standing beside him, Ace wasn’t sure he’d be able to speak as the threads of desire wound through his body. But though he had her talking, he was reasonably certain that he needed to keep her talking. Otherwise, she was going to remember where they were. The fear would resurface with a vengeance.
“You’re the hospital’s fund-raiser? Ah, so you are an independent woman, darlin’.”
She lifted her chin, tipping her head back and causing her hair to spill over her shoulders. Some of her former color and life seemed to have returned. “You’re trying to get a rise out of me, aren’t you. So that I won’t think about the fact that I want to physically rip the doors off their tracks with my teeth.”
Okay, so she was on to him. “That would be fun to watch,” he conceded.
“It’s not going to work, you know,” she said. “This isn’t the first time someone has tried to talk me out of this irrational behavior. I can’t seem to control it, hard as I try. You might as well give up. But I do appreciate your efforts…”
“Ace,” he said automatically, though she hadn’t asked his name. Oh, yes, he knew about irrational behavior, because for some reason he wanted to hear his name on her lips.
“Ace,” she repeated, her voice as soft as a whisper in the dark of night. The small space they occupied could well have been a bed. He was close enough to reach out and pull her to him, to taste her lips. He was staring down into her eyes. Her breathing was coming quickly.
But of course her breathing was coming quickly. She was scared to death.
Ace backed away a few inches. “So now you know my name, darlin’,” he offered.
She let out a laugh. “I get your point, and you’re right. I’ve already told you my occupation, one of my deepest fears and revealed the fact that I’m not married. It’s silly to keep my name from you, when I assume you’re here for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and I’ll be in front of the crowd.” She looked toward the darn buttons.
“Soon,” he said. “You’ll be in front of the crowd soon. Would you like me to call again?”
He could tell that she wanted to say no, that she wanted to appear strong. “Yes, please,” she said in a very small voice.
“Any word on our condition?” Ace asked the security guard on the other end. “Ten minutes?” It wasn’t long, but the lady was clearly hoping for something more like ten seconds.
“I’m okay with that,” she assured him rather unconvincingly. “And my name is Crystal. Crystal Bennett.” Her words came out in a rush.
Ordinarily he would have offered his last name, too, but today wasn’t a day for the ordinary ways. And revealing his last name to Crystal Bennett would fill her with questions that would probably take her mind off their situation, but would simply complicate other things. The Carsons had supplied a fair share of the money for the new wing. He’d heard that from every gas-station attendant and convenience-store clerk he’d spoken to in the course of getting directions around the city. The largest donors to the new wing and the hospital’s chief fund-raiser would, out of necessity, have a good relationship. Revealing his identity to Crystal would only lead to questions about his intent, and that just wasn’t a good idea right now.
“Crystal’s an exceptionally pretty name,” he said, instead, meaning it.
Another blush kissed her cheeks. Ace couldn’t remember ever spending time with a woman who actually blushed. The women he consorted with were completely foreign to the concept of innocence, and pretty much nothing embarrassed them. He ought to view this as a sign. A huge red stop sign.
“How long have we been in here, do you think?” she asked.
A few minutes, but he knew what she meant. It seemed longer, and it was beginning to seem longer still when Ace looked down at the shining crown of her hair and breathed in deeply. The floral scent of her hair mingled with something that smelled suspiciously like soap. Whatever it was, it was sexy as hell, and suddenly he was very aware that she was all soft skin and big trusting eyes. Oh, yes, that was trust he was seeing there.
“We’ll be out soon,” he said again, fighting to keep the husky note from his voice.
She nodded and bit her lip. “I wish I’d borrowed someone’s cell phone. I promised my son I would come and see him before the ceremonies began. He’s in the day-care center. He’s too young to tell time, but once things get started, he’ll hear the music and know that things are starting.”
“You have a son.” Ace forced the words through his lips. She had a son. And no husband. This probably wasn’t something he wanted to know.
For the first time he surprised a genuine no-holds-barred smile from her lips. “Timmy,” she said, and it was clear from that one word that her entire world circled around her little boy. “He’s just three.”
“Does he look like you?” Ace asked. Anything to keep that light in her eyes.
“No, like his father.” She dug into her purse and found a picture. She handed it to Ace. There, smiling back at him, was the cutest little dark-haired, big-eyed munchkin he’d ever seen.
“You’re wrong,” he said. “He has your eyes.”
“Well, maybe,” she conceded, “but nothing else.”
“You’ll give him other things,” Ace said with the confidence of a man who knew what he was talking about. “Does his father live nearby?” Why had he asked that question?
A question he obviously shouldn’t have asked, since the smile on Crystal’s lips died. “Timmy’s father never wanted to be a part of his life. He took off as soon as he knew the baby was on the way.”
A knifelike and familiar pain sliced through Ace.
“His loss,” he said tensely.
“Exactly,” she said with great feeling. And their eyes met. They shared a commiserating look. For long seconds Ace’s gaze held her gaze. He studied her. She had the most beautiful expressive mouth, he couldn’t help thinking. A mouth made for deep slow kisses that went on and on and led to better things. He could almost see how Timmy’s father had lost his head and ended up fathering a child because he, too, had a strong urge to step close to Crystal and pull her into his arms. And with a woman like this, that kind of thing could only lead to other things.
Most likely me getting my face slapped, he thought with a smile.
“Ace?” Crystal asked, and he realized that she was probably wondering why he was grinning.
“You probably don’t want to know, but I was thinking about how tasty your lips look,” he said, and he heard her sharp intake of air. Well, hell, he had always been known for speaking his mind. No doubt, this would have been one time when he should have stifled his speech and his thoughts.
“But I meant what I said before, Crystal. I don’t force myself on women. You’re safe with me.”
She studied him for a minute. Suddenly the elevator began moving again, and it continued to move until it reached the main floor and the doors opened.
Ace held out his hand, motioning for Crystal to exit the elevator
