My Love at Last by Donna Hill

embrace. “Slam the door and it will lock behind you,” she said, and stepped out into the pleasantly warm night.
    Connor opened the car door for her, then came around to the driver’s side while humming an offbeat tune.
    The interior of the Mercedes held his scent, which swirled around Olivia, fogging her clarity. She felt for the first few moments when the door closed that she’d been injected with an aromatic aphrodisiac. To offset her sense of almost weightlessness she forced her attention to routine: fasten seat belt, check lock on door, lay purse on lap.
    “Hope you enjoy live music,” Connor said, entering the safe space of her self-imposed sanctuary of banal activity.
    “Most of the time,” she said in a teasing tone, clearly referring to his attempt at humming.
    He gave her a quick look. “Don’t worry, I have no plans to quit my day job.”
    The tight line of tension in the center of her chest snapped with her laughter. “Good to know.”
    “I’m pained,
cher
,” he said, slipping easily into his Louisiana vernacular, the barely there twang only adding to his sensual appeal.
    Olivia instinctively reached for his arm in a conciliatory gesture.
Bad move.
Her fingertips tingled above the tight ropes of his forearm. He flashed her a half grin. “Many are called, few are chosen, somebody important once said,” she murmured.
    “Killing me with kindness will get you kissed,” he said, his voice low and sandpaper rough. He slid his gaze toward her, then back to the road.
    Olivia tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth and slowly removed her hand from his arm.
    Connor reached forward to the lit dash and pressed the screen. Something bluesy filled the air.
    Olivia linked her fingers together. “So… what kind of music?”
    “Local band. Heard they were pretty good. Little jazz, little blues. They have a soloist, and the food is great. I think you’ll like it for a small seaside town.”
    “You say that as if you think I’m slumming or something.”
    He cut her a look. “Not at all. Simple observation.” His fingers caressed the steering wheel. “Are you always so defensive?”
    Olivia sat up straighter. Her fingers tightened around her purse. “I’m not defensive. I don’t see how you could come to that conclusion. I was simply… ” She felt his laughter more than she heard it, and then she heard herself, the echo of her defense bouncing around in her brain. She snapped her head toward him and caught the smirk wavering around his lips. She lowered her head and began to laugh. “I do sound a little on edge and full of myself,” she ruefully admitted.
    “If you say so,” he teased. He made a right turn that led to the main road heading into town.
    Olivia began to relax.
    “Why do you think that is?” he asked.
    “What?”
    “Why you throw up guards and raise the bridge to the moat.”
    Olivia sputtered a laugh. “A moat? Really?”
    “Bad analogy, but you get what I mean. No offense,” he quickly added, his voice laced with humor.
    “None taken.”
    “So… ” He slowed the car, then turned into the parking lot reserved for the customers of Misty’s
.
    “Old habits,” she quietly confessed.
    Connor put the car in Park, turned to look at her. “I know all about that.” His light-filled eyes glided across her face. He unsnapped his belt and then hers. He placed the tip of his finger beneath her chin. “How about we start some new habits.”
    She swallowed.
    Connor slowly moved toward her until the world disappeared and the sweet heat of his mouth touched down on her, and there was nothing she could do to hold back the moan that rose from the center of her being. He gently sucked on her bottom lip before turning away and getting out of the car in a single movement.
    Olivia’s heart banged in her chest. The heat in her head was so intense that it rushed downward and flowed through her limbs.
    Connor pulled her door open, extended his hand and helped her to her feet. He pushed the