Lucio tapped his friend's arm. Now that is something I will ask Rick for. He could let me promote my services at Celestial Pet stores. That will bring in some business.

Sydney collapsed into his office chair, drumming his fingers on the desk. How much do you suppose you can charge for this kind of job?

Lucio looked to Piers for suggestions, but his friend shook his pale blond head, clearly having nothing to contribute.

Lucio felt himself break into a hopeful smile. Thousands! ?Todo es posible! He laughed. I will make the most of these ninety days. Then I will win the Erskine. Is everyone with me?

Piers produced a dubious glance.

Sydney bit down on the inside of his cheek.

?Excelente! Lucio said. I will begin immediately. I already have my first client.

It had been easy to find her address, and Lucio used the brass knocker on the front door of the stately home. He heard a high-pitched yapping, followed by the slap of feet on a hard interior floor. A shadow passed across the frosted glass of the door just before it opened. And there she was.

Ginger Garrison was barefoot, her hair pulled up in a ponytail, wearing a pair of black stretch yoga pants and a tight, nipple-friendly piece of stretchy fabric Americans referred to as a sports bra. Despite the name of the apparel, when Lucio looked at that bodywith its pale peachy skin, rosy red-painted toenails, the flat abdomen exposed by the low-waisted tightssports were the last thing that came to his mind.

We meet again, Senora Garrison, Lucio said. He reached for her hand and raised it to his lips, closing his eyes to savor for the instant his lips met her flesh.

She ripped her hand away.

Surprised, Lucio straightened. I have come at a bad time, yes?

The beautiful Ginger laughed. Her little doga puff of white with two tiny black marble eyesbegan sniffing Lucio's shoe. May I pick it up? he asked, hoping that his obvious love of animals would soften whatever irritation he may have caused by arriving unannounced.

HeatherLynn is not an ‘it.' She's a ‘she.'

Of course she is, Lucio said, feeling the now familiar hot shiver moving through his body. Why did this happen when in this woman's presence? Or even when he thought of her? Why did he seem unable to prevent it?

Please come in.

Lucio did as he was told. He stepped inside the house, immediately aware of the shimmering dance of light from a skylight high above the foyer. It was a modern house, obviously custom-built, but had an agreeable warmth to it.

He returned his attention to the dog. Ah, of course! I now see the full scope of HeatherLynn's feminine beauty.

Right, Ginger said.

Lucio bent down and scooped up the hairball. He tucked its squirming body close to his side, realizing he hadn't held a dog since his tia Luisa used to shove her mutt with the runny eyes at him whenever he'd visit her at her home in La Valenciana. He hoped to the Host he was holding Ginger's little pet correctly.

Why are you here? Ginger was either not happy to see him or very successfully masking her pleasure. When she crossed her arms under her breasts, it only served to further enhance the mounds of creamy female flesh. He could not help but glance at her stupendous cleavage. He worried he may have just involuntarily licked his lips.

Lucio?

He looked up from his trance. I am sorry, guapa. Did you say something?

Ginger shook her head and returned her arms to her sides. It almost looked like she smiled, but he could not be sure. Why did you come here?

Ah, yes. The dog had begun to lick his hand, a sensation Lucio found vaguely disconcerting, so he put the animal back on the floor. I have come to discuss your portrait.

Ginger laughed again. You don't say?

Yes. This is true. I would like to discuss appointment times, your preferences for the backdrop, and the costs.

When he got nothing but a blank stare, he continued. Also, if you would be so kind, I would appreciate your sharing the names of any potential clients, friends or associates with pets you believe might be interested in my services.

You're kidding, right? Ginger balled up her fists and propped them on her perfectly formed hips.

Lucio's mouth went dry. He was coming unglued just looking at her, smelling her, feeling the energy vibrate between them. The desire to touch her was so great he feared his arms would begin to shake, revealing the effort it took to not reach out for her, pull her to him, and devour her with kisses.

It boggled the mind. When had a woman ever unnerved him so? When had a woman ever driven Lucio Montevez to such distraction?

And when had he ever put a woman's welfare before his own pleasure, the way he had that night he delivered Ginger Garrison to the guesthouse door? He'd shoved her panties in her hand and sent her to bedalone! The Host! What had happened to him?

No joke, senora, Lucio managed. Current circumstances require that I branch out into pet photography, after all. I would be honored to have you as my first client.

Disappointment fell upon Ginger's beautiful face, clouding her hazel eyes. It was if a fire had been extinguished. She looked down and away in embarrassment.

Lucio tried to sort out what was happening here. Could it be Ginger had been hoping he'd come to cash in his rain check? The thought thrilled him. The thought scolded him, too. He was no good for this beautiful lady. There were many women who might recommend him as a lover, but of all the women in all the world, there was not one who would recommend Lucio Montevez as a partner. One of them had even tried to destroy himand might yet succeed at her revenge.

Unless you had other interests, he said.

Ginger didn't look up right away. And in those precious suspended seconds, he studied how the light from the skylight high above glimmered in her rich auburn hair and caressed the apple of her cheek. While he waited for her to say yes or no, he watched how the light gave contrast to her plump bottom lip and cast a shadow around her downcast eyes. He wanted to photograph herin this precise momentand he itched for the heft of his Nikon in his hand. But he wanted to capture more than just the play of light and shadow on a beautiful woman's face. He wanted to capture the woman herself. And he ached for the familiar feel of her body in his arms.

Ginger looked up then, a pained expression on her face. She shook her head. Of course I don't have other interests. Let me get my calendar.

Lucio grasped her arm as she turned to go. Her head snapped around and her eyes burned into his. He saw it againthe same innocence and vulnerability he'd seen in her expression that evening in the garden. It had softened his heart thenand it stabbed his soul now. He wondered how a grown woman could have come so far in life and yet remain untouched in this way.

Then suddenly, he knew. It could only be one thing.

You have never known a man's love, have you? Lucio heard himself blurt out the words, and was surprised by the brutal honesty in them. But he knew he was on to something. You have never been deeply and truly loved for who you are, have you?

Ginger's lips parted. He could see her pulse banging in her throat. She said nothing, but her eyes filled with moisture and her cheeks with pink.

What was the meaning of this strange desire? It was as if Lucio had no control over his thoughts, his words. It felt as if he were guided by a force outside himself, beyond his understanding. He stepped close, held open his arms, and let the beautiful woman fall against him. She rested her head against his chest as she trembled in his embrace. Lucio's hands roamed all over the warm skin of her bare arms, her exposed lower back. His hands went to the base of her neck. He felt her body press closer to him, her firm thighs push up against him in need.