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Her lips flattened, and the cherries that had tasted so good just o now felt like little round bricks in the pit of her stomach She worked to keep her voice steady "So that’s why you askedyour product?"

His eyes searched her face for a long moment, and she could see his sudden confusion at her cool reaction She could al his with her already

Especially when he clearly thought he needed her to make his dreams come true…

"Mary?" Jack shook his head, the tips of his hair ain "Yes, but it wasn’t the only reason"

Of course he had to say that With asshe’d been gazing at hier when he’d siains all the while, she carefully slid out of the booth "Thank you for the pie and coffee"

Jack reached for her hand before she could take more than a step away from the table She looked down and sa tanned his skin was against hers, how large his hand was as he held hers

"Please, Mary, don’t go"

God, it was pathetic how much she wanted to stay, even now that she knew the real reason he’d wanted to meet her It now seemed as if the idea that she could eventually convince him to want more than that was mere fantasy

But that wasn’t how love worked She’d learned over and over throughout the years that there was no point in wishing for a miracle…even at Christ anymore" She didn’t owe him any explanations, but she hated to co out because she hadn’t gotten her way…or because he’d inadvertently hurt her too-delicate feelings "I’m sure you’ll find someone perfect to represent your product"

She waited for hihter "I already have found somebody perfect, Mary" She couldn’t help but lift her eyes to meet his as he said, "You’re perfect"

It hat she’d fought so long--the false perception that she was perfect "I’ she expected hiht How could anyone be perfect with ice cream and cherry juice on her face?"

He brushed the corner of her er and so much warmth flooded her from the tiny touch that she was amazed all of the ice in the diner didn’t ht then and there just froenerated between the two of theht his finger to his own lips and ran his tongue over his fingertip to lick off the cherry juice and ice creas out in the right order this ti enough now that people were starting to stare A few of them pointed to her and she heard her name in loud whispers But none of thatbefore her did

He’d had her at the surprisingly sweet coentle touch to her lips, but she would never forgive herself for folding that easily "The right order?"

He nodded and ainst hers "My invention isn’t the only reason I wanted to take you for pie and coffee"

"It isn’t?"

"You’ve got to understand, Angel, a man like oing to screw things up"

He had no right to make up a nickna voice And she had no business enjoying both those things

But, for all her vows to protect herself from men like him who only wanted her for the improve away fro, "It is?" in a breathless voice that hardly see darker still as they dropped to her lips for a split second, then ot class Beauty Intelligence" He gestured to hiree that tookwill finally becootten down on one knee to praise her beauty, if he had rhapsodized about her "charms," she would have forced herself to slip her hand from his and walk away

But talk of drea she’d always understood, how they could take hold of you and ht as she studied hi that once Jack Sullivan , he wouldn’t take no for an answer And the truth was that the reason she hadn’t chosen a new direction for her career yet was because she wasn’t terribly excited about any of the opportunities that had coy like this would be fresh Exciting Yes, it y had rarely been paired successfully But Mary hadn’t let herself step into a position to fail in a very long tiain

The biggest question re hether the risk would be strictly professional…or personal, too? Because when he’d called her Angel, the sweet endearrown so cold