Free A Match Made by Cupid (Harlequin Special Edition) by Tracy Madison Page A

fall into both categories. There is nothing that says a person can’t be both.”
    “You’re right.” His grin widened. “But you don’t know me well enough to determine what traits of mine can or cannot be changed, so the stripe and spot comparison is out.”
    “Oh, the entire city knows you well enough to make that claim.”
    “As for the other…I’m not old, darlin’. And trust me when I say that I am more than willing—and capable—of learning new tricks.”
    She searched for a comeback and found nothing. Probably because her mind was centered on his statement…on what type of new tricks he was willing to learn. She chomped down on the inside of her mouth, thinking the pain might startle her dazed brain into coherency. When that proved unsuccessful, she swallowed a large gulp of coffee.
    The rush of hot liquid burned the back of her throat, settled and refused to go down. She clamped her lips shut to stop herself from spewing coffee everywhere. Tears filled her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. She reached blindly, searching for a napkin as the coughs she couldn’t contain came free. Her cheeks grew hot again, this time in embarrassment.
    Jace was at her side in heartbeat. He placed his hand on her back, in the space between her shoulder blades, and rubbed in wide, firm circles. “Drank too fast, didn’t you?” he said calmly, almost as if he were trying to soothe a child. “I’ve done that before. Sucks when it’s something hot. Just give yourself a minute, and you’ll be fine.”
    Melanie nodded and took in careful, small breaths. When she was able to talk, she said, “Some water might be good.” She stared at the table, not wanting to turn toward him until she had the chance to clean herself up. “Do you mind getting me a bottle?”
    His hand dropped away, and she felt his body shift. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him walk toward the front of the coffee shop. The second she knew he wasn’t going to look at her, she found the napkin and dried her face. Bemused humor replaced some of her humiliation. It was a darn good thing she wasn’t trying to seduce Jace, because choking on coffee could not be described as sexy.
    One little comment, and she’d forgotten how to drink. Awesome. Dabbing at her shirt, she sopped up some of the dampness and tried to work out why Jace had this…power over her. It was more than his good looks, his charm. It had to be. She’d met plenty of handsome, charming men in her lifetime. She’d dealt with relentless flirters before. She’d walked away from every single one of them without a second thought.
    But Jace seemed to be of a different species. A man whose mere presence made her feel as if she’d been struck by lightning. God help her, she understood for maybe the first time in her life why women did such crazy things to get the attention of “the perfect man.”
    Good grief. Jace was not the perfect man. He wasn’t irresistible. He couldn’t be. He was nothing but a novelty. Probably, she thought, after spending the next several weeks with him, she wouldn’t find him any more appealing than any other man.
    Maybe, instead of trying to avoid spending time with Jace, she should be spending as much time as possible with him. Wouldn’t she get used to him quicker that way? Wouldn’t his…appeal…become less intense as she acclimated herself to him?
    “You doing okay now?” Jace asked with a considering once-over when he returned. He handed her the water bottle and sat down. “No need to call nine-one-one or anything, is there?”
    “Much better now.” She unscrewed the top from the water bottle and took a careful sip. “Thank you for this. I…tend to be on the clumsy side.”
    A faint smile appeared. “I’ve noticed. How many broken bones did you have as a kid?”
    “None, actually. I’m clumsy around normal, everyday objects. Like flat ground and invisible globs of air.” She shrugged. “But dangerous stuff like climbing trees I never