Free Lady Be Good by Nancy Martin Page A

of arguing, but it’s over fast. You, though—you don’t want to argue at all. It’s—unsatisfying.”
    “Actually, I find it perfectly satisfying.”
    “Princess,” he began. Then, “No. Look, I get that we’re from two different worlds. I’ve never spent much time around anyone like you. Last night we had kind of a cultural exchange—you know, lost tribe of Borneo meets royal family of Sweden, or something.”
    Grace frowned. She really didn’t want to be cast as the royal family of anywhere, but Sweden made her sound awfully … remote. “I don’t understand where you’re going with this.”
    “Thing is, I’m sorry if I came on strong about Jake Kendall. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
    “You may have noticed I didn’t exactly faint with fright. But I’ll finish my breakfast and dress and call a cab. You may have your lovely house to yourself again.”
    “That’s not what I mean.”
    Luke came over and straddled the stool on the opposite side of the island. He put both his elbows on the counter and began to tear the skin off his grapefruit, unaware of her puzzled scrutiny. “Things might have gone differently if we hadn’t, you know, had that disagreement about Jake.”
    “Gone differently how?”
    He thought about how to explain and finally said, “Last night you saw how people around here react when they see me, right? Everybody makes a fuss, which is nice, I get it. But you only saw half of it. Women—Well, if you hadn’t been with me in the bar last night, I’d probably have had six offers to get my passport stamped, you know what I mean? You’re just about the only woman I’ve bumped into in the last ten years who didn’t try to give me a lap dance on the spot. Okay, I’ve had a couple of pretty great lap dances in my lifetime, and I’m not opposed in theory, but, c’mon, I don’t need one from every woman I meet.”
    Grace tried to say something, but the only thing that came out was a squeak.
    Luke went on. “You’re different. I catch you looking at me out of the corners of your eyes and blushing, and that’s cute. It’s a little sexy, too. But you’re not taking off your clothes in my kitchen and getting down on your knees to prove something. Last night when I turned around and you were unbuttoning your blouse, that’s where I thought you were headed. But I was wrong. Which was, y’know, new for me. And, bottom line, except for the Jake discussion, we hit it off, right?”
    “Right,” Grace said, hoping she wasn’t blushing at that exact moment. “What are you trying to say?”
    “Okay, here it is. I’m not ready to put you on a plane and never see you again.”
    Flustered, Grace said, “That’s very—it’s nice of you to say that, but I have places to go.
    Not just today. Tomorrow, too. For weeks, actually.”
    “I know that. So I’ve got a suggestion.”
    Mesmerized by the way he thrust his thumbs down into the grapefruit to section it, Grace knew her voice sounded unsteady. “A suggestion?”
    He popped a section of fruit into his mouth. With the back of his hand he caught a dribble of juice before it left his lip. “Why don’t I take you?”
    Grace stared at him across the counter, hoping that something was going to make sense soon. “Take me?” she said blankly.
    “To Philadelphia.” At last, his blue eyes met hers directly. “I’ll drive you.”
    “The whole way to Philadelphia? I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
    “You’re not asking. I’m offering. The weather’s beautiful—couldn’t be better. The roads are clear and the sun’s out already. It’ll be a nice ride.”
    “You’re very kind, but I couldn’t possibly—”
    “Quit being so damn polite and think about it.” He tore off another section of grapefruit and held it out to her. “If we leave in half an hour or so, you’ll be in Philly by noon.”
    Grace accepted the grapefruit without thinking. She couldn’t quite get her mind around his proposition. “What if I say up