Noticing the funky earrings buried in her thick hair and the simple gold chain that disappeared under the collar of her maroon sweater.
âI guess we should be going,â she said. A tendril of her hair curled around her cheekbone.
He reached up and brushed it back, tucking the curl behind her ear. Her hair was softâsofter than anything heâd ever touched before. He rubbed a strand of hair between his forefinger and thumb.
Lauren sat still, watching him with those wide brown eyes of hers and making him wantâ¦her. Just her. He tugged on the strand of hair and she leaned toward him. He leaned closer. So close, he felt the brush of her breath against his mouth with each exhalation.
He caressed her face. Her skin was soft and he traced a light pattern over her high cheekbones down to those full lips of hers that had been driving himout of his mind. He stroked her lower lip with his thumb. She caught her breath.
He knew then that whatever was between them, it was too late to keep it light. Physically there was more than a spark that bespoke of mutual attraction. His gut said this woman matched him passion for passion. And he freely admitted he wanted to explore that.
But not at a price that Lauren would find too high to pay. And not at a price that heâd regret asking her for. And certainly not at a price that would rock the solid world heâd built for himself.
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Lauren studied Jack as he drove back to her car. He was like no other man sheâd ever met, and her throat tightened at the thought of never getting to explore the magic that had blossomed between them. Why couldnât they?
He brought to life more of her senses than any other man sheâd ever met. He made her laugh and think. And challenged her with his acerbic wit. He was the kind of man sheâd always dreamed of finding, and only now did she understand that sheâd been settling for the mirage, the illusion of the real thing, never realizing that it could be solid.
Jack was certainly solid, she thought with a grin. But she needed more than the physical. That article sheâd read about him bothered her. However, because her mom had lived in the spotlight most of Laurenâslife, she knew that interviews didnât always give the reader all the facts.
âI read an article about you in Detroit magazine,â she said once they were headed back to the station. Jack had put on a Paul Simon CD, one from the late eighties that had the mellow influences of Africa in it.
âDid you?â he asked with a wry grin.
She toyed with letting him keep her away from what she wanted to know. But in the end, the heavy beating of her heart and the warnings in her mind convinced her otherwise. âDonât be coy. I want to know if the article was true.â
He sighed and fiddled with the volume on the stereo but didnât turn to look at her even when he had to stop for a traffic light. âI donât think of myself as the most eligible bachelor in the city, if thatâs what youâre asking.â
Let it go. But she couldnât. âIâm not. I want to know about the six-month thing.â
âSweetheart, we just met.â
She knew what he was saying. Her rational mind said they were still essentially strangers, but sheâd shared her heart and the secret sheâd always longed to find in a mate with him.
And now she needed to know if the guy that sheâd started liking the minute theyâd met was going to break her heart. Should she let him in or keep him at the safe armâs length that sheâd kept all other men? And with Jack, would that be easy to do?
âI know, but I told you a secret. And that article made it sound like you had a phobia about things lasting longer than that.â
âWell, I do,â he said, his voice even deeper than its normal tonality.
âWhy?â she asked. Sheâd grown up with one of the countryâs leading relationship
Janwillem van de Wetering