Page 54 of Resolute

He steps toward me—slow, deliberate—and my insides catch fire. Right now, I feel like a little lamb about to be devoured by the big bad wolf.

“How’s Ava this morning? Did you both have a good night?” he asks, worry evident in his eyes.

This man—how can he stake a claim on mycoreand myheartat the same time?

“Umm, good. She’s definitely much better this morning. Thank you for asking,” I stammer, unsure how to react to his attention. “I’ll be right back.”

He gives me the slightest nod, and I power walk to the break room, praying no one is there to ask me anything about yesterday.

As I start preparing his coffee and plating a fresh batch of cookies, I wonder if the pull between us is still there—and if he’ll do something about it.

We won’t have wandering eyes on us, that’s for sure.

But even if he does do something today… would I want him to?

Gosh, I haven’t kissed a man in so long, let alone dated.

I would be the biggest liar on the planet if I didn’t admit to myself how many feelings he has awakened in me.

I guess I’ll just wait and see what he does—before panicking about something that hasn’t happened yet.

“Camila, I was hoping you could cancel all my appointments regarding new ventures and new investments,” he says after taking the first sip of his coffee.

I keep my face neutral as I type on my tablet, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what’s going on. It’s like he did a 180 from one day to the next.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Godoy.” I clear my throat when I catch my mistake. “Vicente.”

I smile, and he watches me intently as takes a bite of his cookie.

“I know it’s not my place to question your decisions, but the last twenty-four hours have me very confused,” I admit.

He studies me for a beat, then grabs a napkin and cleans a few stray crumbs from his face—and damn, the man has me wanting to be a napkin for crying out loud.

“It’s fine to be curious, Camila. Actually, your input helped me open my eyes while I was in Chile.”

This time I can’t help the way my eyebrows shoot up, and he rewards me with a deep chuckle. The sound hits me square in the chest like a shot of adrenaline, waking up a side of me that hasn’t felt alive in forever.

“How so?” I ask, shifting in my seat trying to help ease the ache in my core.

“Well, I heard the voicemail you sent me, and it was just what I needed to hear.” He takes another sip of his coffee as he looks at me.

His gaze has me enraptured. He’s a mystery I want to discover.

“Let’s just say I had a very enlightening conversation with the employees at the vineyard. I finally saw a plan take shape—one that will take Hacienda Carmen to the next level.”

His excitement is contagious.

He leans closer to me, and a tingling sensation travels down my spine.

Is he going to kiss me?

Instead, he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.

To avoid looking awkward, I brush a cookie crumb from his lip—they’re smooth, soft, and I can’t help but wish I had the nerve to kiss him right now.

We stare at each other for a few beats before I shake my head and clear my throat.

“Well, I’m glad I was of service,” I say, double-tapping my tablet to wake it up. “So, I guess all this talk about not having meetings with new investors has to do with the fact that you’re moving to Chile?”

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