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what made him a really great sales rep.
Enough about your stubborn father. How are you? You sound down. Is everything okay? And there
it was, mother s intuition. He d never been able to escape it, though he d tried aplenty. I think I may
have wrecked things with Grace. He walked back into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed.
That girl you told me about the last time you were here visiting? He d broken down and told his
mother everything about Grace Vaughn. How beautiful she was when she smiled, how crazy she made
him when she said something ornery to goad him. His mother had started to hear wedding bells,
though, so he d played it off.
Yeah, that s the one.
She went with you to the convention, right?
What was his mother up to now? Uh, right.
You two will be there for three days?
Jackson sat up. We come back on Thursday. Why the twenty questions?
Well, seems to me you shouldn t be wasting time with me. Get off the phone and ask her to dinner.
She pretty much hates my guts. I m the last person she wants to break bread with, trust me. His
mother made a frustrated sound. No she doesn t. She s just playing hard to get. He laughed.
Women don t do that anymore.
Some things may have changed over the years, but they haven t changed that much. Ask her to dinner.
If she refuses, ask her again. And remember to be a gentleman about it, Jackson. He chuckled as he
stood. Always.
Don t be smart, she warned. You aren t too old for me to box your ears. They said their
goodbyes, and Jackson went to the hotel phone and dialed Grace s room. She answered on the second
ring.
Hello?
Have dinner with me. He thought of his mother s advice and added, Please?
I m not hungry.
Then watch me eat. Come on, Gracie, we need to talk. Silence.
His gut knotted. Grace?
Okay, give me twenty minutes to freshen up. I ll meet you in the lobby.
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Anne Rainey
Jackson could have kissed his mother in that moment. I ll come to your room, he said.
The lobby, Jackson, she stated firmly.
Damn, the woman was too astute. If he d picked her up at her room, he might have had a chance at
another kiss& or more. The lobby in twenty minutes, he confirmed.
They both hung up, and Jackson tried to figure out this new mood of Grace s. She d been pensive,
subdued. Wasn t that how murderers felt right before they cracked? Determination filled him. If Grace
really was playing hard to get, then he d just have to up the ante. After all, they were in Vegas and he
had her away from her family, just as he d wanted. Time to show his hand.
***
No, thank you. I m just waiting for a friend. Grace was getting damned tired of having men assume
she was for sale. Good lord, did the men in Vegas think everything was so easily bought?
The middle-aged stranger with the pot belly and receding hairline glanced at her breasts yet again,
then licked his lips. Are you sure? It d be my pleasure to show you around the casino. She pasted a
smile on her face and pointedly stared at his wedding ring. No, really, I m not interested in
The lady s with me.
Grace turned to see Jackson behind her, a fierce frown marring his brow. He looked ready to brawl.
She was never so glad to see him. I was just about to come find you. Jackson placed his hand at the
small of her back and waited until the stranger took the hint and disappeared into the hotel bar. What
an ass.
You can say that again. And that was ass number three. The first two offered money. His eyebrows
shot up. Jesus, are you serious?
Deadly serious. I didn t think the dress was that revealing, but maybe I was wrong. Jackson looked
her over and hummed his approval. You look beautiful. Some men just don t know a lady when they
see one.
She liked hearing the compliment. Thank you. You don t look half bad yourself. Half bad, yeah
right. He was drop-dead gorgeous. Black Armani slacks and a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up
and open at the collar. His cropped espresso hair and the dangerous aura that seemed to be such a part
of him only completed the package. She wanted to climb him like a great big mountain. A hard, hot,
sexy mountain.
Grace fidgeted in her heels. She had all of two dresses, one red, one black. She d decided to wear the
black dress. It was a simple design hitting just above the knees. She d wrapped her hair into a French
twist and put on a little blush and lipstick. The heels weren t too high that she risked breaking her
neck, but they 38
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Tempting Grace
weren t flats, either. The way Jackson kept looking at her legs, she figured she d done okay with the
clothes and shoes.
So, where to?
I figured we d keep it simple, eat here at the hotel. No worries about taxis that way.
You called ahead and reserved a table?
He nodded. I ve thought of everything, he murmured.
Now why doesn t that surprise me?
He chuckled and steered her toward a fancy restaurant. She was still so dazzled by all the glitter and
lights. Vegas life and small town Ohio were not to be compared. It was as if she d entered an entirely
different world.
As the hostess seated them, Grace noticed they were tucked away in a private little alcove, away from
the main part of the restaurant. She wondered if Jackson had planned that along with everything else.
Nicely secluded. Your idea?
Jackson winked, and it did things to her. Wild things. Her pussy flooded with liquid heat and her
heartbeat sped up. I wanted to get you alone so we could talk. Is that a crime? Grace reached for
her menu and held it in front of her, not bothering to answer. The prices are outrageous.
Everything in Vegas is outrageous, he said. Answer me. She dropped the menu and frowned.
No, it s not a crime. Happy now? He stayed silent, watchful and mysterious. Grace wished she had
the ability to read Jackson s moods, but the only time she knew what went through his ornery mind
was when he was turned on. In those heated moments when he teased, challenging her to take him up
on his offer to push their relationship into more intimate territory, Jackson dropped his armor. Only
then could she see into his soul. And what she observed made her nervous as hell. He wasn t an easy
man. Jackson was hard, inside and out. He played hard, worked hard, and he expected everyone to do
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