Free Lady Be Good by Nancy Martin

T-shirt made no secret of his physique. Grace found her attention wandering across the contours of the shirt, and she felt her mouth go a little dry. But she managed to say, “Do you work out every day?”
    “Of course. Don’t you? I mean, you look like you do.”
    Grace certainly did not work out every day and in fact avoided perspiration at all costs. There was a yoga class she enjoyed a few times a week, although that probably didn’t qualify as working out to someone who had been a professional athlete.
    Grace decided to save herself the embarrassment by not answering the question. “Did you sleep well?”
    “Not really, no.”
    He headed to the kitchen sink and turned on the tap full blast. He cupped his hands and bent forward to slosh the water over his face and down his neck. She could almost see steam rising from his skin.
    Luke finished washing up and dried his face without turning around. The rear view of him was just as spectacular as the front. A wide back, slim hips, and the kind of behind underwear models worked hard for.
    Grace took a swift, vicious bite of her toast and looked out the window.
    Trying to sound calm, she said, “I took the liberty of making breakfast for myself. Shall I make something for you?”
    “No, thanks. I had a protein shake a while ago. I’ll spin you one, if you want.”
    Grace had a feeling his protein shake would involve a lot of uber-healthy ingredients she didn’t want to think about in such early hours. “Toast is fine.”
    “Coffee?”
    “I don’t usually drink coffee. I’m a tea person.”
    “I don’t have any tea, sorry.”
    “I don’t need any, thank you.”
    Mundane conversation completed, he poured himself a mug of coffee and finally turned around, leaning against the counter to look down at her. The shirt hung loosely around his midsection, and a prodigious stain of sweat darkened his chest.
    Wait. Was he teasing her with all this resplendent masculinity? If she wasn’t mistaken, there was a tiny twinkle at the back of his eyes. Grace looked out the window at the bird feeder again and hoped he hadn’t guessed that he was succeeding in blowing a fuse in her brain.
    Composed, she re-arranged her toast on the plate. “I slept like a baby last night. The bed was heaven.”
    Luke looked as if he hadn’t heard. Was he standing close enough to catch the scent of last night’s bath salts? Had he noticed her hair? The red camisole? Or maybe his attention had wandered back down to his gym. She couldn’t be sure. She picked up a wedge of toast again.
    Suddenly, he seemed to snap out of his reverie. “I called the airport. There’s a guy I call when I need a travel favor. He says there’s a flight at ten-thirty. He can get you a seat, if you want it.”
    “Oh.” Grace put down her toast.
    He noted her reaction and frowned. “I thought you’d be pleased, after last night.”
    Grace met his gaze and blinked. “After last night?”
    He set his coffee on the counter and ducked his head into the refrigerator. “Yeah. Staying here, I mean.”
    “I—” Grace floundered for a moment. “I apologize if I wasn’t appropriately grateful. You’ve been more than hospitable. The bathroom is especially lovely. I soaked for an hour. It was very relaxing.”
    Luke straightened to his full height, casually tossing a grapefruit from one hand to the other like a juggler. “That’s not what I mean. Do you want some grapefruit?”
    “No, thank you.” Grace was having a hard time figuring out what he was trying to say. “Honestly, Mr. Lazur—I mean Luke, you’ve been charming and very gracious, and I appreciate what you’ve done for me. I’m sorry if I didn’t express—”
    “Don’t say you’re sorry.” He began to peel the fruit with his bare hands. Juice spurted out, spraying the already damp front of his shirt, but he didn’t appear to notice. “We kinda didn’t say good night under the best terms. I mean, I come from a family that does a fair amount