Falling Read Free Page A

declared illegal. His shirt was a blinding assemblage of flowers that would have sent that hibiscus fairy into paroxysms of pleasure, and his crisp white pants were spotless. His inky dark eyes revealed warm brown depths in the light of day, his chest -- the little bit she could see beyond the flora that surrounded it -- was definitely in the "five star" category, and there was simply no question about it.
    He was flat-out gorgeous.
    A dream come true. A figure that could grace the cover of a novel and sell ten million copies on the strength of that smile alone. A man who…was saying something.
    Jen blinked as she tried to drag her thoughts up off the mental carpet where they had swooned and were clutching their hearts.
    "I'm glad you decided to join me." His voice was as sexy as the rest of him. Her thoughts thudded back to the floor, fainting with pleasure once again.
    "So am I." The words came out on a gust of honesty.
    She allowed him to seat her as she realized exactly how honest she'd been. She was glad. Very glad. Her heart rate had been close to the danger level since she'd woken up that morning, and it didn't show signs of slowing anytime soon.
    Especially when that deliciously appealing smile curved his mouth. "What would you like?"
    I'll take you with a side order of you, and more of you to go, please . Oh - and coffee .
    "Uh, I'd kill for coffee." Jen smiled as she self-edited her thoughts.
    "No problem." Cris reached beside him and poured her a cup of steaming black liquid heaven. "Cream? Sugar?"
    Me? Cris fought to keep his hand steady as he passed the cup across the table to the lovely Ms. Jennifer Hodges.
    She'd stayed lurking in his subconscious all night, her silky blonde hair teasing his brain cells into distraction, her humor and that laugh…
    And here she was, in the flesh, looking every bit as delightful as he'd remembered. Even better, in fact, which was a rarity in itself. Most women didn't benefit from the harsh morning glare of the Florida sun. This one did. It brought a sparkle to her blue eyes, a blush to her cheeks, and seeing her in shorts and a tank top-well, fuck .
    Cris licked his lips to ensure himself he wasn't drooling.
    "So tell me, Cris, besides efficiently disposing of crawly things and comping breakfasts to guests, what do you do here as concierge?"
    Aha. The efficient-business-traveler shield was dropping over her face. But she couldn't hide the little tremble in her hand as she sipped her coffee. He smiled happily. Got you . "It's a fancy title for the guy who handles just about everything, but doesn't actually get paid as much for it as he should."
    She laughed, that rich deep gurgle that had so charmed him on the phone. "I'm sure that's true. You should've earned combat pay for last night's little fracas."
    He shook his head. "That was small potatoes. Try explaining to a determined mother that the snake her son has trapped in a jar is actually a coral snake, quite dangerous, and shouldn't be taken back to Fargo as a pet."
    "Good lord. Really?" Jen's eyebrows rose.
    "Really."
    "What did you do?"
    Cris helped himself to coffee and nodded his thanks as a waiter placed a tray of pastries and croissants on the table between them. "Fortunately, I didn't have to do much. The snake did it, all by itself."
    Jen's hand froze over a roll. "It bit the kid?"
    "No, it died. Or committed suicide rather than live in Fargo, North Dakota. Never could decide which."
    "Oh dear…" Jen burst out laughing again. "How sad." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh at the death of a poor creature, but-oh lord."
    "Save your sympathies. There's enough left that they're not on the endangered species list."
    "Well, that's good. I promise last night's episode was the only creepy-crawly adventure you can expect from me. No snakes." She shuddered. " Definitely no snakes."
    "You don't need to worry. We're pretty efficient at keeping them away from the hotel grounds. They're not music fans, aren't social at