Love Enough For Two (Love Inspired) Read Free Page B

it one bit.
    The brunette shrugged and gave him a wide-eyed innocent look. “I’ll be back in a minute for your order.”
    She offered him a sweet-as-sugar smile and walked away, her hips swaying gently.
    Matt raked a hand through his hair, heaved an exasperated sigh and turned back to Elizabeth.
    She stood staring after the girl, her head tilted.
    “Thank goodness she’s gone.” Matt took a step forward, a sense of anticipation quickening his pulse. He reached for Elizabeth, fully intending to continue where they’d left off.
    But the minute his hand touched her arm, Elizabeth whirled. She jerked back, her eyes bright, patches of pink coloring her cheeks.
    Startled, Matt pulled back his arm and let it drop to his side. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
    The lights from the antique fixtures overhead cast mysterious shadows across her high cheekbones and patrician nose as she looked up at him. Her eyes seemed to glitter, suddenly looking more green than brown or gold. Smile, Matt silently urged. But she didn’t. She just stared at him.
    He took a deep breath. “I—”
    The hostess walked by and gave them a curious look. “Is everything okay?”
    Matt nodded, not taking his eyes off Elizabeth. “Everything is just fine.”
    And everything would be fine, Matt thought, if he could just figure out what was going on. He leaned over and pulled out a chair. “Won’t you have a seat?”
    She hesitated for only a second, then sidestepped past him, the fragrant scent of her perfume teasing his nostrils and stirring his senses. She moved with the grace of a dancer, looking undeniably fresh and feminine in her silk poppy-print sundress. The leather-and-wood platform slides with hand-painted details complemented the dress perfectly.
    Her dress and shoes were the height of fashion. Though Matt wasn’t into women’s apparel, he recognized a designer’s touch. His younger sister Tori had many such outfits in her closet. And from his father’s frequent complaints when the credit-card bills rolled in, Matt knew such clothes didn’t come cheap.
    She wore them well. Matt’s gaze lingered admiringly on her long slender legs before he rounded the table and took a seat opposite her.
    He leaned back and offered her an easy smile, deciding the best course of action was to simply start over. “I’m glad you could make it.”
    She lifted her chin a fraction of an inch and regarded him through narrowed amber-colored eyes. “You made it sound on the phone like I didn’t have a choice.”
    He lifted an eyebrow at the subtle challenge in her tone. Sitting there, with that haughty look in her eye, she reminded him of his sister’s Siamese cat. Tealock was a nice kitty but she could be difficult, especially when she was riled. He had the feeling the same could be said of Elizabeth Carlyle.
    “Even though I realize an attorney can sometimes make an invitation sound like a summons,” Matt said with a grin, trying to put her at ease and lighten the moment between them, “I want to assure you that you did have a choice.”
    Her tense shoulders loosened up and the corner of her mouth curved in a hint of a smile. “You’re right,” she said. “I could have said no.”
    “I’m glad you didn’t,” he said, warming to the topic. “Because if you had, we’d never have met and I’d never have known how beautiful you are.”
    Her lips tightened and his heart sank. It didn’t take a genius to realize it had been the wrong thing to say.
    She glanced down at her watch. “I don’t have a lot of time so we probably should get down to business. Tell me again what this meeting is all about?”
    From the time he’d been fifteen, Matt had enjoyed his share of female attention. And he’d gotten quite good at interpreting their behavior. But Elizabeth was different. She wasn’t like most women. One moment she was staring at him with longing, the next she was looking at him as if he’d crawled out from under a