Face Value by Cheryl Douglas Page A

skin tingled as
she closed her eyes and pictured him kissing her as if he couldn’t
get enough…
    The ringing
phone crudely forced her back to reality. “Hello.”
    “Hey,
beautiful.”
    Two little
words and her resolve melted like hot chocolate. “Hi, Tucker. Are
you guys downstairs?”
    “Yeah, Monica
and Mason are at the convenience store on the corner grabbing some
drinks. You want me to come up?”
    “No, it’s okay.
I’m ready. I’ll be right down.”
    “Sounds
good.”
    She hung up and
caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was grinning like an
idiot, and her cheeks were flushed . Stupid, stupid woman. She quickly locked up and made her way downstairs, grateful no one
else was on the elevator. She was too nervous to make small talk
with her neighbors.
    Lauren caught
sight of Tucker as soon as she rounded the corner. He stood with
his back to the door looking positively edible in trim, faded jeans
and a black leather jacket. His longish dark hair was windblown,
and he had the ever-present dark shadow of whiskers masking his
jaw. She couldn’t see his dark eyes because of his sunglasses, but
his attention was obviously fixed on something down the street…
which gave her plenty of time to admire his masculine
perfection.
    He was tall,
very tall, with impossibly broad shoulders and a narrow waist. She
suspected he was a little too bulky to have the six-pack the gym
rats favored, but he didn’t need it. He was delicious exactly the
way he was, and the polar opposite of every other man she’d ever
dated.
    As though he
sensed her staring, he turned around slowly, a grin spreading
across his face. The flash of white teeth amidst the dark stubble
made her stomach do a little back-flip. She was in so much
trouble.
    “There you
are,” he said, opening the door for her. He brushed a kiss across
her cheek. “I was just keeping an eye out for the kids. They’re at
that age where they want to assert their independence.” He
chuckled. “The problem is, I don’t think I’m ready to let
them.”
    She loved that
he was so protective of his children… and her. “I hope they don’t
mind me tagging along?”
    “Are you
kidding?” He smiled. “They told me it was about time I started
dating again. Apparently they were worried that I was lonely.”
    “Are you?” Why did you ask that? It’s none of your business.
    “Not at all. I
like my life exactly the way it is.”
    Of course he
did. He got to have all the fun without the headaches that often
went with commitment. Typical.
    “What’s wrong?”
he asked, sliding his index finger over her forehead. “You’re
frowning.”
    “Nothing,” she
said, forcing a smile. She pointed at the black Range Rover by the
curb. “Is this yours?” She was used to seeing him drive the black
pick-up truck.
    “Yeah. The F150
is my work truck. This is better when I have the kids. Mason
usually has hockey on weekends, so I have to keep his gear
protected.”
    “He’s not
playing hockey today?”
    “No, he’s out
with a heel spur. It’s been a few weeks, so he should be back at it
by next weekend.”
    “I’m sure he’s
looking forward to that.” She smiled when she saw a boy and a girl
leaving the convenience store. There was no doubt that was Tucker’s
son. He looked exactly like him, with shorter hair. “They must be
yours.”
    He laughed.
“How could you tell?”
    “I’ve seen
pictures, remember?” Not that she would have needed them. As they
got closer, she saw they were just as cute in person.
    Tucker chuckled
when he eyed the plastic bag in his son’s hand. “Did you leave
anything in the store?”
    “You didn’t say
you wanted change,” Mason grumbled.
    “Forget it,
it’s fine.” Tucker set his hand on the small of Lauren’s back.
“Guys, I want you to meet my friend Lauren.”
    Lauren smiled
as she offered her hand to his son, then his daughter.
    “This is Mason
and Monica.”
    Both children
greeted her politely, but she could tell