Free Operation Prince Charming by Phyllis Bourne

buddy. We’re just friends.”
    “She nice,” the middle boy said.
    “And pretty,” the youngest one of the brood chimed in.
    Hunter’s gaze flitted back to Ali, taking in her smooth caramel skin and glossy pink lips. He couldn’t help noticing the kids had a point. She was nice.
    However, they were wrong about her being merely pretty. Ali Spencer was beautiful.
    The realization lingered in the back of his mind as he drove her back to the restaurant to pick up her car. And again he reminded himself he had absolutely nothing to feel guilty over. He was simply a man who noticed an attractive woman.
    He switched the radio on. Not that Ali was the least bit interested in him anyway.
    “I hope the home-cooked meal made up for the mess I made of our lesson,” he said.
    Jazz covers of hip-hop tunes played softly in the background as he steered the car through the quiet residential neighborhood toward the main artery that fed into the interstate.
    “It was great,” she said. “I know it’s rude to go for seconds after showing up at dinner uninvited, but I couldn’t help myself. Hopefully, I didn’t embarrass you too badly.”
    “Honey, my face was buried too deeply in my own plate to notice.”
    She laughed and he took a moment to enjoy the melodious sound. The wall she’d erected around herself had slipped a few times tonight,and he’d caught her smiling at Pete and Sandy’s banter or giggling at one of the boy’s knock-knock jokes. To her credit, she didn’t check anyone on table manners violations, and he was sure there were plenty of them. Instead she’d blended in seamlessly with him and his friends as if she dined with them every night.
    He sneaked a peek of her in his peripheral vision. The hem of her dress had ridden up several inches, giving him a decadent eyeful of shapely thighs he knew led down to a pair of exceptionally appealing legs.
    The car swerved, and he forced his attention back to the road. He gripped the steering wheel tighter as if it would help him get a hold of his wayward thoughts.
    “Thank you for bringing me along tonight,” she said. “It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a meal with other people…” Her voice trailed off.
    “Glad you enjoyed yourself.”
    He glanced toward the passenger seat and saw her staring out of the window.
    “Your friends really care about you,” she said.
    Sadness tinged her tone, making him wish there was something he could say or do to make it go away.
    “I’m sure your friends back in Florida miss you too,” he offered.
    “They weren’t my friends.”
    They rode the remaining minutes to the restaurant in silence.
    “It’s the red Honda,” she said as he pulled into the parking lot.
    The lot was more crowded than when they’d left with European luxury sedans taking up nearly every space. Hunter slid into the first open spot he could find.
    “Wait,” he said, when he saw her go for the door handle.
    Rounding the car, he held open the passenger-side door. “I may not know the difference between water and sherry glasses, but I’ve always known how to treat a woman.”
    Ali jerked to her feet too fast and stumbled. Instinctively, Hunter reached out to steady her, and their eyes met. Heat sizzled where his hands touched the soft skin of her bare arms.
    He inhaled the citrusy scent of her perfume as his gaze dropped down to her glossy pink lips.
    Hunter knew he should take his hands off her. Instead he drew her closer. The streetlights illuminated her face in the darkness, and her eyes locked with his.
    Hunter couldn’t remember ever wanting to kiss a woman as much as he wanted to kiss this one.
    A car horn blasted and Ali jerked back, breaking the spell she’d somehow weaved around him.
    He opened his mouth to apologize to give her some kind of explanation for his behavior, but he didn’t have one.
    “Good night, Hunter.” Ali practically ran to her car.
    He simply stood there, his mouth agape, watching the taillights of her car