Good Guy Heroes Boxed Set

by Julie Ortolon

  His gaze dropped to her hand, which rested right at the point of her V-collared red suit. He would never have guessed a woman with orange hair could look that good in red, but on her the combination packed a sexy punch. Or, perhaps his lightheadedness came from staring at the breasts beneath her hand. From what he could see, she had great breasts.

  Realizing he was staring at them, he snapped his gaze back to her face. She gave him a patient little smile—as if waiting for him to say something in return. Only, he couldn’t remember her last comment, much less form a suitable response.

  She laughed lightly. “Not that I’m judging you or anything, but I really don’t think it’s your shade.”

  “My shade?” he repeated, wondering what shade her breasts could possibly be that wouldn’t suit him just fine.

  “No, actually that’s my shade,” she said. “As in my shade of lipstick?”

  She rose slowly to stand before him. Her red suit hugged the kind of figure that had been in style back in the forties: full breasts, nipped-in waist, generous hips. Staring at that body, he wondered why fashion designers tried to convince women they should look like anorexic clothes hangers. This was what men wanted: Woman in her most powerful, elemental form.

  When he continued to stare at her, she pointed to his hand. “You’re holding my lipstick.”

  He glanced down. “So I am.”

  She started to reach for it. “How gallant of you to rescue it for me.”

  “Not so fast.” He snatched the tube out of her reach. “How do I know it’s yours?”

  One of her winged brows lifted at such an obvious ploy, but her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Now, that is a dilemma.”

  “Let’s see…” He drew the words out, enjoying the game, anything to keep her near. “I suppose I could have you describe it for me.”

  “All right.” She tossed her head and his fingers twitched with the temptation to bury themselves deep within her fiery curls. Would her hair feel as hot as it looked? When she met his gaze head-on, her eyelids dropped to half-mast. “It’s round,” she said huskily. “And it’s silky. And it’s the color of passionate peaches.”

  All the blood rushed from his head right to his groin. God, what he wouldn’t give to pounce on her right there in the airport. Numbly, he opened his palm and read the label on the end of the tube. Passionate Peach. “So it is,” he muttered.

  Her fingertips brushed his palm as she took the lipstick from him. Was that her hand trembling, or his? “I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you,” she said.

  His mind conjured up a few dozen possibilities.

  With a final, knowing smile, she turned and walked away, her hips swaying to a silent, seductive beat. He stared after her, determined to give her a salute of approval the moment she glanced back over her shoulder. But she never looked back. Even as she took her seat between two other waiting passengers, she kept her gaze averted.

  He frowned, thinking it odd that such an accomplished flirt would leave it at that. Then he remembered the flutter of her hand, the heightened color of her skin. Either she’d been equally affected by their game, or she wasn’t as bold as she pretended to be.

  Before he could decide, the ticket agent gave first-class passengers permission to board. He started to reach for his bag, but stopped when a white rectangle on the floor caught his eye. One of the business cards that had spilled from her purse still lay at his feet.

  He picked up the card, hoping to learn her name, but the mug shot printed on the front proved a disappointment. The attractive blond woman who smiled back at him was not the woman he’d just met. Returning the card, however, would give him the perfect excuse to speak to her again. Better yet, the phone number was for the Lake Travis area, just west of Austin, where he now lived. So, the mystery woman either lived near him, or knew someone who did.

  His mind searched for the best way to return the card as he swung the bag over his shoulder and headed for the ramp.

  ***

  KATE CRINGED INWARDLY over the blatantly sexual way she’d just described her lipstick. Was she so rusty at flirting that she’d forgotten how to keep it light? Instead of exchanging friendly repartee, she had sounded like a hooker trying to pick up a trick. In the airport!

  As for dumping her purse on his feet, she stifled a groan of embarrassment. What an obvious ploy. Not that she’d had much choice since merely dropping the purse hadn’t fazed him. Oh, but once she’d gained his attention… Heavens! He had gorgeous blue eyes, and a slow, sexy smile that had made her insides flutter. Remembering that smile, she forgave herself a little for flubbing her first attempt at casual flirting. What woman wouldn’t get rattled over a smile like that?

