Bikers and Pearls (22 page)

Acknowledgments

Behind the pages of every book are people who contributed to the effort. My gratitude
begins with Liz Pelletier and Stacy Abrams who initially saw the sparkle of
Bikers and Pearls
. More thanks than I could possibly convey go to Libby Murphy, my awesome editor,
whose vision marshaled the story into what it needed to be.

Before my peeps at Entangled Publishing, though, I must thank my former critique group,
Adrienne Reeves, Dorothy McFalls, Judy Watts, Stan Yeager, and Nina Bruhns. Ah, Nina.
What can I ever say to thank her enough for all the advice, expertise, and support?
Then there is the wine, and fun, and strength. Above all, however, I thank her for
her unfailing friendship.

I must also thank my family for their support—for giving me the time and the space
I needed to get this book written and edited. This would not have happened without
their sacrifices. I count them every day.

Lastly, I thank Thomas—for restoring my hope in love and happily-ever-after endings.

About the Author

Vicki is a native of the Charleston, South Carolina, Lowcountry and loves to share
her enchantment with the area with readers through her writing. Even in childhood,
she enjoyed penning stories and poems—no doubt fueled by her grandfather’s enthusiasm
for telling tales himself. Where else—but in the South—could one find the interesting
blend of salt water, eerie swamps, curious traditions, and unique characters? In her
spare time, she loves traveling, spending weekends at her family’s lake house, playing
golf, and cooking (with lots of wine). Visit Vicki at
www.vickiwilkerson.com
.

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Matt stared at the plans, his expression noncommittal. The expensive Italian suit
made Eve self-conscious about her own worn-out, shiny-kneed jeans, and she couldn’t
remember if she’d put on any makeup that morning. When she worked on site, regulations
required her to wear steel-toed boots and a hard hat. They said nothing about lipstick.
She wished they were having this conversation in her office at Sullivan Construction,
and she were wearing her high heels.

Chewing on her naked lower lip, Eve tried not to notice how very tall he was or how
very blue those eyes were when he looked at her. She tried not to notice the beginnings
of a five o’clock shadow on a strong jaw or that he had a slight cleft at the curve
of his mouth. She also tried not to notice how her breath quickened when his arm brushed
against her shoulder.

She was unsuccessful on all counts.

He ran a hand through his short-cropped black hair and glanced down at her. His eyes
twinkled with a glimmer of sympathy. Pure, physical attraction struck her, hard.

“I’ve had difficult clients, too. Tell you what,” he continued. “Why don’t we schedule
a meeting to share our ideas? That will give me time to get some sketches together
to show you.”

Time to prepare would be good. She was too rattled to make a firm commitment. “I have
a lot of work on the go right now, but I should be available early next week.”

They were still in front of the drafting table, standing too close together. Matt
was making no signs of leaving, just watching her face, and Eve wasn’t sure what to
do about it.

“I wouldn’t mind having a quick tour of this site,” he hinted, his incredible eyes
crinkling at the corners.

While she was cautious of his motives, Eve wasn’t about to pass up a chance to wow
him with her accomplishments. She’d seen his work; let him see hers. “I’ll get you
a hard hat.”

She grabbed her own, as well as a spare kept on a hook on the wall for visitors. She
passed the spare to Matt. As he took it, his fingers caught hers, just their tips
brushing the backs of her knuckles, and when she looked up at him, he smiled into
her eyes. “Thanks.”

The fine dark shadow on his jaw showed off the perfect whiteness of his teeth. Eve
blinked. The man was gorgeous. And he knew how to rock it.

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He’d never seen this side of her, and Jace wanted nothing more than to keep seeing
it. He’d always enjoyed Betsy, but having fun with her like this excited and intrigued
him, just like it did when he watched games with her at home.

“Are you ready?” he yelled to her. “This is the Macnamara special. My speedball. You
have no hopes of hitting this one!”

He pulled his arm back, over-exaggerating, then whipped it forward and threw the ball.
It was as if everything suddenly dropped to slow motion. He watched it fly at her,
Betsy swing…and the bat connect with the ball.

It flew over his head. She dropped the bat, obviously shocked.

“Now you’re supposed to run, B!” he called. She headed toward first base as Jace turned
to chase after the ball. It had gone farther than he thought, out between first and
second bases.

Ball in hand, he headed back in her direction. Betsy hit second base and he was on
her tail. That’s when she made her mistake. She turned back to look at him and her
foot caught on something. Jace wasn’t far behind her as she went down. He tried to
dodge her and ended up going down right next to her. He had hardly hit the ground
when he heard her laugh and laugh some more.

The rich, happy sound wrapped around him, contagious, and Jace found himself laughing
too. If anyone saw them they would probably think they were crazy, but he didn’t care.
This freedom of hers pulled at his own. Setting him out into the open to be himself
and enjoy a moment of just…being happy.

He didn’t know how long they kept it up. Soon he wasn’t concentrating on the laughter,
but the feel of Betsy’s warmth along his side. That warm, vanilla scent of hers that
he suddenly couldn’t get enough of. She was all he could feel or smell or…hell, know.
Just Betsy. They lay on their backs, side-by-side, watching evening starting to darken
the sky.

“I’m sorry,” Jace said, looking upward. “That the beginning of the day was so rocky.
I wanted it to be perfect, but the flat tire and then lunch and—”

“It was,” she interrupted him, showing Jace she was comfortable around him. Herself.
That meant more to him than he ever realized it would.

“Was what?” Jace asked.

“Perfect…everything about it. It’s the best day I’ve ever had.”

Those words touched places inside Jace he knew no one had reached before. He didn’t
let himself think. He rolled so he was on his side, looking down at her.

She was beautiful. Other women brought attention to their beauty, forcing men to notice,
while Betsy kept hers quiet and hidden. It had always been there, teasing him with
little glimpses here and there, but this was the first time he let himself really
take her in. To study and learn her. The little upturned nose and the knowledge and
kindness in her eyes. Her pink, plump lips that were so soft and kissable.

He wanted to do just that. Kiss her.

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