Free Steal My Heart (Bachelors & Bridesmaids) by Barbara Freethy Page A

bouquet."
    He smiled at her grumpy tone. "I thought girls wanted to catch the bouquet."
    "Well, I didn't. Now all I hear from them every time we get together is when am I going to find someone so I can make the bouquet toss come true."
    "That's a lot of pressure." He set the photo down. "You're lucky, Lizzie. You have a wonderful family and a lot of good friends."
    "I am lucky. I want you to know that I do appreciate how great you've been. You made this Sunday really nice for my dad, and he hasn't had a lot of good days lately."
    "He's getting better though, right?"
    She shrugged. "We don't really know. We hope so. But he has to get through this next round of chemo before they can tell us where he's at. This has been the worst thing I've ever had to go through. It's hard to see him sick, because he was always such a strong man. Now, sometimes I look at him, and he's so fragile. It's terrifying. He's not that old. He's in his early sixties. This shouldn't be happening now."
    "You're right. He's too young."
    She was glad that he didn't try to tell her everything would be all right, because no one knew that for sure, and the words always rang hollow. "Thanks." She walked over to the French doors leading out to a small deck. She needed a little air.
    Michael followed her out on the deck. They stood in silence for a moment, looking out at the trees, the stars and the quiet night.
    "This was my dreaming place," she murmured, not sure why she felt the need to tell him that, but ever since she'd come home, she'd lost some of her defenses.
    "What did you dream about?"
    "Becoming something amazing. I didn't know what that something would be, but I knew it was out there."
    "Have you found it yet?"
    She wanted to say yes, but the word wouldn't come out. She settled for, "I don't know."
    "That means you haven't found it." He paused. "I saw you up here that night I came to your house to talk to you."
    "The night you chickened out?"
    "You were standing right here and there was a little glow over your head from the moonlight. You looked like an angel."
    She stared at him in astonishment. "Are you serious?"
    "I am," he said quietly, no trace of amusement in his eyes now. "You were beautiful then, Liz, and you're even prettier now. I really wanted to kiss you, and I wanted you to kiss me back, instead of punching me in the nose."
    Her heart was suddenly thumping against her chest. "You had a girlfriend, I'm pretty sure."
    "No, I didn't. There were girls around, but I wasn't seeing anyone in particular. No one interested me as much as you did."
    "Maybe I was just a challenge," she suggested, her voice a little breathless, because she felt like one of her childhood dreams was coming true right this minute.
    "You were always a challenge. You still are."
    "You're trying to spook me, to manipulate me, to get my mind off our competition," she said, suddenly feeling a little desperate.
    "No, Liz. I'm not thinking about work. I'm thinking about kissing you, right here, right now."
    He moved forward and she backed up against the rail. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "So, what's stopping you?" she asked as his gaze moved from her eyes to her lips, but he made no move to make good on his desire.
    "I don't think I could handle another broken nose."
    She stared back at him, indecision running through her mind. But her mind was having a war right now with her body and with her emotions. It might be the stupidest move of her life, but she wanted to kiss Michael.
    "I wouldn't hit you," she said softly.
    "Is that a promise?"
    She nodded. "Yes, but if you don't kiss me in the next ten seconds, I'm probably going to change—"
    He cut off her words with a hot, purposeful kiss that went way beyond her wildest teenage imaginings. And Michael wasn't kissing her like a boy but like a man, a man who know what he wanted and expected to get it. Right now, he wanted her. She could hardly wrap her mind around that fact. But then her brain had turned to mush with the