Chapter Four

Kiera and Mikael left the station side by side.

She felt better about filing the complaint. The police reassured her that they would do anything they could to find the men who harassed her. Mikael was a good witness and the great part was that he remembered some of the men's faces. Two portraits were made. It was good progress.

"I can't thank you enough," she began, "Thank you for taking the time to help me with this."

"I'm happy to help," he said, flashing her his bright smile, "and please, do not hesitate to contact me again."

"I won't," she replied, blushing. Spending the day with him had made her heart grow fonder. Yes, she was aware that she had only met him the previous night and that falling in love with a stranger had its complications but she couldn't stop. She felt strongly toward him and perhaps it was because he saved her when she needed it most but also because he showed up at the most opportune moment. She wasn't with Jared anymore and she was looking for someone to spend some time with. Have some fun. Mikael seemed like a nice and fun guy.

The problem was that she wasn't quite sure if he was interested in her. It was too soon to tell. Sometimes, in the station, she'd turn to him and catch him staring at her in an intense manner that made her skin break in goosebumps but not in a good way. And then he'd smile and the uneasiness would pass. Perhaps he was just being nice to her and she was misunderstanding the whole thing.

Maybe he was already seeing someone. Why would a man like him be single?

Kiera blinked and put an abrupt stop to her thoughts. He was watching her carefully and she didn't want him to see any trace of her feelings toward him on her face. It would be far too embarrassing. They had only met the previous day for a few minutes. She had no right feeling the way she felt.

He couldn't be blamed for her neediness.

She cleared her throat and said, "Well, I guess I should get going. I've taken enough of your time." She didn't want to part with him because she didn't know when else she'd be able to see him. Perhaps if the police found some leads. But that wasn't encouraging because that could take months. They told them that.

Mikael said, "I was going to grab some lunch before I went to the office. Would you join me? We spent quite some time in the station. You must be hungry."

She had to force herself not to smile. She wouldn't dream of turning down his invitation. "Very."

She followed him to his car and he opened the door for her. She flashed him a small smile before settling into the driver's seat. She couldn't help but notice how divine the interior of the car smelled. New leather and him. He had a musky scent that was tantalizingly masculine. It made her head dizzy, breathing all of him in.

She set her teeth on edge before he entered the car. What are you doing? she asked herself.

He turned to her and asked, "Any recommendations?"

Kiera couldn't help but blush. He made her feel like a pre-schooler. "No, I don't usually eat out. I went to a restaurant a few months ago with someone but it's far from here."

"So you won't mind if I make the decision?"

"No," she assured him. She hated how high the pitch of her voice was but there was no way of taking back what she said. "I wouldn't mind at all."

They talked the whole way there. It was small, generic talk. Nothing too personal. She still didn't know if he was taken but she assumed he wasn't. Would he have offered to take her out to lunch if he had someone? She isn't sure. Jared would most certainly ask a stranger out to lunch but she didn't like comparing Mikael to the man who broke her heart mercilessly. It didn't sit right with her. She couldn't let Jared ruin everything for her.

She couldn't permit him to control her life.

He parked outside a fancy-looking place. She had never heard the name. She hadn't lied to him when she told him that she didn't usually eat out. Simone normally had lunch and dinner ready on time and she was an excellent cook. She went out occasionally with Jared but the food at the places he took her wasn't as great as the food she ate at home, so they usually had dinner at her house and then went someplace else for fun. A bar, a hotel. It didn't matter.

"I come here occasionally," he said to her as they neared the entrance. "I think you'll like the food."

Kiera smiled at him as he held the door open for her. A glance around showed her that the interior was just as fancy as the exterior with the chandeliers and the wooden floors. She was glad she chose to wear black dress pants and a fitted blazer because otherwise she would've been underdressed.

"I have a reservation under the name Samson," he said to the man, who searched the pages before him.

"Yes," he finally said, "right this way."

"You made a reservation?" she couldn't help but ask. It made her curious. Was he going to have lunch with someone else before he decided to invite her? Why did it even matter to her? She didn't know.

"Yes," he answered, "I had a feeling that you'd call me today."

Her eyes widened. "And if I hadn't?"

His answer put her at ease and gave her the confirmation that there was more to what they were doing than simple courtesy. "Then I would've canceled the reservation."

The man escorted them to their seats and informed them that he would send someone over with the menu briefly. She sat across from him and put her bag on the floor beside her chair.

When she looked up, he was already watching her.

"Kiera," he said. Her name sounded foreign tumbling from his lips. She didn't know why. "Have you told your family about the incident? I bet they were worried."

