She thought frantically about the jewelry at her ears and neck. Why hadn’t she taken them off? Why had she taken them out?
Maybe he wouldn’t notice. How could he not notice?
It would be hard to believe her now if she said she’d been planning to return the jewelry to him—because if she couldn’t have him, she didn’t want anything.
Maybe he’d think she was going to pawn the jewelry, she thought miserably, just as she’d done with her engagement ring.
“I’ve got an appointment,” he said, and dumped the coat he was holding onto a nearby chair, seemingly unaware of her turmoil.
Suddenly, two thoughts came together. “You’re the person Candace booked for six o’clock?”
“The one and only.”
She thought back to Candace’s vague and obfuscating answers to her questions about the new client scheduled for the end of the day.
“He called when you were out earlier this week,” Candace had said breezily. “Sorry I forgot to mention it before now, but later today was the only time he could do.”
She and Candace definitely needed to talk about office procedure, Lauren thought dimly. Specifically, they needed to address the issue of booking former lovers for appointments without letting the boss know.
“I’ve been thinking about what I’m looking for in a woman, and I have a better idea.” He paused. “My requirements have changed a bit.”
Her spirits sank, and she rushed to protect her vulnerable heart. “Lovely. And what does this have to do with me?”
He arched a brow. “You’re still in the matchmaking business, aren’t you? I thought getting Boston’s number one bachelor married off was your big goal.”
It had been. Once.
“If the past holds true,” he went on, “I should be named the Sentinel’s Most Eligible Bachelor again any day now.”
“I thought you wanted to find Ms. Right before that could happen,” she countered.
His lips quirked. “This shouldn’t take long. I’ve clarified what I’m looking for.”
He was asking her to help him find her replacement? His nerve left her breathless. She couldn’t believe he was here, let alone asking her to work for him again.
She was so caught off guard, however, and still worried about the jewelry—though he appeared not to have noticed it—that all she could think of doing was retreating to the familiar. “All right, let me get a pad.”
It was just possible he thought he was doing her a favor. After all, staging a coup for Ideal Match had been high on her priority list.
But not now. Her mind fled back to nights of pure passion, tangled sheets and soft moans.
Forcing her thoughts back to the issue at hand, she walked to the reception desk on rubbery legs and fumbled for a pad and pen. “Okay, what are you looking for?”
“Down-to-earth,” he responded resolutely.
“Yes, you said that before.”
“Petite.”
She frowned. “You already indicated you’d be open to the possibility.”
“More than open,” he said. “It’s what I’m looking for.”
She gave him a skeptical look.
He shrugged. “I like the height difference and the…compactness.”
She jotted. “Anything else?”
She was willing to play along with his game, because the sooner she got him out of here, the better. Then she could go home and have herself a good cry.
“Yes.” He took a step closer. “I like long hair.”
“Many men prefer long hair.”
“Count me among them,” he said, “and among those who prefer green-eyed brunettes.”
She thought back to the women she’d tried to set him up with who’d had that coloring. He’d rejected them both. Then she thought again about what Candace had said, and shied away from the thought.
He looked around. “Can we sit down?”
“Of course.” She was stuck in professional gear, even as her mind shrieked this was so much more.
She walked over to the couch and sat down.
After taking a seat next to her, he turned toward her and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his legs and clasp his hands between them. “I’m looking for a woman who can handle some business entertaining, preferably while looking spectacular in a green satin gown.”
Her hand skittered across the page, but after a moment, she picked up writing where she’d left off.
“Someone who’s kind but ambitious.” He smiled briefly. “Entrepreneurial, let’s say, and maybe with her own business already.”
She scribbled, not knowing what she was writing.
“Someone with some fashion and decorating sense, who can compensate for my shortcomings there.”
She kept her eyes on the pad in front of her. Her heart beat so loudly, she was sure he could hear it.
“I want a woman softhearted enough to adopt a cat from a shelter but steely enough to handle me.”
He reached out and removed the pad and paper from her nerveless fingers. “I want a woman,” he said in a low voice, “who’s dealt with life’s setbacks and come out on top despite them.”
He cupped her shoulders and turned her toward him, forcing her to look directly at him. “I want a woman who’s terrific in bed—a woman who turns me on just by walking in the room. I’d love a woman like that.”
She felt sluggish even as the blood roared in her ears.
He looked at her with glittery, hooded eyes. “I do love her.”
His lips came down on hers, and he molded her mouth with his.
Her lips parted to give him entry, and the kiss turned deep and searching.
When he finally lifted his head, he said simply, “Marry me.”
A wave of longing washed over her, turning her insides to mush. She’d wanted him so badly and had missed him so much this past week.
“Marry me, and let’s raise Felix together.”
A strangled laugh escaped her even as she choked up. “I felt betrayed and deceived by you. It hurt more than what Parker did.”
He nodded. “When I realized you were more upset with me than you were at Parker, I was betting it was because you cared more.” He smiled. “Well, that and what Candace said.”
“What exactly did Candace say?”
His eyes crinkled with amusement. “Just that you were lonesome and sad this week—”
Her eyes widened.
“—and that she was glad I called with a plan to show up on your doorstep, because in her opinion, I should get my butt over here pronto if I was tired of waiting for the rest of my life to get started.”