Free Love Match by Regina Carlysle Page B

moved his face close enough
that she could feel his breath slide warmly across her cheek. “What’s dumb is
that I took off the way I did, thinking that somewhere along the way I’d find
home. I went on the pro tennis tour thinking I’d travel the world and maybe
somewhere I’d find my place and someone who gave a shit about me. Talk about
dumb. I’d been holding home in my arms for the past four years and never
realized it until I looked up one day and you were married to someone else.”
    Chloe lost her ability to breathe. Lust and love and a crazy
kind of terror caught her up.
    His eyes went soft and heavy lidded as he lowered his head
and took her lips, softly at first, and then with a hunger she hadn’t
experienced in years. His tongue swept along her bottom lip then sank deep into
the depths of her mouth for a full tasting, and God help her, she returned his
kiss with unexpected fervor that had her practically panting. His hand
tightened and she drank in the rough sound he made. Finally he pulled back. His
breathing was sharp and ragged. “There’s not a dumb bone in your body,
sweetheart. Matter of fact, right now I believe we’re thinking very much
alike.”
    He stepped back and closed the lid on the trunk with a snap
of finality before dragging his thumb along the length of her tingling, swollen
bottom lip. “See you tonight, Chloe.”
    * * * * *
    The din of voices in the main ballroom of the Ambassador the
crowd, the music—none of it prevented her from feeling Ace’s gaze on her. For
roughly the past hour, he’d stood across the room nursing a beer as he talked
to a couple of guys whom she vaguely recognized from their college days.
    Nervously she smoothed her hands down the sides of her
midnight-blue cocktail dress and tried not to feel out of place. Crowds weren’t
her thing and that was a fact. Perhaps it had been this bit of insecurity that
had prompted her to splurge on the hot little number she wore. Before heading
out tonight, Lindy and the other girls had assured her that she looked good
enough to eat. Hm. Considering the way Ace kissed her in the parking lot, she
didn’t think that was a problem.
    But was she ready for a steamy little fling?
    Was she ready for a man like Ace?
    A shiver of awareness shook her as she recalled the way he’d
brought her poor, tired body to screaming, aching life in the parking lot hours
earlier.
    The boy she’d known ten years ago was a man now, and one who
knew what he wanted. Looked as though he wanted her. But why? Ace Banner had
traveled the world, first as a tennis player and then as a photographer
well-known for his dazzling sports photos. All the major magazines and news
service agencies used his work. How was a small-town nobody like her supposed
to compete with the glamorous, exotic women he’d surely had spread out beneath
him in bed?
    With hands that shook, Chloe grabbed a cocktail napkin and a
small plate and picked around the festive finger foods. It was a heck of a
spread for sure, but she had no clue why she was there. Nerves had descended
and any bit of earlier hunger evaporated as she felt Ace watching her. Then
suddenly he was there. His hand settled at the dip of her lower back. A pair of
warm lips settled near her ear for a soft kiss. Sensation raced over her neck
and breasts at the feel of his breath on her skin.
    “Ace.”
    “Hey, beautiful.” He flashed her a wicked grin. His hand
stroked her gently before he stepped back to look at her. “Been waiting all
night for a chance to talk to you. Figured I’d better make my move before these
other single guys get any ideas.”
    He handed his empty bottle to a passing waiter, grabbed
another long-necked beer for himself and a glass of sparkling white wine for
her.
    “This okay?” he asked, holding the flute up for her
inspection. “I assume you still don’t like beer much.”
    She smiled. “The wine is fine. Thanks. Are you hungry?”
    Next to her, he went quiet and she glanced up to