"I..." she trailed off, unsure of how to continue. "I would say that I don't have a family but I don't want to discard Simone and her son, Kane. Wait, I'm sorry. I'm sure this isn't making any sense to you. My mother died when I was little and my father died not too long ago. I don't have any siblings, I was the only child they had. I never met any of their relatives and I'm sure to you that's insane, but it's the truth. My parents were children of people who also had no siblings. So now everyone is dead and it's just me. Well, there's Simone, and she's our housemaid but she's also the closest person I've ever had to a mother. And her son is like a brother to me. And to answer your question, yes, they were worried."

Mikael was staring at her with a crease between his brows and her cheeks flamed up. She went on for too long. It was the reason why she didn't want to touch on the family topic. She was the only Rogers left, as Simone liked to say.

"I'm sorry," she said after a painful second. The waitress approached their table and introduced herself warmly, so she couldn't say more to him. Only Kiera made an effort to answer the woman's questions. She was afraid of looking at Mikael. She didn't know what she'd find staring back at her.

When the waitress, Ana, left, she turned to him and opened her mouth to speak but he interrupted her. "You don't have to apologize to me, Kiera. I'm sorry for giving you the wrong impression. I was just trying to internalize what you said."

She felt a lot better but she made a mental note not to talk about her family again. "What about you? Is your family bigger than mine, at least?"

His eyes hardened then. He put his hands together and stared at the salt and pepper shakers between them. "No, it isn't bigger than yours. I'm the only one left."

"Oh," she said. The atmosphere got heavy somehow. She found herself tongue-tied. "I'm sorry about that, Mikael. I can tell that this is a painful topic for you."

"It is," he agreed. Something shone in his eyes then, something indescribable. "Maybe someday I'll be able to tell you the full story. And then you'll know everything."

Kiera offered him a small smile. The fact that he said he might tell her the full story someday was a clear indication that he planned on sticking around and nothing made her more content. She soon put the awkward conversation behind her and was looking forward to their lunch.

"So what do you do for a living?" she asked, picking up her glass of white wine. His recommendation.

"I'm in real estate," he answered. "I also manage a car dealership. The car dealership was a family business."

"I see," she said.

"What about you?"

"Oh, I'm just an editor. And a bad one at that. I'm behind on a whole bunch of work. I need to get things done before December or I'll lose my job." She realized far too late that she, once again, gave away too much too soon. He seemed like an organized man so telling him that she was the complete opposite of him probably wasn't a good enough strategy.

"Sorry," she said, putting her glass down, "I didn't mean to say it like that. It's not as bad as it seems."

"Don't apologize for being real with me, Kiera," he said, picking up his glass and eyeing her over the rim of it. "I like that about you. It's refreshing."

She ordered a seafood dish and he had a steak with baby potatoes and rosemary. The food was divine. She was having a marvelous time with him. The bumpy start from the beginning of their conversation was forgotten. She told him about her childhood and how, as an adult, she felt it was pretty strange. "I mean, I just think that there are certain parts of it that made no sense. Like there were parts of my house—the one I inherited—that I couldn't be in. I wasn't allowed to. And even now I feel I can't go. Maybe it was because my father was a collector and he had pretty valuable things in those parts, but it was still weird to me."

"Your father was a collector?" he asked. "What did he collect?"

"Lots of things," she said, dipping her spoon into her chocolate mousse. "Artefacts and manuscripts. Some statues. I inherited everything but I don't have it in me to go through his things."

"You should," he commented. "You never know what you might find. It might also help you understand him better."

Kiera frowned. "Why do you say that?" She couldn't recall mentioning that to him. She didn't understand her father, that was true, but she hadn't told Mikael that.

"It's just a feeling I got," he said. "I apologize if I was out of line with that comment. It's just something that occurred to me."

"You don't have to apologize," she said, but the odd feeling didn't leave her. And it was still with her when he dropped her off in front of her house.

She wished she could understand what it was.

"Thank you, Kiera," he said, turning in his seat to face her. "I had an amazing time this afternoon. You're an interesting person."

She blushed. Nobody had ever called her interesting before. Jared always told her that she needed to lighten up a little. "Thank you. I had an amazing time, too."

Mikael searched her face and she wondered what he saw when he looked at her. Slowly, he said, "I'd like to see you again, Kiera."

"Me too," she said, then shook her head. "I mean, I'd like to see you, too."

"I'll be busy the rest of the week, but we could do Saturday. Are you free on Saturday?"

"I am," she replied without thinking. She would have to be free. She'd cancel all plans. Oh, who was she kidding? She didn't have anywhere to go.

"Alright," he said. His smile lit up her soul. Warmth spread to the tips of her toes. "I'll call you. Is that alright with you?"

"It is," she said.

Kiera got out of the car and walked toward her gate. She opened it and looked back only one to wave at him. He lifted his hand and waved back. She forgot how to walk. She tripped near the front door and almost fell flat on her face. But when she turned around to see if he was still there, he was gone.

Saturday. She couldn't wait.