she felt like she'd never been kissed like that before. It was as if she was unimaginably precious to him, and he would never allow anything bad to happen to her, let alone anyone to hurt her.

When she met his tongue with hers, and his fingers buried themselves in the waves of her hair, it seemed as if she had been waiting her whole life for this moment. As he pulled her against him this time, all restraint and doubt seemed to burn to ashes in the hot fire.

Eve threw herself at him and felt her body nestle against his far too flawlessly. Holy shit. She no longer felt like an ugly fat duckling in his arms but like Cinderella, floating across the dance floor at the ball.

A switch seemed to flip inside her. It was like a "click," and everything was simply different from one moment to the next, although she couldn't define what was so different. For the first time, she felt ... complete. At that moment, Eve was sure that everything would change for the better from now on.

She couldn't have been more wrong.