I reluctantly ended the call after Richie’s phone had rung a couple of times. I didn’t even know why I bothered calling. Wait. Yes I do. I missed him.

I had only been in Texas for three days, but I missed my friend. Of course, I also missed Tara and Rhys, but I missed Richie the most. That disturbed me a bit. I never was one to be homesick, and the fact that I had finally reunited with Kyle should have been enough to make me forget about home. It wasn’t.

Butterflies invaded my stomach during the entire plane ride from Virginia to Austin, Texas. I’m sure I must have looked like I could hurl at any given moment to the older woman seated next to me on the plane, but I was just super excited. I couldn’t wait to see Kyle! My anticipation for reconnecting with my man was so great, I could not sit still. Then, when the plane landed, I departed from the large aircraft with rubbery legs that shook with nerves. He was just a few hundred feet away, and I could not wait to lay my eyes on him.

Well, unfortunately I had to wait a little longer. I rushed through baggage claim thinking he would be waiting nearby to collect me. Kyle wasn’t there, though. I thought perhaps he had gotten lost in the huge crowd that filled the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. I whipped out my cell phone and called him, but he didn’t answer. Where in the world was he?

After about twenty minutes of waiting in one of the airport’s many food stalls, Kyle called me back. He said he had gotten stuck in traffic. Relieved, I took a deep breath and smiled. He didn’t forget about me after all.

Thirty minutes later, I was safely tucked into the passenger seat of Kyle’s brand new Optima hybrid. I had no idea he had purchased a new car; I assumed he would pick me up in a rental or his old Kia Spectra. I assumed wrong. It didn’t matter. I was with Kyle.

Looking back, I should have known something was up from the moment we laid eyes on one another. When he had called to tell me he was headed in my direction, I had quickly got up from my seat at the food stall and walked into the bustling crowd so that he could see me better. Moments later, I laid eyes on the handsome Kyle Bennett.

A gasp escaped from my lips. I had forgotten how good looking he was. At about six feet tall with a muscular build, he practically towered over my short five foot frame. Even through his simple tee shirt, I could see the shape of his sculpted chest leading down to his narrow waist. His smooth angular face, flawless, light brown complexion and chiseled lips made my body tight with desire. His sturdy gait matched his confident expression, and when he smiled at me, my heart melted.

“Hey, Izzy! Sweetheart, how are you? How was your flight?” Kyle asked in his melodious voice as he bent down to hug me tight. I reached my arms around his head and turned my face to kiss him. But he pulled away.

Confused, I tried again to kiss him and once more he pulled his face away from mine.

“You haven’t seen me in months, and you don’t want to kiss me ‘hello’?” I asked. I tried to hide my bruised ego behind a smile, but, to me, it felt more like a grimace.

Kyle smiled sweetly down at me and hugged me again. “Izzy, I’ve never known you to engage in public displays of affection before. I thought it best to save that for later.”

“You haven’t seen me in months,” I repeated softly in his ears.

Taking my hint, he gave me a perfunctory kiss on the lips. This wasn’t like him, and it was not the type of greeting I expected from my fiancé after months of separation. I swallowed my disappointment and allowed Kyle to take my bags in one hand and my arm in another, and lead me out of the airport.

I thought things would get better from there. I was wrong.

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What A Person Wants is the debut novel by author Kris M. Bell. It is available on Amazon.com, starting from $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U4S4XOM