LITMIR.BIZ

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married.”

      He gave his head a woeful shake. “Don’t need a marriage license to have kids. Not nowadays. Folks have gone plumb crazy, thinking a single person can raise a child alone. Takes two, I say,” he said, with a decisive jerk of his chin. “A mother and a father.”

      Gina turned her face to the window again, thinking of her own family. The absentee father and the desperate-to-please mother.

      Sometimes even two aren’t enough, she thought sadly.

      “Here we are,” he said. “Want me to let you off out front or would you rather I take you to the parking garage?”

      “Front is fine.”

      While the driver collected her suitcase from the trunk, Gina counted out the fare from her wallet, then slipped the straps of her purse and briefcase over her shoulder and climbed out. A snowflake landed on the end of her nose, making her laugh.

      “Thanks for the ride,” she said, as she handed the driver the fare. “You be careful out tonight.”

      He tipped his hat. “Same to you, ma’am.”

      Taking the handle of her rolling bag, Gina turned for her building, pulling the bag behind her. Lights glowed from behind the double front doors’ leaded glass windows and spilled over onto the snow that had collected on the front steps.

      “Welcome home.”

      She stumbled a step at the greeting, losing her grip on the handle of her rolling bag, and whirled to find a man stepping from the shadows at the corner of her building. With his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched against the cold and a watch cap pulled low over his brow, he looked like a mugger. Although muggings were rare in her neighborhood, they weren’t unheard of. Fearing she was about to become the next victim, she glanced down the street, praying the taxi driver was still within hearing range. But the vehicle was already two blocks away, too far for the driver to hear if she were to scream.

      “How was your trip?”

      Recognizing the voice of her would-be attacker, she whipped her head back around.

      “Case?” she said in disbelief. Sagging weakly, she pressed a hand against her heart to still its panicked beating. “Good grief. You scared a year off my life.”

      He dragged the cap from his head. “Sorry. That wasn’t my intent.”

      Feeling foolish for mistaking him for a mugger, she hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. “What are you doing here anyway?”

      “I came to welcome you home from your trip.”

      She eyed him suspiciously. “How did you know I was out of town?”

      “One of your neighbors told me. Zoie, I believe was her name. When the florist called to tell me they were unable to deliver the flowers I sent, I became concerned. Thought I’d better check and make sure you were all right. Zoie was leaving as I arrived and she told me you’d gone to New York on a business trip.”

      Gina made a mental note to tell Zoie to mind her own business in the future. “As you can see, I’m fine.”

      He gave her a slow look up and down, a lazy smile chipping at one corner of his mouth. “Better than fine, I’d say.”

      She stiffened her spine, refusing to fall for a line as obvious as that. “If you’ll excuse me, it’s been an exhausting day.” She stooped to retrieve her rolling bag, but Case was quicker.

      He righted the bag, then bowed slightly, opening a hand in invitation. “Lead the way.”

      She squared her shoulders and stood her ground. “I’m more than capable of carrying my own bag.”

      “I’m sure you are,” he said amiably. “But my mother would roll over in her grave if she knew I’d stood by and allowed a woman to carry her own bags.”

      She hesitated, not wanting his assistance, then huffed a breath and marched for the front door, leaving him to follow. After quickly dealing with the security code, she thrust out her hand for her bag.

      He angled his body to block her and nodded toward the door. “Ladies first.”

      Setting her jaw, she strode inside and straight for the elevator. “This really isn’t necessary,” she said irritably.

      “Indulge me.”

      She shot him a frown, as the elevator door opened, then rolled her eyes and stepped inside.

      He followed, maneuvering the bag onto the elevator.

      “You didn’t call me.”

      She spared him a glance, then turned her face to the display, watching as the numbers lit, indicating their ascent. “No, I didn’t.”

      The elevator doors opened onto her floor, the door to her loft directly opposite. She stepped out and Case followed, pulling her bag behind him.

      She dealt with the lock, then turned to face him. “Thank you for your assistance. I can handle things from here.”

      He nodded. “I’d like to see you again.”

      “Why?” she asked bluntly.

      He shrugged. “Why not?”

      “I’ve already told you that I don’t care for men like you.”

      “How can you know what kind of man I am, when you don’t even know me?”

      “I know enough to know I’m not interested.”

      When she turned away, he caught her arm and drew her back around. Set against his dark navy pea coat, his eyes seemed incredibly blue … and determined.

      “Give me a chance,” he said. “Go out with me. Forget whatever it is you’ve heard about me and judge for yourself what kind of man I am.”

      She gulped, wanting to refuse him, to avoid the disappointments she knew she would be setting herself up for. She knew what kind of man he was. He was just like her father.

      But how could she say no to a man who adhered to his mother’s teachings, even when his mother wasn’t around to fuss at him when he didn’t? A man so unbelievably handsome, it made her teeth ache just to look at him? Besides, it wasn’t as if she received invitations for dates all that often. By design or destiny—she was never sure which—she had few friends, male or female.

      “All right,” she said grudgingly. “I’ll go out with you, but just this—”

      Before she could finish, his mouth was on hers. Caught off-guard, she had to brace a hand against his chest to keep from stumbling backwards.

      She should have been insulted that he’d take such advantage of her, demand that he release her. This was exactly the kind of behavior she’d expected from him, a selfish disregard for a woman’s needs or feelings.

      Yet, there was a confidence in his kiss, a seductiveness that kept her silent, made her want to experience more.

      The chill of outdoors clung to his coat. She felt it beneath her palm, as well as the moisture from the snow that had seeped into the wool fabric. Deeper still she lost herself in the rhythmic beat of his heart, the heat from his body.

      By the time he withdrew, her knees were weak, her mind fuzzy, her breath locked somewhere inside her chest.

      He crooked a finger beneath her chin, his smile leaning toward the cocky side of confident. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at noon. Dress warm.”

      She gulped, unable to tear her gaze from his. “Okay,” she murmured dully, then turned into her loft, her lips still tingling from the pressure of his.

      By noon the following day, Gina had all but convinced herself that Case’s kiss wasn’t all she’d built it up in her mind to be. He’d caught her completely off-guard, which alone would make the kiss probably seem more than what it really was.

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