Page 16 of Love Me Carefully
Placing the palm of her hand firmly on top of Nikki’s silky wrapped hair, Leah turned her friend’s head in Rosie’s direction. “If you’d stop drooling over Mr. Wonderful for just a second, you would see there are other people in this room.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Those other people don’t look half as good as Mr. Wonderful does.” Rolling her eyes, Nikki returned her attention to the man they had correctly dubbed Mr. Wonderful. “Just wait a minute, and I’ll go over with you.”
Leah looked at her friend, who stood with her eyes transfixed on Mr. Wonderful who’d just returned her smile. Nikki’s face lit up, and Leah knew it was hopeless to try to reach her now. “That’s okay. You stay here and keep watch, I’ll be right back.”
“Mmmhmm,” Nikki mumbled as Leah walked away from her.
Terrell had taken a few steps toward his Aunt Pearl when a woman with a mop of curly hair on her head appeared in his path. Before he could move out of her way, they collided.
Leah knew the guy had seen her coming and figured he would move to the side to allow her to pass. Obviously, she’d assumed wrong. Reining in her temper, she righted herself and mumbled, “Excuse me.”
“No. Excuse me. I thought we had enough room to move around each other.” But he was suddenly glad they didn’t.
If you had attempted to move, we probably would’ve had enough space.Wait, this was the guy Rosie had been speaking to a few moments ago. His deep voice resonated in her ears, and she felt as if they were the only two people in the room. He seemed taller now that she stood face to face with him. Long, slender fingers still gripped her arm where he’d grabbed her to keep her from hitting the floor.
Dark brown eyes stared down at her through thin, gold-rimmed glasses. A tingling began deep down in her stomach. Must’ve been the aroma of the food reminding her she was hungry. She needed to talk to Rosie, then she’d get something to eat, then she’d leave.
“If you’ll excuse me again, I’d like to talk to Ms. Rosie before someone else gets to her.” Leah made a futile attempt to break free of his grasp. Despite his deceptive slim build, he was quite strong.
Terrell noticed the questioning in the hazel eyes that stared at him. Following their gaze to where his fingers lay on her arm, he slowly moved his hand away. He instantly regretted that action. The moment he’d bumped into her he’d felt something. A surge so deep and so potent he couldn’t quite explain. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t want you to fall.” He liked touching her, liked it immensely.
“I’m fine now.” Leah stepped to the side to walk around him.
Terrell mimicked her movement, “Uh, did you say you’re looking for my mother, um, I mean Rosie?” His inquisitive gaze pinned her to where she stood. He clasped his hands in front of him to keep from reaching out to touch her again.
“Ms. Rosie’s your mother?” Now she realized why he looked familiar—the graduation photo taped to the mirror of Ms. Rosie’s station at the shop. So this was Terrell Pierce, Ms. Rosie’s only child, the apple of her eye? She’d heard so much about him and his accomplishments she could probably write his bio. She paused a moment to survey him. Mmm hmmm, he looked every bit the computer geek his mother had described. He was tall—she did like tall men—buttery complexion, darkened only by the thin mustache and goatee he wore. His glasses concealed the true depth of his eyes. Right off the bat she wouldn’t call him handsome, that word didn’t seem to suit him at all. Yet there was something…
“Yes. I’m Terrell.” Unclasping his arms, he extended his hand and waited for her compliance.
Leah moved slowly, calmly taking his hand. For a moment his warm palm gave her a start, but she quickly dismissed it. “I’m Leah Graham. I’m the wedding coordinator.” Gripping his hand in a businesslike manner, Leah watched his questioning glare.
“Oh? The wedding…yeah, I guess that’s why we’re here, right? So weddings need to be coordinated now?” He eyed her suspiciously. Her hands were satiny smooth, and he wondered if all her skin felt the same.
“Some people like their big day planned specifically and want it to go off without a hitch. That’s where I come in.”
“And they pay you for that?” He sounded incredulous and she was instantly annoyed.
“Yes, and they pay me well,” she stated boldly. Who the hell was he to question her job? Her credibility?
He made her uncomfortable. She couldn’t explain why. Maybe it was the way he seemed to stare right through her. Maybe it was the fact that he continued to block her way. Whichever, she wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible. “Can I have my hand back now?”
Terrell smiled.
Her stomach clenched.
He released her hand. “Sorry about that,” he said softly. Staring at her curiously, he noted the quick play of emotions on her face—a sense of loss quickly replaced by rigid politeness. She’d felt it too—that strange tugging between them. “Then by all means you must find your client. My mother went that way.” He nodded towards the other side of the room.
Her hand was free, yet she still didn’t move. His smile had reached those dark brown eyes, warming them until she felt herself being drawn to him. His slow gaze caressed her and she was breathless.
She was a fruitcake for standing there gaping at him that way! Damn, he was only Ms. Rosie’s workaholic son, not some gorgeous movie star. “Excuse me,” she mumbled and quickly moved away before she could make a further fool of herself.
