Her Sweet Talkin' Man Read Free Page B

sliced through Ace.
    â€œHis loss,” he said tensely.
    â€œExactly,” she said with great feeling. And their eyes met. They shared a commiserating look. For long seconds Ace’s gaze held her gaze. He studied her. She had the most beautiful expressive mouth, he couldn’t help thinking. A mouth made for deep slow kisses that went on and on and led to better things. He could almost see how Timmy’s father had lost his head and ended up fathering a child because he, too, had a strong urge to step close to Crystal and pull her into his arms. And with a woman like this, that kind of thing could only lead to other things.
    Most likely me getting my face slapped, he thought with a smile.
    â€œAce?” Crystal asked, and he realized that she was probably wondering why he was grinning.
    â€œYou probably don’t want to know, but I was thinking about how tasty your lips look,” he said, and he heard her sharp intake of air. Well, hell, he had always been known for speaking his mind. No doubt,this would have been one time when he should have stifled his speech and his thoughts.
    â€œBut I meant what I said before, Crystal. I don’t force myself on women. You’re safe with me.”
    She studied him for a minute. Suddenly the elevator began moving again, and it continued to move until it reached the main floor and the doors opened.
    Ace held out his hand, motioning for Crystal to exit the elevator in front of him. She turned to go, then turned back. Her small hand touched his sleeve, and she looked up at him.
    â€œYou made me feel safe,” she said. “I know you were trying to distract me to keep my mind off things. You’re a kind man, Ace. Thank you.”
    He simply stared down at her, then watched as she walked away. She might think he was a kind man now, but what was she going to think later today when he publicly embarrassed one of the hospital’s biggest benefactors?
    Â 
    Crystal moved out into the sunshine where tables and booths and a podium for speeches had been set up. A wide blue-and-white ribbon cordoned off the new and shiny maternity wing, which had taken so much time and effort from so many. She had spent the past two years of her life working toward this day, yet now that it was here, all she could think about was the man she’d met in the elevator.
    A small smile lifted her lips. He’d certainly been handsome with that wavy black hair and those blue eyes. And that smile. Her heart flipped at the memory.
    â€œStop it,” she told herself. “You know darn wellthat a man like that has used that smile on a million women. He’s slid into a hundred women’s beds just because they couldn’t resist that devilish grin and all that sweet talking.”
    She’d been barely able to resist, either, but barely was the operative word here, because she was darn well going to resist even thinking about the man. If there was one woman in all of Mission Creek who knew better than to fall for a pair of let’s-make-love-darlin’ blue eyes and a rogue’s smile, it was her.
    No more handsome heartbreakers for her, now or ever. She had Timmy to think of. And that was all the reminder Crystal needed.
    Besides, today was a workday. People were relying on her. And there was a ton of things that still had to be taken care of, a fact that became clear as she neared the area where the ribbon-cutting ceremony was due to begin shortly and her employees flocked around her with tales of minor crises and questions that needed to be answered.
    Crystal took a deep breath and plunged in. Her last thought of Ace was that he would make a great lover, but a very bad husband. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t even slightly interested in a husband.
    And she was certainly going to keep her distance from Ace if he should show up at the ceremony.

Two
    R eal impressive, Ace thought as he surveyed the lawns that surrounded the new maternity wing of the