  She did her best not to look at him, but from the corner of her eye she saw him head for the ramp. What was he doing boarding with first class? Had she jumped to a completely false assumption based on his clothes? Being laid back didn’t automatically equal broke. He could be a beach bum born with a silver spoon for all she knew.

  Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered at the moment but saving her job. Except, all she’d done just now was prove Gwen right. If she couldn’t even flirt with a man anymore, how could she serve as the Dear Abby for the lovelorn on the Internet?

  Oh, God . She slumped forward and buried her face in her hands. What would she do if she lost her column? She had no other job experience. All she had were a stack of bills to pay and a seven-year-old son to feed.

  The flight attendant called for coach passengers to board, and she stifled another groan. On top of everything she’d been through that day, now she had to get on a plane and walk right past the man she’d practically propositioned.

  ***

  MIKE STUDIED THE business card in his hand as he waited for the woman in red to board. On the back, he discovered a handwritten note.

  Kate,

  Good luck in L.A. See you when you get back.

  Linda.

  The name on the front of the card was Linda Davis, so Kate had to be the woman carrying the card. Kate. A smile tugged at his lips. The name suited her. Kate with the saucy red hair and sweet green eyes.

  Just then she appeared through the hatch and his stomach clenched. Never in his life had he felt such an instant kick of attraction to a woman. No, it was more than attraction. It was… a connection.

  He quickly slipped the card into the breast pocket of his shirt, deciding to wait until the plane was in flight to return it. That way he could go back into the coach area and talk to her rather than simply hand it to her as she passed. Still, he wanted to catch her attention so he could once again feel the jolt that came from her smile. Unfortunately, she kept her gaze fixed firmly ahead as she walked by him.

  Frowning, he turned in his seat and watched her move down the aisle, all the while willing her to look back. Instead, she took a seat halfway back, never once glancing his way. The longer he watched her, the more confused he became by her inconsistencies. Her stylish suit said Professional Businesswoman, but her tousled curls screamed Free Spirit. As if sensing his gaze, she shifted nervously, not at all the confident woman who had flirted with him in the gate area. Could his instincts have been wrong about her?

  Just as his doubts began to rise, she turned to the young mother who sat across from her and her whole face softened at the sight of the child in the woman’s arms.

  There it was, the jolt from her smile that told him she was the answer to why he’d never married. His crazy schedule had nothing to do with it. He’d simply been waiting for her.

  Chapter 2

  *

  A FALLING SENSATION jerked Kate from a light doze. She grabbed the armrest just as the plane’s drop ended with a jarring bounce. Her heart lodged in her throat as she glanced around and saw several other passengers do the same. Beyond the windows, a streak of lightning sliced across a black sky.

  When had night fallen? Looking at her watch she realized they’d almost reached Dallas.

  Overhead, the Fasten Seat
Belt sign dinged and the flight attendants made their way down the aisle collecting cups and asking passengers to return their seats to the upright position.

  “Oh, dear,” the mother across from her whispered. “Do you think there’s a problem?”

  “I’m sure everything’s fine.” Kate smiled, hoping she looked more confident than she felt.

  The plane took another hard bounce just as the captain’s voice came over the intercom. He sounded surprisingly cheerful in contrast to the rising tension among the passengers. “Sorry about the bumpy ride, folks. Looks like we’re in for a bit of turbulence as we make our final descent into DFW, compliments of that little thunderstorm you’ll notice if you look out the windows to your left.”

  Kate glanced to her left as a blade of lightning cut through the storm clouds to the north. A stab of fear echoed in her stomach. Living in Texas all her life, she’d grown accustomed to thunderstorms—but watching one approach while twenty thousand feet in the air was a whole different matter.

