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"Six dozen"

Teri groaned They iven her le rose

"I hope you like chocolates," he said next "I have ten pounds from the top six candy companies around the world Bobby didn’t know if you had a preference, so he wanted all the bases covered"

"Ten pounds of chocolate?" No ive an overweight girlfriend candy

"They’re in the car, along with the perfume"

"Perfume?" Hands on her hips, Teri studied Bobby’s driver "What’s this about?"

"Well, Miss Teri…" James reue omen like, and his friend said flowers, candy, perfume and sentimental cards"

"Where’s Bobby?"

"In the car," Janing the cards"

"Cards?"

"The sentih, the stretch limo was parked in a lot reserved for the occupants of the aparthbors had stepped outside to gawk at it Her neighborhood wasn’t accusto cars that required uniforhbors and opened the passenger door Without waiting for an invitation, she cliar, pen in hand Boxes of chocolates were stacked beside him, as well as a pile of sealed envelopes and a stack of expensive perfu across from him She tried to sound stern, and yet she couldn’t deny her thrill of happiness

"You askedbehind the dark-rilasses "I didn’t call"

"But--"

"I would’ve arrived two days ago but I was in the middle of a ry "Why are you here?" she repeated, at a loss to understand thistime, and then he blurted out, "I need a haircut"

"Anyone qualified to cut hair can do that You didn’t have to fly halfway around the world for me to do it"

"I didn’t want anyone else"

"Why the roses and the chocolates--and everything else?" She gestured toward the perfuifts woestions The real question hy he felt he needed to present her with gifts at all

He shifted uncolanced around the vehicle He seemed to look everywhere but at her "I didn’t knohat I’d done that you’d askto you I looked forward to it"

"I did, too," she reluctantly confessed

"You did?" He wrinkled his brow "Then why did you ured it out, she couldn’t explain it

"Experts have calculated that I’ve comurations," he said "I look at a chessboard and within seconds I can figure out how anyto play out I know chess, but I don’t knoomen I want to know you I like you"

"I like you, too In fact, I like you a lot and that frightens ht as well tell hient"

He shrugged, apparently unconcerned "I don’t think that’s true But even if it is, I’h for both of us Did you like the roses?"

"They’re beautiful"

"May I kiss you now?"

She laughed and then realized he was serious He watched her, anticipating her kiss He met her eyes and extended his hand to her

Crouching, she made her way toward him Because of all the candy and perfume stacked next to him, she had to sit on his lap She slid her arlasses, folded theave hi smile and leaned forward so their lips could meet

As kisses went, this one was pretty taht know plenty of chess moves, but that was the only kind of move he knew He sure didn’t have a lot of sexual finesse Well…he h brains for both of theh experience

Bobby cleared his throat after two follow-up kisses, each lengthier and more intense than the one before

"That was very nice," Bobby whispered He see

"Yes, it was Are you ready for your haircut?"

He cleared his throat a second tione back inside when Teri eoodness for tinted s! If any of the stragglers recognized Bobby, they didn’t say anything Bobby gave his driver instructions to return in a couple of hours and accompanied Teri into her s to have company, she would’ve cleaned the place up a bit Bobby didn’t see Martha Stewart any co but her

"What?" she muttered, uncomfortable with the way his eyes followed her everydifferent about you," he commented

"I dyed estured for him to sit She kept a spare cape in a botto it at the neck

"Why did you change your hair color?" he asked "I liked it the way you had it the last time I saw you"

"I was in a black mood," she said and went briefly to her bedroom to retrieve scissors and a co his hair when he announced, "I want to marry you"

Teri lowered her arms and exhaled harshly "Stop it"

"I mean it"