She found herself smiling as she shook her head. “No, I want to design supersexy pieces for women to feel pretty in,” she admitted. “All kinds of women. Small, medium, large, and plus-size. I also want to design bras for women who have suffered from breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy, but can’t afford to get breast implants. I want all women to feel sexy in my pieces.”

Wow. Did she really just blubber all that to him? Looking up, she found him watching her. His eyes were locked on her, and she could tell he was listening to every word she said.

With a grin on his face, he said, “That’s amazing. I bet you’re talented.”

Lacey’s cheeks burned as she slowly nodded. “I think so. My best friend, Rachel, is really good too. We’ve talked some of doing it together. Starting the business and all together, I mean, but I’m not sure. We’ll see what happens.”

“Well, if you ever need someone to check out your designs, you can model for me any time you want,” he said with a wink.

She knew he was just playing around, being a regular guy, but little did he know that would never happen. Looking down, she shrugged her shoulders. “Highly doubt that.”

“Just offering my services.”

“Duly noted.”

He laughed, and Lacey had to look up to take him in. His eyes were dark and oh so gorgeous. She could just imagine posing for him in basically nothing and knew that once he saw that she had no breasts, he’d be out the door so fast she wouldn’t know what happened. All she’d be left to do would be to pick up the pieces of her heart, and she couldn’t allow that to happen. Guys like Karson King wanted perfect girls, not ones who were sick and didn’t have all the right pieces. All Lacey had were scars, ones that would scare Karson away. As her eyes flooded with tears, she began to gather her things.

“Hey, whoa, what happened? You aren’t leaving, are you?”

She nodded, her eyes glued on her book bag as she tucked her things in it. “Yeah, I have to go.”

“No, don’t,” he pleaded as she stood, putting her jacket on and then her scarf and hat.

“Sorry, I have to,” she muttered, heading out of the coffee shop. She didn’t think he’d follow her, but she soon realized that Karson was a very determined person. When his fingers wrapped around her wrist, she swung around, pulling it away from him. “Don’t touch me.”

His hands came up in a calming way, palms up at her. “I’m sorry. Please, don’t leave. I just want to talk to you.”

Shaking her head before he even finished, she said, “Karson, nothing will happen between us. Don’t you get that?”

“No, because I know you like me and I like you, so let’s do this.”

She scoffed, trying so hard to lie, but she was sure it didn’t work as she said, “I don’t like you.”

He laughed, proving her suspicions. “Whatever, don’t lie to me. I can see it in your eyes—the way your body responds to only my voice. You want me as much as I want you, but I’m not saying let’s jump into bed. I want more than that. Let’s get to know each other, find out what makes each other tick. I love listening to you talk, and I just want to know more about you. I think that if you got to know me, you’d agree that I’m worth getting to know.”

Letting out a breath, deflated, she said, “It isn’t that I don’t think you’re worth getting to know, Karson. I know you are, and I know it would be a pleasure, but it’s just that I’m not worth it. Someone like you doesn’t go for someone like me. There are things about me that would have you running for the hills.”

Taking a step toward her, he reached out but then stopped. “Can I hold your hands while I say what I have to say?”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” she whispered, lost in the depths of his dark eyes.

“But if I do, you won’t hit me, will you?” he asked with a small grin.

Her mouth pulled up as she slowly shook her head. With his grin growing, he took her hands with his, lacing his fingers with hers before looking down into her eyes. Heat coursed through her body as she continued to get lost in his eyes. He was so gorgeous, so big, and as much as she wanted to run from him, she also wanted to press herself up against him and rub her nose along the scruff of his beautiful face.

“Now, as I was saying, I think you are worth it. I think that meeting you proved why no other girl stood a chance with me. I know we just met, but I feel this crazy thing in my chest for you. I am drawn to you, I want you, and I can’t allow you to push me away. I’m not running—I’m here. You’re right; you aren’t the type of girl I’d usually want to fool with, but you are the type I’d run across the earth for. You got me going crazy, Lacey, and my life will never be the same after you.”

His words were music to her ears, everything that a girl wanted to hear, but Lacey knew those words were meant to be for someone else—not to be wasted on her. She went to tell him that, but before she could, his lips met hers and the world came off its axis. Everything stopped as Karson’s lips moved against hers. With her eyes closed tight, her hands squeezed his as he kissed the living crap out of her. When he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, she knew it was a bad idea to open her mouth, but she couldn’t stop herself. Soon, she deepened the kiss. Removing his hands from hers, he took her hips in his hands, bringing her against him as her arms went to wrap around his neck. Pulling back slightly, only for air, his eyes searched hers as they both gasped for breath.