him. He’d never let her down before. Hadn’t he rushed over last week when she’d been up late working and found a half-live mole her housemate’s cat had dragged in? He’d disposed of the poor creature without uttering a single complaint, even though she’d wakened him from a sound sleep.
Adam was a great guy. The best. He deserved whatever happiness he could grab. “Okay, then my advice is to go about this with one thing in mind.”
“What?”
“Romance her.”
His eyebrows arched.
“When you find the right woman, woo her.”
He folded his arms across his chest.
“Roses, Godiva chocolate, perfume—”
“Diamonds, chartered vacations?”
“Yes. You’ve got the idea.”
“Right. You want me to buy a wife.”
This was what she got for offering her advice? “No. That’s not what I’m saying.”
A quick rap sounded on the door. Elliot Star leaned around the doorjamb. He swept a hand over his graying curls. “Oh, hello, Adam.”
Adam shifted, not quite meeting the man’s admiring gaze. “Elliot.”
Lauren could never have gone into business without Elliot’s help. After one too many prima donna fits over his need for artistic license, he’d been fired from one of Atlanta’s premier ad agencies. Ever ready to champion a new cause, Lauren had left that same agency, plotting with him to try it on their own. The man was a genius. Giving him free creative reign had put Entice Advertising on the map in just under two years.
Elliot sighed and shifted his gaze to Lauren. “Those proofs are back. You ready to talk bagels?”
“Sure.” She gave Adam’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “Sorry about lunch. I’ll make it up somehow.”
“Yeah? How about tonight? I’ve got a taste for that Cajun meat loaf you make so well.”
Surprise welled up inside her. “You want me to cook?”
“It isn’t like you don’t know how. You’re one of the best cooks in Georgia.”
“Now you’re exaggerating.”
Adam simply raised his chin and leveled his gaze on her.
“But I haven’t cooked—”
“Since you started this agency. It’s way past time. I postponed a meeting and traveled across town just for you to blow me off.”
His mouth curved into the smile she’d never been able to resist. “Besides, I’ll bring the ice cream.”
She glanced sideways at Elliot, who shrugged. Throwing her hands in the air, she gave in. “Okay, but it’d better be chocolate.”
“You’ve got it.”
With a slow nod Adam rose to his full height. Lauren let her gaze travel over all six foot three of him. His career in landscaping had left him sculpted and tanned. Even though he now spent most of his time supervising his own independent contracting company, he never turned his back on physical labor.
And it showed. Adam would have no trouble finding a wife.
Her heart thumped dully as she scooped a file from her desk. She didn’t want to think about Adam with a wife right now. “Great. We’ll finish this discussion then.”
“Can’t wait.”
She paused at the door, throwing one last glance at him. He emanated quiet strength and power. It was what people noticed most about him, though he seemed unaware of it.
Sunlight slanted through the office window, highlighting the angular planes of his face. She shivered. She knew no other face better than his, yet somehow it seemed she’d never really seen him before. Like when viewing a hologram, where a slight shift brought a new picture into view, her perspective of him altered in that moment. With his eyes shining and his wide lips curved in that playful tilt, she could almost see what all the women who had chased him must have seen.
“Well, goodbye,” she said, hoping he missed the funny catch in her voice.
He nodded as he turned his attention to the ringing cell phone he extracted from a holder on his belt.
Drawing a deep breath, she hurried after Elliot. Her pulse thudded and a thought she hardly let herself acknowledge whispered through her consciousness.
What would it be like to get naked together?
THE SUN SLIPPED below the horizon, casting long shadows across the porch as Lauren headed up the steps to her town house—a quaint brick-front featuring a small but private backyard. Balancing her mail, keys and bulging briefcase, she kneed open the door.
The scent of roses enveloped her as she dropped her load on an antique bench in the entry. She turned, inhaling the heavenly aroma, then stopped. A tall vase stood on the table gracing the opposite wall of the tiny foyer. Roses with delicate white petals crowded the vase, spilling over the sides.
An envy-filled sigh escaped her. Kamira Davies, her housemate, always dated the most considerate men. She’d received more flowers in the six months since she’d moved in than Lauren had received in her entire life.
“Lauren?”
Kamira emerged from the kitchen, her dark waves captured in a loose braid. Her green, almond-shaped eyes glittered with amusement as she wiped her hands on a dish towel. Nala, her silver tabby, glanced up from her spot by the window. “Beautiful, aren’t they?” Kamira asked, scratching the cat behind the ears.
“Gorgeous.” Lauren tore her gaze from the blooms. “Things are going well with Greg, then?”
“They’re okay, but these aren’t from Greg.”
“You’re seeing someone else?” Lauren asked, surprised.
“No. No. They’re not for me. They’re yours.”
“Mine?”
“That’s what the card says.” Kamira plucked a small envelope from beside the vase, and handed it to Lauren.
Frowning, Lauren scanned her name on the front, then read the neat writing on the enclosed card.
I send you a cream-white rosebud
With a flush upon its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.
—John Boyle O’Reilly (1844–1890)
She glanced up at her friend. “Love that is purest and sweetest?”
“I’ve
