LITMIR.BIZ

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crew.”

      The depth of her kindness struck a chord with him. “You’d really do that with everything you have going on?”

      “Of course I would. You let me stay at your house for almost a week, rent-free...even if you didn’t know it. I owe you so much.”

      He grew uncomfortable when people started thanking him. He wasn’t someone special—definitely not a selfless person like Kate appeared to be. He was a workaholic, who’d lost focus on his priorities and wound up with a house of memories and a business in jeopardy because he’d pushed too hard, too fast to gain the expansion into San Francisco.

      “You don’t owe me a thing. All I did was let you stay in a leaky bedroom. Not very gallant of me.”

      She sniffled. “You could have had me thrown in jail. Most other people who find a stranger in their house would call the police first and ask questions later.”

      Lucas slowed the car as they neared the hospital. Once he maneuvered into a spot in front of the main sliding glass doors, he shifted into Park and turned to her. “Listen, you shouldn’t put me up on a pedestal. You barely know a thing about me. Trust me, I have an ex-wife who would vouch for the fact that I’m no saint.”

      “You’re far too modest—”

      “Don’t let a little kindness fool you. I’m a Carrington. We don’t have hearts—instead, there’s a rough diamond in its place.” His fist beat lightly on his chest. “Harder and colder than any rock you’ll ever find.”

      “I don’t believe you.”

      “It’s true. My grandfather told me. I was too young to truly understand what he meant, but now I do—”

      “You definitely have a heart or you wouldn’t have been so kind to me.”

      “And you’re too sweet for your own good.”

      The way she stared at him with such assuredness made him want to be that man for her. The kind that was giving and thoughtful instead of focused and driven. For a moment, he was drawn into her dream—drawn to her.

      When she lowered her face, he placed a finger beneath her chin. He wasn’t willing to lose the connection just yet. Her eyes glinted with... Was it longing? His body tensed at the thought. How could this slip of a woman—a near-stranger—have such an effect on him? And why did he have this overwhelming urge to pull her close and kiss her?

      Without thinking of the consequences, he leaned forward. His lips sought hers out. They were soft and smooth. A whispered voice in the back of his mind said he should not be doing this. Not with Kate. Not with anyone.

      But when her mouth moved beneath his, logic escaped him. It’d been so long since he felt this alive—this invigorated.

      He went to pull her closer, but the seat restraint kept them separated except for his lips moving hungrily over hers. His hand reached out, cupping her face. His thumb stroked her cheek, enjoying her silky, smooth skin. All he could think was that he wanted more—more of her kiss...more of this connection.

      A bright flash broke the spell. Lucas pulled back, struggling to catch his breath. His gaze moved to the window. Immediately he spotted a photographer smirking at him. Lucas surmised from past experience that the guy would take the picture and fabricate an eyebrow-raising headline to fit it.

      “Wait here. I’ll be back.” Lucas jumped out of the car and started after the photographer. “Hey, you! Stop!”

      The reporter had too much of a head start and slipped into a waiting vehicle. Lucas kicked at a pebble on the side of the road and swore.

      What had he gotten himself into this time? Of all the foolish things to do. He’d been so touched by her insistence in believing in him that he’d momentarily let down his guard. He hadn’t thought about where they were or what he was about to do. He’d just reached out to her, needing to feel her warmth and kindness.

      How was he supposed to know there was a photographer at the hospital? And how could he anticipate that they’d be noticed? Normally it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but with Kate involved it was different. She already had so much on her plate. She didn’t deserve to have to put up with the press. Those news stories, as they loosely called them, were nine times out of ten malicious pieces of gossip—such as the story his ex-wife had read about him being involved with one of the Carrington models. But it had been only one crack in an already crumbling marriage.

      Kate hadn’t signed on for any of this media mayhem. She didn’t deserve to have her name associated with some trumped-up story. He just wished he could shield her from the public eye. With a frustrated sigh, he climbed back in the car.

      “What’s going on?” Kate’s eyes filled with concern. “Why were you chasing that man?”

      “The man was a reporter and he took a picture of us—”

      “What?” Her face lost most of its color. “But why? None of this makes any sense. Why would he be interested in me? In us?”

      Lucas raked his fingers through his hair. “Normally it wouldn’t matter. And any other time the paparazzi wouldn’t have given us a second look, but last month there was this magazine article—”

      “The one announcing you as Bachelor of the Year.”

      “You saw it?” His muscles tensed, hating the thought of being played by her. “You knew who I was from the moment we met, didn’t you?”

      “That’s not true.” She held up both palms, feigning an innocent expression. “At first, I didn’t recognize you in your boxers. I guess I was a bit distracted.” Color rushed back into her cheeks. “The more important question is what will this reporter do with the photo?”

      He shrugged. “My guess is he’ll sell it to the highest bidder—”

      “But he can’t. If it gets out people will think that you and I are...uh—”

      “Involved.” He wasn’t used to women being repulsed by the idea of being romantically linked with him. “Is the idea of people thinking we’re a couple so bad?”

      “Yes.”

      Her snap answer stung. He didn’t know what to say, so he leaned back in the driver’s seat. Maybe he should be relieved by her lack of interest, but he wasn’t. And that knowledge only aggravated him more.

      “I’m sorry.” She fidgeted with her purse strap. “I didn’t mean for that to sound so harsh. I’m just not used to the paparazzi. And I really don’t want my picture in the news.”

      Now that he could understand. His family had been making headlines longer than he’d been alive and he still wasn’t comfortable with it.

      “Most likely something more newsworthy will come along and they’ll forget about us.”

      “Oh, good.” The stress lines eased on her pretty face.

      He didn’t really believe it, but there was always a sliver of hope. And right now, Kate looked as if she could use some positive thoughts.

      * * *

      Later that evening, Kate made sure to double-check the dead bolt on the door. She glanced out the window, relieved to find that no one had followed her.

      “Anything wrong?”

      She jumped at the unexpected sound of Lucas’s voice. “Umm...no.”

      Had she imagined someone had been watching her at the hospital? Definitely not. She might be a lot of things but paranoid wasn’t one of them.

      “Listen, if you’re stressed about what happened between us earlier, don’t be.” He shuffled his feet and wouldn’t look her in the eyes. “It was all my fault and it won’t happen again.”

      Kate didn’t know whether to be insulted or relieved. She hadn’t been able to forget that kiss either—that

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