The Inconveniently Engaged Prince. Mindy Neff
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“I’ll take you. It’s also cool to cruise the harbor at night, watch the sunset and look at the lights. We should plan that, as well.”
“Whoa. With all these plans, how do you get any work done?”
“I’m one of those nasty larks you mentioned this morning. I get up early, take care of business when the phones aren’t ringing like mad. Plus, I have an incredibly qualified staff to handle the day-to-day running of things. They’re a great group of people, most of them have been with me from the start of the company. If I decided to retire tomorrow, the company would run without me.”
“Could you just let it go like that? I mean, it’s your baby, so to speak. Wouldn’t you miss it?”
“Maybe. I’ve taken it pretty well to the top, and we’ve been lucky enough to stay there. Sometimes I get an itch to try something different, though. Nothing like a new venture to stir the blood. As you probably know with your studies and plans for teaching.”
“My teaching’s certainly not going to make me millions like your cell phone business obviously has done for you.”
“But you’ll be following your bliss.”
She looked over at him, hugged her bent knees tighter. “That’s a neat way of putting it.”
“It’s true. No matter what you choose to do in life, it should be something you love, something you’re passionate about. I’ve heard that passion in your voice when you talk about teaching, seen your dedication to school and studying. I admire that. If I didn’t think you were into it, I’d be trying to steer you in another direction.”
“A meddler, are you?”
He grinned. “Probably. My sister says so. She’s always buried in her science experiments and I’m hounding her to get out and interact with people more. She’s got great qualities but she isolates herself instead. I guess I can get carried away sometimes putting in my two cents worth, but I like to see the people around me, especially the people who matter to me, be the best they can be.”
Vickie rubbed her hands over the ribbed cotton sleeves of her sweater, watched the enthusiasm on his handsome face as he warmed to his subject. His optimism was contagious. And with regard to her, it was thrilling.
He believed she was the best she could be. The implied compliment touched her more deeply than a bucket of diamonds laid at her feet.
She’d been taught she wasn’t good enough. A gesture here, a cutting word there. Growing up, it had been as though she were invisible, of no consequence to anyone. Just a body taking up space and an extra mouth to feed.
Jace touched her cheek, startled her. “Where’d you go all of a sudden?”
She gazed out at the sea, to the hill scattered with luxury homes, one of them his family’s. “When I was fifteen, I skipped school with a friend. Her parents were at work, so we hung out at her house. We listened to music, mooned over boys, nipped into a bottle of wine and sampled a few other brands of liquor behind their wet bar. I found out pretty quick that mixing various types of alcohol has pretty awful consequences.” She paused and watched as a flock of pelicans took flight from the marsh and landed at the ocean’s edge to wade in the waves.
“Tracy’s mom caught us and drove me back to the group home. I just wanted to curl up and die someplace. Although she scolded us for the drinking, she figured heaving up our toenails was punishment enough. She was gentle with me, amused in a way.”
“I’m guessing the folks at Hell’s Home weren’t so amused?”
She smiled at the way he used her disrespectful name for Helen’s Home. “No, Helen wasn’t amused. She said she’d expected as much from me. That I’d come from trash and would be trash for the rest of my life.”
Jace cursed and put his arm around her. “But you didn’t believe her.”
“Oh, yes I did. For a while at least.” She liked the feel of his arm around her but didn’t like the direction of the conversation. She didn’t know why she’d told him that, could still feel the shame, the hurt, the isolation.
“So, anyway,” she said, flicking her hair behind her ear, “I appreciate you saying what you did. About being the best I can.”
He pressed his lips gently against her temple. She could have turned into him, would have welcomed the intimacy, but he simply rested his head against hers, sat quietly and watched the waves break in frothy curls, rushing onto shore and ebbing out again.
WHEN SHE PULLED into the driveway of Jace’s condo later that day, she left the car running so she wouldn’t be tempted to prolong the day. After only spending a short amount of time with him, she couldn’t believe how well they hit it off. He was easy to be with, brought out the best in her.
Jace reached over and shut off the ignition key himself. “How about some dinner before you head off for work?”
She shook her head. “No time. I need to type up a quick paper on my notes about today, then be at the bar by six.”
“Notes? Will I be included in them?”
She couldn’t resist his sexy smile. “I don’t think my science professor would go for that.”
“Hey, I contributed. I pointed out the seagull, didn’t I?”
“And scared off the baby quail.”
“Sorry about that.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “I don’t want the day to end.”
“I have to work or I won’t be able to indulge in your favorite subject. Eating. Honestly, I don’t know how you stay in such great shape.”
“Mmm. More compliments on my physique. We’re making progress.”
She laughed. “Get out of my car, Jace Carradigne. You’ll make me late.”
“Kiss me goodbye?”
She shook her head. “I can’t think when you kiss me.”
“I said you kiss me. I promise to let you do all the work.”
“You think that’ll make a difference?”
“Won’t know till we give it a try. In the interest of an experiment, I’m willing to sacrifice myself.”
“Does anyone ever tell you no?”
“Sure. Lots of times.”
His mouth was so close, smiling and inviting. The temptation was bigger than she was. “Okay. Keep your hands in your lap.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Stifling a bubble of laughter, she leaned over and brushed her lips against his. The spark was just as strong as a full-out kiss. What the heck. In for a penny and all that.
She touched the side of his face, watched his eyes deepen to the color of rich moss. This time when she leaned into him, her mouth was firm, direct and mobile. The tickle of laughter turned into a silent moan of intense need.
Although his hands remained in his lap as promised, he kissed her back. And oh, he was good at it.
Lost in the feel of him, she forgot that she was the one supposed to be in control. She raised her other hand to his face, and put everything she had into the kiss, determined to leave him with an impression he wouldn’t soon forget.
She was playing with fire, and it wasn’t fair, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.
Finding that her own bones had turned liquid, she eased up, nibbled, toyed, then slowly slid back to her own side of the car.
He sat totally silent for endless minutes. Then he raked a hand through his hair. “Wow.”
She was having a little trouble with her own breathing, so she just smiled.
“After