Worth the Risk_ A Contemporary - Megan Hart Page 0,123

the cause of it in more than one woman.

Lila wasn’t the type to hop into bed with anyone, he reminded himself. But if she was, it would be with a man like him. The words had come straight from her mouth. It all came down to the same thing again. His face. His body. All the things God and fate had seen fit to grant him with no effort on his part. Not his level temper or sense of humor, or even his successful business. None of that had mattered. What upset him most of all was he had thought he and Lila had made a connection beyond the physical. Obviously, he was wrong.

"‘Morning, boss," Emma greeted Tom as he slammed through the front door. "Have a nice night?"

She must have guessed the answer by his stormy expression because the grin on her freckled face was replaced by a look of concern. "You okay?"

He gritted his teeth "Fine."

"Woman trouble?"

Tom glared at her. "The last thing I want to do this morning is discuss my love life with my niece. I’m going up to take a shower. Then I’m going by the restaurant."

Emma let out a slow whistle. "Woman trouble, all right."

Tom ignored her, instead climbing the wide-set stairs two at a time. Tom entered the bedroom, tossed off his coat, and pulled his shirt over his head. Then he realized he was still wearing the fleece pants he’d borrowed from Lila.

Sinking into the overstuffed chair in the corner, he sat with fists clenched on his thighs. His stomach churned fiercely. Never had a woman knocked him so low with such a casual comment.

"Damn!"

The invective only made him feel slightly better. He tried a few more, growing progressively fouler until last he’d exhausted his store of creative curses. He still felt lousy.

He’d started the day feeling so great. Tom had never quite learned how to wake up with a woman in his arms. Yet, with Lila it had just seemed natural. It had seemed impossible to do anything else.

His fists unclenched. True, they didn’t seem to have much in common. Everything from their taste in movies to the brand of cola they drank was different. Yet, talking to her had been as satisfying as making love to her had been. He could have talked to Lila for hours or sat silently with her for just as long and never become restless.

Tom had never really been in love, though he’d said the words perhaps half a dozen times. He’d never fallen hard for any woman before, preferring instead to remain commitment-free. It wasn’t that he’d been concerned about keeping himself open for something better to come along, as most of his buddies were. It was more that no woman he’d ever dated had ever bothered to look beyond the face and body, which, until last night, had been fine, since he’d been doing pretty much the same.

Lila had led him to believe she’d made love to him in spite of his face, not because of it. She’d really fooled him, made him a fool. The sooner he forgot about her, the better off he’d be. But damn! Why did it have to make him feel like his chest was filled with broken glass?

The wildflowers in Lila’s hand were an explosion of expensive, off-season color. Vibrant, brilliant purple mingled with golden yellow, fiery orange, and stunning red. A single white rose centered the bouquet and gave it the touch of class Lila wanted.

The Foxfire was busy with its lunch-time crowd. Mothers with toddlers in strollers sat next to business-suited executives and denim-clad college students. The place was packed. Great. Just what she needed—an audience to her folly.

Lila took a deep breath and clutched the bouquet in front of her like a shield before she pushed through the frosted glass door. Only when her fingernails began cutting into her palm did she notice how tightly she held the flowers. She forced her fingers to relax.

"One for lunch?" The hostess was the same tall, cool blonde whose makeup looked like it had been applied with an artist’s brush. Every feature was lined or enhanced, but so subtly it was difficult to pin the effects on rouge or eyeshadow. She made Lila feel like she’d rolled out of bed without bothering to brush her hair or her teeth.

"Actually, I’m here to see the owner."

The hostess blinked twice and looked at Lila with new eyes. Her liquid green gaze took in the flowers, and a tiny smile