Falling For Gracie. Susan Mallery

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      “Why do they do that?” she asked when he opened the bottle and poured them each a glass.

      “Open the wine?” Riley asked. “Someone has to pull the cork out. I’ve tried simply breaking off the top of the bottle, but then there’s the whole shards of glass issue. Not very inviting.”

      Gracie rolled her eyes. In the soft lighting the color changed from medium blue to the color of a warm, shallow bay in summer.

      While the image was accurate, it made Riley want to give himself a good beating, then go watch sports. A shallow bay in summer? Where the hell had that come from? This was Gracie, the terrorizing stalker. Not a woman he found attractive. And even if he did think she looked pretty hot in her tight T-shirt, she wasn’t for him. The list of reasons was endless, but the three F’s were the most important. Gracie didn’t qualify.

      “Not the wine,” she said, ignoring her glass and staring longingly at the basket of bread. “That. Death.”

      He frowned. “Bread is death?”

      “Not technically, but do you know what a couple of slices can do to a woman’s hips and thighs? That’s where the bread goes. There’s a route directly from the stomach to the fat pockets where hungry little cells scarf up bread and grow round and full.”

      “Okay, now you’re scaring me.”

      She licked her lips. “You’re a guy. You wouldn’t understand about deep burning hunger for something so incredibly bad for you. Your metabolism allows you to eat the contents of an entire grocery store without gaining an ounce.”

      He might be a guy, but he knew all about hunger. If she licked her lips like that again, he was going to have to forget his rules in favor of simply taking advantage of the situation. The three F’s be damned.

      “Oh, forget it,” she said and reached for a piece of bread.

      He watched her smooth on the tiniest wedge of butter, then bite into the slice. Her eyes fluttered closed, her body relaxed and he would swear she actually moaned. Was it just him or had it gotten hot in here?

      When she swallowed, she opened her eyes and smiled. “Excellent.”

      “What else don’t you eat?” he asked.

      “Bread’s my thing. Okay, and chocolate. I can take or leave most junk food. Jill and I had lunch today at a Mexican place and while I ate a few chips, I could go months without them. But bread....”

      She started to take another bite. He had to look away because watching her eat it was too erotic. Bread. What was it with women and food?

      “What about your cakes?” he asked, careful to keep his attention on the windows.

      “Never touch ’em,” she said. “I used to sample all the time. There was an ugly ten pounds. But once I perfected my secret recipe, I didn’t bother anymore. Sometimes the fillings give me a little trouble, but I do my best to be strong. What about you?”

      He returned his attention to her and was pleased to see she’d finished her slice of bread. “I don’t bake.”

      “Aren’t you the comedian? I meant what about your life? How did you get from your oil rig to here? And why are you running for mayor?”

      “Jill didn’t tell you?”

      “You mean my closest and oldest friend for years? Spill a client secret? You have to be kidding.”

      He reached for his wine. “Did you ask?”

      She smiled. “I know you dated a lot in high school. I was there. Gee, Riley, didn’t you learn anything about women back then? Of course I asked.”

      Her complete honesty and good humor intrigued him. All those years ago, he’d never given much thought to Gracie, except to wish her far, far away from him. It wouldn’t have occurred to him he could like her.

      “I’m running for mayor to meet the terms of my uncle’s will.”

      She tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder and reached for her wine. “That doesn’t make any sense. His dying request was for you to be mayor?”

      “Something like that. He’s left everything to me, the bank, the house, his estate, on the condition I prove that I’ve become respectable by running for mayor and winning.”

      “And I thought my family was twisted. But it’s a lot of money, right? I mean that’s why you’re doing it.”

      “Excluding the bank, the estate is worth about ninety-seven million dollars.”

      She’d nearly finished swallowing her wine when he spoke. Even so, she gasped, then started to choke and cough.

      “You okay?” he asked, half rising from his seat.

      She waved him back. “I’m fine,” she said in a low croak. She coughed again, then reached for her water and took a sip.

      “Did you say ninety-seven million dollars?”

      He chuckled. “Yes. U.S. dollars. I use them, too.”

      “That’s an incredible amount of money. I love my uncle more than I could say but all he left me was a small three-bedroom house in Torrance.”

      “With no strings.”

      “True, but for that amount of money, I’d jump rope with the strings if necessary. So, wow. You’ll be the richest mayor in Los Lobos history. I guess you’ll only want to serve the one term. Then what?”

      “I haven’t decided.”

      In truth, he wasn’t planning to stay past the election. The will had stated he had to win, but had said nothing about serving out his term.

      The waiter came with their salads. When he’d left, Gracie said, “You’re running the bank, too, right? Is that weird?”

      “It’s my first desk job. While I was gone, I did a lot of studying in my spare time. I earned a bachelor’s in finance, which helps. Still, I’m constantly on the verge of screwing up. My secretary, Diane, is a big help.”

      Gracie’s expression turned knowing. “Diane, huh?”

      “She’s a treasure. In her sixties, still wears tweed suits. Bosses me around like crazy.”

      “I would never have thought you were the kind of man who enjoyed being dominated by women.”

      “Diane is very special.”

      The light turned Gracie’s hair to the color of gold. He liked how easily she laughed and how she seemed to take very little seriously. Her body moved in such a way that he could easily imagine her naked and wet. Just thinking about it...

      But he couldn’t think about it or do anything about it, he reminded himself. Under other circumstances, with him clearly explaining the rules, maybe. But not here. Not in Los Lobos where СКАЧАТЬ