Read Ready for Love for Free Online

built, you make me want to become more than some rapper’s prop.”
    “And you can. You will.” Maritza really did believe that Lace had the tenacity and drive to make it at whatever she put her mind to. The only question was if she was really ready to put her mind and energy on cleaning up her act. Only time would tell.
    She walked her to the front door of the office and picked up the stack of pink memo slips her receptionist had left in her in-box. There was a message of a call from Terrill marked urgent.
    Without thinking she rushed to her desk and dialed his cell phone number.
    “What happened? Is everything okay? Is Penny okay? I knew I should have gone to the funeral. We could have cancelled everything for a few days—” Maritza went off into a barrage of questions as soon as Terrill picked up the phone.
    “Calm down, calm down, nothing is wrong. Everything is fine. I just wanted to hear your voice. How are you?” Terrill’s voice sounded strained and a little weary.
    Maritza sighed. He didn’t sound like everything was fine. And why the heck did he want to hear her voice?
    Kissing him had been such a bad idea!
    Yet knowing that and stopping the big old grin that started to form on her face seemed to be impossible to get together. She plopped down on her white leather office chair. It rolled just a little and stopped.
    “I don’t understand, Terrill. If it is not about Penny or our business, why would you want to hear my voice?”
    Terrill chuckled. It was a sound that normally would have grated her nerves and gotten under her skin. But for some reason in that moment she was relishing the sound of it. It sounded sexy and made her insides get gooey.
    Not good.
    Change the subject.
    “How is Penny? I haven’t had a chance to speak with her since she left.”
    “She’s doing as well as can be expected.” He sighed and she could hear the stress in his voice. “Big Mama’s death was unexpected and sudden and Penny is going to need time to cope.”
    “She can take as much time as she needs. I can certainly hold down the fort here at the company.” It would be hard, because she and Penny were a perfect team. But she would do whatever she could to help her friend out in her time of need.
    “We know you can handle things, Maritza. But I didn’t call to talk about business. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
    “You just wanted to hear my voice and that was urgent?” Maritza winced at the breathy sound of her voice.
    What was wrong with her?
    This was Terrill, also known as off limits to Maritza. She knew that. Or at least she used to know that. She didn’t know what she knew anymore now that he had hauled off and kissed her like he had no damn sense.
    Terrill did that sexy chuckle thing again and her heart fluttered. “Urgent like you wouldn’t believe. With everything going on here with Penny and Jason Hightower, I have come to realize that people waste way too much time being apart when they should be together. And it has made me even more certain that I am doing the right thing by moving away from the herd and going after the person I want.”
    Maritza’s heart began to pound furiously and for once in her life she didn’t have a clever or snarky response. All she could do was literally wait with bated breath to see what Terrill would say next.
    “So I thought it was only fair to warn you again. I’m through playing games and denying whatever this thing is between us.” He paused and her heart thumped even louder. “And I’m coming for you, girl.”
    Her breath caught and the logical side of her wanted to yell no, you take that back. Don’t say that! But some other part of her, probably that same part that was silly and hopeful enough to think she could actually make a difference for someone like Lace Monroe, was actually wondering how soon would it be before Terrill came for her and how long she should let him chase her before she let him catch her.
    And once again she was speechless.
    It