Love in Bloom : Love's Masquerade Forbidden Fantasy Teacher's Pet

by Francine Craft; Linda Hudson-Smith; Janice Sims

• ISBN13: 9780373830626
• ISBN10: 0373830629
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-01
• Publisher: Bet Books

Summary

When divorced health-food-store owner Maya Williams takes part in Francine Craft's Love's Masquerade, she is unexpectedly reunited with an old high school friend, Christopher St. John. Now, as midnight nears, two people who have known heartb

Excerpts

It was cool for mid-October, but Maya Williams was fast getting hot under the collar. Standing at the counter of Personal Printers in Washington, D.C.'s L'Enfant Plaza, her annoyance was growing. The young male clerk argued with her in a supercilious way. "Ma'am, I think you're going to have crowded copy. A lot of this could be left off--and should be." Maya sighed with exasperation. "That's why I asked for help. I'd like to see the whole range of copy laid out." "Well, I don't know," the young man insisted. "If you ask me--"" He was cut short by a sinewy man at least six foot two who came to them. "Let me handle this, Mac," he said smoothly. He smiled at Maya with big, perfect, white teeth, and pointed at a wall plaque behind him. "We mean this, you know. Wedoaim to please. She felt a surge of electricity pass between them, and for a moment Maya couldn't get her breath. He was something short of a god, more deeply attractive than handsome, with close-cropped, curly jet-black hair, a long face, and humorous dark black eyes. He raised heavy, smooth black eyebrows at her. "Now, ma'am, let me ask you to start over. My young assistant is a brilliant guy, but he sometimes thinks he knows best." He was trying not to stare at her, but her healthy black hair done in three lengths of braids ending in black beads fascinated him. The round face with its brown eyes and sculpted mouth and naturally arched eyebrows over long, soot-black lashes gave her a piquant look. Her lissome body in its heather-lavender coat dress was a dancer's body. He was thirty-four; he'd place her at about thirty-one. She was cool, with banked fires; yeah, he'd bet on it. Maya flushed, her dark honey skin growing warm. She wanted to say something, but her stomach was fluttering and his eyes were magnetizing her. He stuck out his hand. "Chris St. John, owner of Personal Printers. We aim to please, like the sign says." Her hand clung to his a little too long and his eyes narrowed. "You've changed," she managed to get out. "Remember high school? Dunbar? Are youthatChris St. John?" "One and the same. You've changed, but I'd know you anywhere, Maya Williams. You moved away in your sophomore year, left a lot of guys heartbroken." "I don't think so, and how would you have time to know?" She chuckled. "As I remember, you were one of the players, girls coming out of your ears." "And you were a tease. I let others believe I was a player. I had a lot of other things on my mind." She remembered. He had been a senior when she moved with her parents to New Orleans. He was friendly with her, pleasant, but that was all. He grinned. "I gave myself one more year back then. When you were a senior, I'd be in college, and I planned to make my moves on you." They each searched the other's hand for wedding rings. Neither wore one. "Nice shop you've got here," she said. "The printer I've been using didn't seem capable of handling an invitational brochure for our Sweetheart's Ball on Valentine's Day and some brochures for my shop." Chris glanced at the shop copy. "So you own a health food store." She nodded. Healing Hands. It was her pride and joy. "Let's sit and talk about this," he said. Damn it, something about her turned him on, sky-high. He led her to a nest of ivory leather chairs and a big glass cocktail table. They sat side by side. As his hand brushed hers, she felt another jolt of electricity and caught her breath. He looked at her levelly, denying nothing. "Are you married?"he asked suddenly, not meaning to ask it. Some women didn't wear their wedding rings. She shook her head. Having known him gave her license. "Are you married?" "Not anymore." Long fall afternoon rays of sunshine came through the plate-glass windows as they talked about the copy. "You've already got the shop brochure copy laid out very well. True, the ball copy is a bit jumbled. Wha