  “Now, before anyone gets alarmed,” the captain continued, “the tower assures us we’ll arrive at the airport well ahead of the storm. Unfortunately, we’ll be the last plane to do so for a spell. All other flights have been canceled until further notice.”

  The murmurs of the passengers increased, nearly making Kate miss the rest of the captain’s words.

  “If the Metroplex was not your final destination, please go to the main ticket counter after you deplane to reschedule your connecting flight. On behalf of the airline, the crew and I would like to apologize for the delay in your travel and wish you a pleasant stay in Dallas.”

  Pleasant stay in Dallas! Kate gaped at the intercom. She couldn’t stay in Dallas. She had a son who expected her home. And she’d promised Linda and Jim, the friends who were keeping him, that she’d only be gone one night.

  All right, no need to panic, she told herself. As soon as they landed, she’d call Linda and let her know she’d be a day late. Which would put her another day behind in answering Dear Cupid email. As if she weren’t under enough pressure, the whole situation was going from bad to worse. In fact, it was terrible!

  ***

  IT WAS PERFECT! Mike suppressed the urge to laugh as the plane descended toward the runway. Here he’d been racking his brain throughout the flight for a way to approach the woman in red—no, Kate, he reminded himself, her name had to be Kate—and now he had the perfect opportunity handed to him.

  After the way she’d snubbed him while boarding, he’d nixed his first plan to go back into coach and simply introduce himself. No matter how he played that scene in his head, he never got a sense of rightness in his gut that told him “this will work.” Instead, he pictured himself standing in the aisle like some idiot staring down at her with nothing to say. Or worse, blurting out something stupid like “Will you marry me?” God, what he wouldn’t give for a good scriptwriter. Not that talking to women normally presented a problem for him. Something about this woman, however, made his brain freeze up.

  If he went back into the coach section, he’d blow it. He knew that the same way he knew when a special effect would or wouldn’t work. He just knew. Just like he knew the woman in red was “it.” His future wife. The mother of his unborn children. Or child, he amended. He was getting started a bit late in life to have more than one child. Especially since he’d like to spend some time enjoying a long honeymoon phase before he rushed into having a family.

  To be stranded together in Dallas, though, was far better than anything he could have arranged. It gave him a conversation breaker, and with luck, the airline would put all the passengers up at the same hotel. Could he talk her into meeting him in the bar for a drink?

  As the plane rolled to a stop, several passengers leapt to their feet. Overhead compartments popped open as people grabbed for briefcases and overnight bags.

  “I need to call my wife,” the businessman in the window seat beside him said, frantically pulling out his mobile phone. “If I don’t get in tonight, she’ll think the plane crashed, with me on it. You know how women are.”

  Mike snorted at the thought of any man claiming to “know how women are.” He’d grown up with three younger sisters, and he still didn’t have a clue. Tuning the man out, he reached for his bag. He had to come up with an opening line before Kate came through the curtain.

  “Where do you suppose they’ll put us up for the night?” the businessman asked, phone to his ear, apparently not getting an answer. “Not at some fleabag I hope.”

  Ignoring him, Mike craned his neck as the curtain opened, but with all the people filling the aisle, he couldn’t see her. To his frustration, the flow of bodies carried him off the plane. He’d have stopped on the ramp to wait for her, but the businessman, who’d been a total stranger mere moments before, seemed to have attached himself to Mike in that odd way people do in a crisis. He needed to shake the guy, and quickly. When they reached the gate area, he stepped to the right and turned to watch the departing passengers.

  “What’s wrong?” the man asked.

  “Nothing, I, um…” Mike’s mind raced. “Forgot something. On the plane.”

  “Oh?” The businessman glanced down at the bag in Mike’s hand.

  “My sunglasses,” Mike improvised. “Why don’t you go on to the ticket counter, before they run out of decent hotel rooms?”

  “Oh. Right.” The man hurried off down the concourse.

