Her Perfect Candidate. Candace Shaw

be on her way to meet her twin sister and her best friend at a scholarship fund-raiser event one of her clients had invited them to.

      She hopped out of the SUV and walked carefully along the rocky pavement.

      “Of all the days to dress up,” she said, pulling her short black dress down to barely touch her knees. She stooped down to look at the damaged tire. The tires were new, so she wasn’t quite sure why she had a flat. A nail, probably, she thought.

      Earlier that day, she’d put the finishing touches on decorating a model home in a new subdivision outside of Atlanta. Houses were in the process of being built, and Megan had toured the subdivision to see the homes. She figured she’d run over a nail in the process.

      As she popped the trunk to retrieve the tire, she heard her cell phone blaring from her purse in the backseat. Climbing through the trunk of her SUV to reach the phone, she knew who was calling before she even looked at the display. Now, glancing down at the caller ID to confirm her suspicion, she saw Sydney Chase’s name flash on the screen. Megan knew if she didn’t answer the phone, Sydney the worrier, would probably have the FBI, CIA and the SWAT team scouring the city for her within the hour.

      The sound of a horn and tires on the gravel behind Megan stopped her from answering the call. She grabbed the mace she always carried in her purse and began to climb backward out of the SUV. Her finger placed firmly on the spray button.

      As she turned around to step down, a fine-looking tall man was standing in front of her opened trunk, with his hand out to assist her. She blinked twice and stifled a “Goodness he’s gorgeous” with a slight gulp. The sun was going down behind him radiating an aura of bright yellow and orange.

      “Need some assistance, pretty lady?” the sexy, baritone voice offered.

      Megan tossed the mace spray over the backseat and placed her empty hand in his. His touch on her skin, although brief, sent a warm shiver through her veins. Once settled onto the pavement, she squinted her eyes and placed her right hand straight across her forehead to see him better without being blinded by what was left of the sun.

      She looked up in amazement at the most handsome man she had ever laid her eyes upon. He was quite tall, at least a few inches over six feet. His hair was neatly trimmed with black wavy ripples. The evening sun was bringing out the color of his smooth, milk chocolate skin, and she fought back the urge to run a hand over his hairless, chiseled face. He had thick eyelashes that supermodels would give up purging their dinner for. His charming smile displayed pearl-colored teeth between his inviting lips. While he had let go of her hand, she could still feel the warmth of it on her skin. She wondered how his strong hands would feel on the rest of her body.

      For a moment time stood still. She didn’t notice the cars zooming by them or the April sun bearing down on her. Instead, she thought about how he reminded her of the man she always dreamed about. The man who would one day rescue her on his white horse and love her forever.

      Suddenly remembering that he’d asked her a question, she blinked several times before coming down from cloud nine.

      “Do I know you?” she asked, studying his captivating face.

      A delicious grin crossed his mouth causing her to almost sigh out loud. Stay composed, girl. You see handsome men all the time.

      “I don’t think so. I would definitely remember you if we knew each other,” the sinfully sexy gentleman stated in a tone that caused another wave of heat to rage through her.

      What the heck is wrong with me?

      “Oh, sorry for staring so hard, but you look familiar,” Megan replied, studying his face carefully. Megan wasn’t good with names, but she never forgot a face, especially one as intriguing as his. She couldn’t help but stare at the yummy dimple on his right cheek that appeared every time he smiled.

      “What’s your name?” Megan asked.

      “Steven.”

      “Nice to meet you. I’m Megan.”

      “Do you need some help changing that tire?” he asked, nodding his head in the direction of the flat. “It’s too dangerous for you to be out here alone.”

      “Oh, yes. I...” she stuttered, glancing toward the tire. This man is making me forget why I’m standing out here in the hot sun in the first place. “I was just about to change it.”

      His left eyebrow rose. “Really?” His gaze traveled the length of her body. “Wearing Louboutins and a very...um...sexy little freak’um dress. Are you trying to cause accidents? Seeing you bent over trying to change a flat tire will cause a ten car pileup,” he teased, taking off his blue suit jacket along with a red tie and handing them to her. “I’ll take care of it, while you call back whoever keeps calling you.” He nodded down to the cell phone in her hand that kept vibrating. “Your man is probably worried.”

      She shook her head and glanced at the caller ID. “It’s my sister. We’re supposed to meet for an event...” She stopped to glance at her watch. “I’m thirty minutes late and big sis is concerned,” she said, watching Steven take the spare tire and jack out of her trunk. He then slammed it shut and turned to look at her.

      “I completely understand. My brother is always checking on me and he’s younger. How many years apart are you?”

      “Two minutes,” she answered. “We’re twins.”

      “So there are two of you?” A cocky grin formed on his lips. “Nice,” he commented, barely loud enough for her to hear as he rolled the spare tire over to the flat one. “You’re more than welcome to sit in my SUV and wait. The sun is going down, but it’s still hot. Crank the ignition and turn up the air conditioner if you’d like.”

      Megan looked past him at the white Range Rover. He seems like the type to own such an elite SUV. Tailored business suit, expensive watch and a powerful, masculine presence.

      “Thank you. I’ll call my sister and let her know I’m fine.” She walked steadily on the gravel toward the passenger side of his Range Rover. Once settled in the plush leather seat, she cranked the car as he suggested and was pleasantly surprised to hear Sade singing “Smooth Operator” through the speakers. She turned the volume down when she saw the light flash on her cell phone again.

      “Hello?”

      “Megan, where are you? I’ve called you like five times!” Sydney exclaimed.

      “Syd, I’m sorry. I had a flat tire, but I’ll be along soon,” Megan answered quickly. She was too busy gazing at the jaw-dropping man who was now peeling off his dress shirt to reveal a white undershirt. The shirt did little to hide the gorgeous muscles of his arms, chest and back. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. He looks so damn hot and fine. Megan reached over and turned the air conditioner to full blast.

      “Are you listening?” Sydney asked in an impatient manner.

      Who could listen at a time like this?

      “Huh? What did you say?”

      “I said do you need any help? Or are you changing it yourself?”

      “No, this kind man is changing it for me.” Megan continued to watch as Steven lifted the flat tire off, showcasing the toned muscles of his arms. Oh, my goodness!

      “Kind man? You mean strange man! Where are you?”

      “Calm down, Agent Chase. I’m sitting in his Range Rover watching him change my tire. He’s almost done,” Megan said, a little disappointed. “Poor thing, he’s sweating. I think I have some bottled water still left in my lunch cooler. Syd, this man is so gorgeous!”

      “Um...is this the same Megan that swore off all men almost two years ago when her ex-boyfriend cheated?”

      “I didn’t swear off all men, I just said I needed a break from dating and that mostly included all of the blind dates you, Jade and Tiffani had been arranging for me. I don’t have a problem being single.” She frowned