“I really don’t recommend…”
Strangely feverish, she shrugged herself free from his too-titillating grip and began to stand.
“Okay, if you’re going to be stubborn.” With a slight shake of his head, he lifted her into his arms so easily that her breath caught. Unconsciously, she let out a whimper. Every muscle in her body savored the feel of his thick, corded arms enveloping her and she fought the urge to nestle into his broad chest. She silently prayed he would carry her out the door and to the nearest secluded area without delay, but he carried her to a nearby couch instead.
His fingers probed gently around her head as he searched for swelling. With one careless touch of his hand against the side of her face, Lacey’s body melted into the sofa cushions like a pool of hot wax. She briefly fantasized about pulling his face toward her so she could feel the sweet pressure of his perfectly formed lips.
It really had been too long, she realized. Immersing herself in her work had definitely made her sex life come screeching to a halt. But hanging out in funeral parlors was generally not the best way to meet men…until today.
His hand became entangled in her updo as he continued to feel for inflammation. He must be a doctor, Lacey decided. He couldn’t be an E.M.T. or every unattached woman in Annapolis would be dialing 911 more frequently than Papa John’s.
“Do you mind?” he asked.
“Not at all,” Lacey responded breathlessly before realizing she had no idea what she had just agreed to.
He pulled out her hair clip and let her brown locks tumble around her. The tiniest hint of arousal sparked in his eyes, but it disappeared quickly replaced by a stoic countenance.
Damn.
“Can you tell me your name?” he asked, slipping her hair clip into his pocket.
Lacey’s heart soared a moment with the hope he might be interested in her. She hadn’t attracted a man this hot since…well, never.
“Lacey Owens.”
“Who is the President of the United States?”
Crash and burn. He was only concerned about whether she had a head injury. “No one I voted for,” she muttered, her ego deflating. “Really, thanks for your concern, but I’m perfectly fine.” She felt the sting of disappointment as he let her stand up on her own, secretly hoping he’d throw her back on the couch and ravish her. Except for the fifty or so people crowded around them, it would have been the perfect opportunity.
An elderly woman approached, extending her hand. “My dear, that was quite a fall. Are you all right?”
It was Edith Baker, the woman she had been trying to talk to when she crashed into…
Him! Lacey suddenly realized that her knight-in-wool-blend-Brooks-Brothers was the reason for her fall. No wonder he was so interested in whether she was all right. He probably thought she was planning on suing him.
Figures.
“Are you all right?” the woman repeated. “I really think you should sit down again.”
“No—I mean—I really am fine.” Brushing herself off, she struggled to regain some shred of dignity. “You’re Mrs. Baker. I wanted to extend to you my sympathy. I’m Lacey Owens.”
“Thank you. I’m so glad you’re all right. How did you know Don?”
That question used to stump Lacey. But after a year of honing her funeral crashing skills, she could smoothly answer, “I only knew of him. But he’s done so much incredible research for the hospital, I felt compelled to pay my respects.”
“So you are a doctor, too?”
“No,” Lacey laughed. “Actually, I’m a real estate agent. But I read all the hospital newsletters, so became familiar with his work.” She felt a wave of skepticism coming from the muscle-bound specimen who stood protectively at Mrs. Baker’s side. “What your husband achieved in his cancer research has saved so many lives.” She sinuously shifted the focus off of herself like a pro.
“He was a dedicated man,” Mrs. Baker agreed, “and a wonderful husband.”
“He obviously loved you a great deal.”
“Owens,” the elderly woman suddenly repeated thoughtfully. “You sent that lovely flower arrangement with stargazer lilies, didn’t you?”
“I had read once that your husband said it was your favorite flower. As a surprise for you, he filled the room with them for the hospital fundraiser you chaired last spring. I can’t imagine having a husband who cherished me like that.”
The once-grieving face of the widow instantly transformed with a smile from the memory. Lacey saw the man standing next to her soften, and he touched the older woman’s arm tenderly as though he might be her son.