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Shame flooded her. He'd been fighting to keep drugs off the street and she'd been a classic junkie. They were from two different worlds.
"Don't."
Izzy startled at the whiplash of his voice. "What?"
His gaze burned into hers. "You had a past. You've suffered for it. You're clean now and doing everything you can to stay that way one day at a time. Don't use it as an excuse to push me away."
She almost finished the session. His body heat practically pulled her in, tempting her to close the distance, slide onto his lap, and thrust her fingers into his glorious hair. Kiss his lips and savor the intoxicating taste of cinnamon and hot need. His words threw her off, but underneath was a deeper truth that told her he believed what he'd spoken. He didn't seem to judge or blame her for that night. For choosing the drugs.
But she could never forget.
"Maybe we should take a break," she managed huskily.
He leaned back in the chair, relaxing again. "No need. What else do you need to know?"
Relief loosened her muscles. Question three was easy. "Favorite color?"
He frowned and looked uncomfortable. "I don't want to answer that."
"Why? It's the easiest question on the form."
"I pass."
Oh, this was too intriguing. "You're refusing to tell me your favorite color? Really?"
He blew out an annoyed breath. "Fine. But remember, this stuff is confidential."
"Of course."
"Chartreuse. I like chartreuse." His ears turned a tinge of red, and Izzy was struck by the ridiculousness of the entire situation.
She burst into laughter.
"See? That's why I didn't tell you." But his face had softened, and pleasure shone from his eyes. "God, you're so damn beautiful when you laugh."
Her heart thundered and her palms sweat, and in that moment, she didn't know if she could resist him.
The door flew open.
"I'm here! I'm so sorry, Devine. I hope Izzy was able to make you comfortable while you were waiting."
His gaze never broke from Izzy's. "She took good care of me."
"Excellent." Kate smiled. "Thank you so much, Izzy."
"You're welcome." She stood up on shaky legs and handed her the file. "I made certain notes so you can take it from here. Good to see you, Devine."
His last name stumbled over her tongue, sounding strange. He frowned. "Liam," he said brusquely. "Call me Liam."
She nodded and fled.
Back at the safety of her desk, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, finding her center. It was done. She'd proved she was capable to Kate, and hopefully she wouldn't have to see Liam again. He'd be put through a series of social events or his profile would be run through their matching system to begin setting up dates. He'd find the right one through Kinnections. She knew it.
Izzy focused on work, trying not to check the time to see how long they'd been in there, when Kate finally walked out. Kate's voice rose in the background. "It was good seeing you, Devine. I have the information I need, and I'll be in touch to let you know if, well, if your certain requirements have been met."
"I appreciate it."
Izzy was staring at the computer but felt the exact moment he stood by her desk. His body heat practically lashed at her, urging her to look at him. "Thanks for your time, Isabella."
She shivered but forced herself to meet his gaze. "You're welcome," she said. "I'm sure you'll be very satisfied with Kinnections."
"I'm sure I will be."
The statement sounded like a threat. Kate moved toward them with a thoughtful look, handing Izzy some papers. "Can you file these for me, please?" Kate stood next to Devine and patted him on the shoulder. "Tell Stone I said hello."
"Will do."
Izzy reached over to grab the files from Kate's hand, their fingers brushing.
In a flash, Kate stumbled back with a shocked look on her face, twisted away, and crashed to the floor.
Izzy jumped up and Liam knelt down to reach for Kate's hand. "Kate, are you okay?"
Kate threw her hands up in a frantic gesture and jumped to her feet. "Fine! I'm sorry; I j-j-j-just turned wrong and f-f-f-fell."
"Are you sure?" Izzy asked, trying to approach her.
Her boss glanced back and forth between Izzy and Liam, taking another step back. "Just embarrassed! Really, I'm fine. Umm, bye, Devine."
Her pointed dismissal puzzled Izzy, but Devine just nodded and headed out. "Thanks again, ladies."
He shut the door and the bell overhead tinkled merrily.
Kate stared at his retreating back, cradling her hand as if it were injured. Her face reflected an odd wonder. "You're freaking me out," Izzy said. "Are you sure you're not hurt?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I apologize. I need to talk to you about something important."
"Sure. Tell me what you need."
"I had a very interesting exchange with Devine."
Izzy frowned. "He wasn't happy with the intake I did?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that. Quite the opposite. It seems you charmed him so completely, he decided he doesn't want to join Kinnections until one of his requests is met."
"What request?"
Kate tapped her finger against her lips, pausing for a long moment. A sense of premonition crashed over Izzy, telling her something was about to change. "He said he can't move on with a clear heart until he takes you to dinner."
Her mouth dropped open. "What?"
"Now, normally I wouldn't even consider such a request. But he explained how he thinks about you a lot and wants the opportunity to have some time with you so he can begin his journey for love with a clear-minded focus. Seems he believes one dinner date will give him the time to settle some unresolved feelings toward you. I had no idea you both had met before, Izzy."
She tried to yell but a tiny squeak escaped her lips. She tried again. "That's ridiculous! We had a brief encounter six years ago and haven't seen each other since. I knew him as Liam, not Devine, so I never made the connection. I was going to tell you, Kate, but I felt like I could handle it."
"You did nothing wrong. I'm sorry I put you in that position. And I'm certainly not going to force you to go to dinner with the man if you're not interested." She narrowed her gaze thoughtfully. "Are you interested?"
Izzy groaned and rubbed her temples. "It doesn't matter if I'm interested. We're not meant for each other."
"You sure?"
"Positive. We're two very different people."
"I thought the same exact thing about Slade and me. Until we got to know each other better and realized we were the perfect match."
"I'm not you."
Kate's voice softened. "No, you're not. You have your own journey to complete. Why don't you take some time to think about it? It's just dinner. If you could both close some of those open doors haunting you, maybe this is a good thing."
In that moment, Izzy realized Kate wanted her to go. There was an odd urging in her eyes, as if she was trying to relate how important it was for Izzy to confront her past. If she did this, Liam might realize how they could never work, and embrace what Kate could do for him at Kinnections. Was she being selfish by not agreeing to have a simple dinner?
Nothing was simple, especially a dinner. She'd meant it when she said that to him, because the dynamics between a man and a woman were always complicated.
But she could keep it simple. If she focused and concentrated on proving her point, maybe she could find her own peace.
"Just think about it, Izzy. I have to do some work before my next appointment. Will you be okay?"
She smiled. "Yes, thanks. I'll think about it."
Kate walked down the hall, leaving Izzy to her thoughts and the haunting image of Liam's pale-blue eyes.
chapter six
SHE'D MADE A HUGE MISTAKE.
Izzy paced back and forth and wondered if it was too late to cancel. She tried meeting him at the restaurant, but Liam was insistent that he pick her up. Her original pla
n was to wear something casual and not think too much about it.
Four hours later, every piece of clothing and all shoes had been thrown around her bedroom in a panic. She used to be trendy. Her wardrobe reflected a cool free spirit who owned her sexuality. A bit of a badass, she liked showing off her tats and her piercings and displaying her body.