  Mike breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the stream of departing passengers. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of coppery hair heading in the other direction. He rose up on his toes to see over the crowd just as the throng of humanity swallowed up a shapely figure in a red suit.

  Frantically he pushed his way forward. “Sorry! Excuse me! Pardon me!” Then he saw her, several yards up ahead.

  “Kate!” he called, hoping like hell that really was her name. Her head turned and a frown creased her brow. Bingo, he thought, and raised his arm to get her attention. “Kate!”

  Her gaze connected with his and her eyes widened before she whirled around and increased her pace. He started after her, only to run into a small Asian woman loaded down with luggage. “Sorry,” he said as he steadied her with one hand and reached for her fallen bags with the other.

  The woman scalded him with a stream of Japanese as he thrust the luggage back into her arms. He turned and jumped back as a cart cut in front of him, nearly running over his Reeboks. By the time it cleared his path, Kate had disappeared.

  He took off at a jog, wondering why a woman would flirt so outrageously with him in L.A., then run from him in Dallas. And she had run, he had no doubt about that. If only he could catch her and explain… Explain what? That he thought he might be in love with her? Lord, he sounded like a nutcase, even to himself.

  After several gates, the concourse opened up into a larger area with corridors leading in several directions. His heart raced as he turned around, looking in every direction.

  No! She couldn’t have disappeared.

  Yet, no matter how many times he turned in circles, he saw no trace of her. She was gone. Vanished. He’d met the woman of his dreams—and lost her!

  Or had he? Pulling the card from his pocket, he studied the phone number on the front. A smile settled over him. Ah, Kate, you only thought you could get away.

  ***

  KATE PEEKED AROUND the wall that hid the women’s room from the concourse and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d lost him, thank goodness. How had he learned her name? Could she have mentioned it while they were flirting and simply forgotten? If so, she prayed she’d only mentioned her first name. The alternatives had headlines about stalkers spinning in her head. That would take her first attempt at flirting from embarrassing to disastrous.

  Trying not to get too alarmed, she dug her phone from her purse and punched the preset for her friend Linda. More than anything, she wanted to be safely back in her little lakeside cabin with Dylan sleeping soundly in the loft.
For tonight, though, she’d have to settle for a phone call to her son. Despite what Gwen had said, right now, her little boy was the only man she needed in her life.

  Tomorrow, she’d worry about saving her column—without any more failed attempts at romance.

  Chapter 3

  *

  Dear Cupid:

  My boyfriend says he loves me, and that if I love him, I’ll sleep with him. I’ve told him over and over that I do love him, desperately, but that I’m just not ready. The problem is, a lot of the girls at my school do put out. I’m so worried I’ll lose him if I don’t. What should I do?

  Desperate and Worried

  Dear Desperate and Worried,

  You’re perfectly right to say no until you’re comfortable with the thought of physical intimacy. In fact many school-age girls—and boys—share your conviction to wait. Polls show virginity is the in thing, so your classmates aren’t as experienced as you might think.

  As for your boyfriend, if he truly loves you, he’ll respect your feelings and stop pushing. If he doesn’t, you may need to look for a new boyfriend.

  Cupid

  KATE REREAD THE letter on the computer screen. The mild tone of her response to Desperate and Worried pleased her, since what she’d really wanted to tell the girl was that her boyfriend was an immature jerk who couldn’t tell his heart from his hormones! She hadn’t though, because the more she thought about Gwen’s complaints, the more convinced she became that the real root of the problem was her anger at Edward rather than lack of romance in her life. She’d let that anger spill over too often in her responses to her readers.

  No more, though. She vowed from here on out to separate her personal emotions from Dear Cupid. Feeling optimistic, she hit send just as a knock sounded at the front door.

  “I’ll get it,” Dylan hollered as he clambered down the ladder from the loft in the cabin’s main room. A moment later, she heard her friend Linda’s voice. Linda was actually more than a friend; she was Kate’s landlord and next-door neighbor.