“What are you doing here?” she squeaked.

“I wanted to see you,” he said simply.

She swallowed. “Why?”

“Because I missed you.”

Her heart did a little flip. She wanted to throw her arms around his strong, corded neck and kiss him, but she forced herself to stay put. She didn’t fully trust this. Didn’t fully trust him. What had changed? A week ago, he’d been telling her he didn’t want to get attached to her, that her goals were too different from his, and now here he was, standing in front of her.

“You drove three hours to tell me you missed me? You could have just picked up the phone, you know,” she said quietly.

“No,” he disagreed. “I couldn’t.”

“Why?” she asked again.

Becker took a step closer. She could see his pulse throbbing in his throat. “Because I need to say this in person, Jane.”

She bit her lower lip. “Say what?”

He moved even closer, his expression tender. “That I’m in love with you.”

Jane’s mouth went dry. “What?”

“You heard me,” he said huskily. “I’ve fallen for you, Jane. And I was a total jerk for ending things the way I did.”

“Yeah, you were,” she agreed.

“I was going to tell you I made a mistake. I realized it the day after.” His features creased with something that resembled guilt. “I came to find you that night, at the hotel. Only when I got there, I saw you and Ryan in the parking lot, and I…”

“You thought I slept with him,” she said flatly.

Shame swam in his eyes. “Yes. I jumped to conclusions. I…” His voice wobbled. “I figured it confirmed what I was thinking all along, that you weren’t my type…you weren’t serious about me.”

Jane let out a shaky breath. “I was serious about you.”

“Past tense?” he said, watching her carefully.

She met his gaze, and the hope and trepidation she saw there sent a rush of warmth flooding through her. “Present tense,” she said softly. “I am serious about you.”

He didn’t speak for a moment, for so long, in fact, that she started to worry. But when he finally opened his mouth, it was worth the wait. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry for comparing you to Alice, for telling you you’re not my type, and most of all, for believing you’d jump into bed with the first warm body you came across.” He stepped forward, one calloused hand reaching out to stroke her cheek. “Can we start over?”

A part of her wanted to scream yes! But she tamped down the eager response, studying Becker’s handsome face. “How will we make a relationship work, Beck? We live in different cities.”

“Three hours away, that’s all,” he said quietly. “And I promise you, I’ll come up here whenever I can. I’ll spend every available second making you happy, Jane.”

Pleasure skittered up her spine. “Wow. You actually sound like you mean that.”

“I do mean it.” He smiled. “We can figure this out as we go along. I’ll do the long-distance thing for as long as we have to. All I know is that I want to be with you. I’ll take whatever I can get.”

“What about the passive housewife you wanted?” she teased.

“Screw passive,” he said fervently. He bent his head close to her ear. “I want aggressive, Jane. I want fiery and bold and honest. I want you.”

And there it was. The three little words that made her melt. The three little words she’d wanted to hear since the moment Becker told her she didn’t fit his blueprint for an ideal woman. Well, screw the blueprint. She’d known all along that she was exactly what he needed. Someone who made him laugh, someone who challenged him and excited him and turned him on. And now he knew it too.

She offered an innocent grin. “Took you long enough to figure it out, huh?”

Amusement danced in his eyes. “So I’m a little slow on the uptake. Don’t rub it in.” He planted his hands on her waist and yanked her toward him. The second their bodies met, a ribbon of heat uncurled inside her body, making her skin burn. “I missed you,” Becker said gruffly, no longer looking amused, but incredibly aroused.

Jane’s eyelids fluttered closed as he leaned in to kiss her. The moment their lips touched, a thrill shot up her spine. “I missed you too,” she whispered against his mouth.

They kissed again, a hurried joining of lips, a dueling of tongues. Jane was breathless when they finally broke apart. Her heart thudded wildly against her ribs, her ni**les tingling, her panties soaked. “For the love of God,” she squeezed out. “Help me pick up all these bags so we can go inside the apartment.”

Becker’s eyes twinkled. “If I help, do you promise we can do naked things?”

She bit back laughter. “Oh, we’ll definitely be doing naked things.”

“Good,” he said, giving a satisfied nod.

And then he helped her gather up the fallen bags, followed her into the apartment, and shut the door behind them.