A Lasting Love Read Free Page A

frightened Loren.
    She was trying very hard to dislike Reid Mecina, yet
was pulled in his direction by invisible cords.
    "I hope you'll soon feel familiar enough to call me
Reid. I want to dance only with you, get to know you, Loren." His
voice softly massaged the air. "That's all. Is that so bad?"
    Loren took a reluctant breath, fearing he would hear
its raggedness. "All right. One dance then." It was an unnecessary
consent, since they were already dancing, but she felt better
having agreed.
    Reid loosened the tension apparent in his arms and
shifted her closer. Her breasts swelled against his chest as she
relaxed in his arms. They finished the dance quietly, allowing the
magic between them to develop naturally.
    For Loren, it was a reluctant effort. Her
reason told her to hold back, be heedful, and proceed with caution.
And yet her instincts wanted to throw caution to the wind. Is that so bad? His words rang in her head. No,
she mused. It felt very nice, indeed, to be in his arms. Oh, yes,
Loren could feel the magic.
    When the dance ended they reluctantly drew apart, the
cool space between them fanning heated emotions. Reid's dark eyes
sought hers, questioning. For a brief moment Loren thought he felt
the same magical attraction she did, then decided that was silly.
It was a romantic fantasy, suddenly racing through her imagination.
The band struck up again, this time a country tune.
    "Since I don't see your date for the evening,
Loren, shall we try another dance? Blue
Eyes Crying in the Rain is one of my favorites, but
you don't often hear it from an orchestra's strings."
    His arms were around her easily, quickly. Or had she
floated there eagerly? Later, when she recalled the evening's
events, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that they spent a good
deal of the night in each other's arms.
    "I have an admission," Loren offered, wondering why
she was so eager to confess.
    "What?"
    "I don't have a date tonight."
    His breath was warm on her ear. "I know."
    "You do?" She drew back to look up at him.
    "I did a little surveillance earlier this evening.
You don't think I would risk encountering the outraged escort of
such a gorgeous lady, do you?"
    "After the way you behaved this last week, I
wasn't sure what you would risk encountering," she
answered .
    "You are definitely worth the risk, Loren," he
murmured against her ear. The velvety softness of his breath sent
chills down her spine, and she longed to sink closer to him, to
press against his hard chest. Of course, she did not. After all,
they barely knew each other. Perhaps tonight would be a time for
remedying that.
    "I've never met a man so bold." Or one who makes me feel this way.
    "I'm captivated by you, Loren Randolph. I've never
seen eyes quite the color of yours. They're enchanting . . . and so
are you." His voice was a hoarse whisper and wrapped around her as
securely as his arms.
    "You're a silver tongued devil." She laughed.
    "Who's intrigued with you, Loren."
    "A secret admirer?"
    He nuzzled her ear ever so faintly. "You'll find that
I don't work in secret. Nor do I admire in secret. I want you to
know exactly where I stand."
    "I... I think I do, Reid." His name felt
strange on her tongue, even though she felt so familiar in his
arms. So right. "Reid . . ." she repeated it again,
just to hear the sound.
    When the dance ended he asked, "Could I
persuade you to abandon your seat with old fuddy-duddy
Steiger and join me for dinner, Loren?"
    She laughed spontaneously at his fitting
description of Representative Steiger. "With an offer
like that, how could I refuse?"
    "Good. I have a table reserved for us in the
back. If we're lucky, maybe no one will sit with us. I
want you all to myself. There are a lot of things I'd like to know
about you, Loren Randolph." His hand steered her to
the table.
    "There are many things I'd like to know about
you, too, Reid. The first is, how on earth did you
manage without your boots tonight?" She halted beside
her chair and noted his shiny