Free Still the One by Lena Matthews Page B

lady won‟t be ordering anything,” said a deep voice from behind her. The
    comment didn‟t even seem to faze the bartender, who just shrugged and walked off.
    Startled, Creigh turned around and stared at the last person she‟d expected to
    see. “Dean!” Shock turned to pleasure as she stared at her husband in wonder. For
    the first time in a long time, he wasn‟t in jeans. He wasn‟t overly dressed up either,
    because that wasn‟t his way, but Creigh had never been the type of woman who
    swooned over the James Bond sort of guy. To her, Dean looked far sexier in his dark
    slacks and charcoal gray button-down shirt than Pierce Bronson did any day of the
    week. “What are you doing here?”
    Dean moved his hand from behind his back and presented her with a single
    red rose. “It‟s Valentine‟s Day. Where else would I be but with you?”
    Dazed, she took the flower from him. “But…but how did you know where I‟d
    be?”
    “I have my sources.” Dean looked toward the entrance. Turning her head,
    Creigh followed his gaze and spotted A-mei grinning from ear to ear. Her cousin
    winked at her and gave a little wave before slipping out the door.
    Amused, Creigh shook her head as she turned her attention back to Dean.
    “Why do I have a feeling I‟ve been set up?”

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    Lena Matthews

    “Because you have. I‟m kidnapping you for the night.”
    “And the kids?” Creigh asked automatically.
    “Are being taken care of. The babysitter is staying until nine, and then she‟s
    being relieved by Sergio and, believe it or not, A-mei. They‟re going to stay the
    night, and in the morning, they‟re going to drop the kids off at school and Halla off
    at daycare. Gino will pick them up and keep them at his place until we come and
    get them around four.”
    Creigh was dumbstruck. “Wow. I‟m speechless.”
    “Is that a good wow or a bad wow?”
    “Good. For sure.” Creigh might be surprised by Dean‟s sudden actions, but she
    was certainly happy about it. “I can‟t believe you went through all of this for me.”
    “Cara, I would walk through hell for you. Booking a room and arranging to
    have our kids watched for twenty-four hours pales in comparison. I‟m just upset I
    didn‟t think of it sooner.”
    Her heart jumped at his words. “You thought of it now. And that‟s all that
    matters.” Touched beyond belief, Creigh placed her hand around his waist and
    pulled him gently to her as she stretched up to him. They met somewhere in the
    middle to share a deep yet tender kiss that left Creigh breathless and more than a
    little turned on, and she could tell by the heated look in Dean‟s eyes, she wasn‟t the
    only one.
    “How do you feel about taking this party upstairs to our room?” he whispered
    against her lips.
    “Room?” This just kept getting better and better. “I thought you‟d never ask.”
    “You know me. I like to wait for the right moment with everything I do.”
    “That you do.” Creigh laughed. “Since you cut me off, can I assume you have
    something to drink upstairs?”
    Dean took her hand and helped her off the stool. “A bottle of chardonnay, a
    gourmet dinner, and a number of other surprises.”

    Still the One
    61

    “Surprises?” Creigh couldn‟t believe it. He‟d really gone all out. “What
    surprises?”
    “You‟ll have to wait and see.” Taking her by the hand, he led her out of the bar
    and down the hall to the elevators. They waited less than a minute for the polished-
    to-a-shine doors to open before they stepped in.
    Creigh‟s eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw him slip in a card
    key, then press the button for the penthouse suit. Convinced she was dreaming, she
    looked to her husband for answers. But when she saw him leaning against the wall,
    arms crossed over his chest, with a shit-eating grin on his face, she knew she wasn‟t
    imagining things at all. “Stop it.”
    “What?”
    “Are you freaking kidding me?” Creigh couldn‟t have