Love & Marry Read Online Free PDF Page A

that?”
    “He’s rich as all get out, and Mom says she’ll never sign a pre-nup,” she said. “He owns a lot of real estate in Tampa. Mom moved there to a ritzy retirement community after she sold her home in Orlando.”
    “Small world,” he said. “I live in Tampa.”
    Marry’s thoughts raced. This could put a whole new spin on things.
    “Mom wanted to get away from all the tourists, but I love Orlando, and it isn’t so far from Tampa that I can’t drive over for a visit when I want to.”
    He set down his drink. “An hour and a half on the interstate. Less than that if the traffic’s light,” he said. He moved closer to her and brushed a tendril of her hair away from her face. “Do you think we could start seeing each other on a regular basis?”
    She nodded. “That might be possible but remember I’m a busy woman.”
    “Yes,” he said and leaned in close enough to touch his lips to hers. “So you’ve told me.”
    He took her drink from her and set it on the coffee table. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he pressed her back against the couch and kissed her. She ran her fingers through his hair, grasping his head and drawing him into a deeper kiss. He moved closer, pressing the side of his body against hers. She could feel the sparks coursing between them like two charged atoms. But her mind was soon flooded with all of the reasons she’d stayed away from men for two years. If she didn’t stop him now, she never would . Marry broke off the kiss and struggled to catch her breath.
    “Allen, please don’t move too fast,” she said.
    He caressed her cheek. “I have no problem respecting your boundaries,” he said.
    “I’ve rushed into physical relationships in the past and ended up hurt—badly. I don’t feel that I know you well enough, and I’m getting too old for playing around.”
    “Yeah, you’re practically a senior citizen,” he said with a laugh.
    She picked up her drink and took a sip. “You know what I mean,” she said.
    “Yes, I do,” he said. “And for your information, I was just enjoying our kiss. I wasn’t going to ask you to have sex with me… tonight , anyway.”
    Marry smiled. For as much as he was driving her crazy, he was really growing on her.
    “I have seminars all day tomorrow,” he said. “But tomorrow night, I’d like to take you out on our first real date.”
    “I would like that,” she said.
    “Good. I’ll make reservations at Aquaviva,” he said and planted a quick, chaste kiss on her lips.
    “I hope this place isn’t too fancy,” she said. “I only brought casual clothes.”
    “What you’re wearing tonight looks great,” he said. “You don’t have to dress up.”
    Butterflies danced in her stomach, and she took another sip—more like a gulp—of her drink to calm them. Allen Love was breaking through the barriers she’d erected around herself and her heart, and she didn’t know whether to be happy or scared.
     
    * * *
     
    Allen knocked on her door at six p.m. She checked her appearance in the mirror. For their night out, she’d dressed in the same black slacks she worn the night before but paired it with a white, silk tank top. When she opened the door, he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. During the day, she had found herself missing his company. Without his banter, it had been a lonely bus trip to Arecibo and back.
    “By the way, I have a rented car,” he said. “So I thought that after we eat, you might like to take a drive along the coast.”
    “That sounds perfect,” she said.
    She wrapped around her shoulders the colorful cotton shawl she’d purchased in Arecibo. When they reached the parking lot, and she saw that the top was down on his rented convertible, Marry was glad she’d worn her hair up. The wind tunnel look wasn’t becoming on her.
    “So how did you spend your day?” he asked after he was in the driver’s seat.
    “I took your advice and went to Arecibo today. It was a little crowded,” she