HandsOn Read Free Page A

downtown, which Mark readily
agreed to try. Once seated at a booth in the restaurant, she waited for him to
drag out his laptop or notebook and resume the interview.
    “Nice place,” he said.
    “Yeah, it is.” Can I go home now ?
    “Do you eat here often?”
    She shrugged. “Sometimes. I don’t get out much.”
    He arched a brow. “Why not?”
    Because I have no reason to go out, and no one asks me
out anyway . “Um, too busy with research.”
    “Sex research?”
    Did he have to grin at her like that? His eyes reflected
heat she was unprepared to handle. “Yes, sex research.”
    “Is all your research academic-related, or is there some,
uh, hands-on?”
    She spit her tea back into the glass. Not very ladylike at
all. Wondering how long before this so-called interview would be over and she
could go home and hide, she said, “Obviously, there’s some hands-on research.”
    “So, that means you date a lot?”
    Lara couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. “Not really.”
    “Steady boyfriend then?”
    “Sort of.” She smiled behind her glass.
    “Does he live around here?”
    “Yes.”
    “What’s his name?”
    “Why do you want to know?”
    Mark shrugged his impressive shoulders. “Just thought we
might throw his name in the article.”
    “Oh, I don’t think so.”
    “First name only, then?”
    “Bob.” Nancy would die when Lara told her what she’d
admitted to Mark.
    “Bob’s a lucky guy, then.”
    Smooth talker, and as full of it as they came, too.
“Thanks.”
    “Does he help you with the research for your books?”
    She really should tell him who Bob was, but she couldn’t
bring herself to get any more personal than she already had. “Yes,
extensively.”
    “Even luckier, then.”
    “So, do you have any more questions for the article?” In
other words, Mr. Smooth, get your mind out of my gutter and back on your job .
    He knew it too. She could tell by his sly smile.
    They spent the rest of dinner talking about her background,
education and books. Subjects Lara took an avid interest in. As opposed to her
social life, which was nonexistent enough to cause a huge stop in conversation.
    By the time he’d paid the check, she was more than ready to
head back to her little hovel and hide from the world again.
    She couldn’t get out of his car fast enough. Unfortunately,
Mr. Sexy-and-Chivalrous felt compelled to walk her to the door. Really, this
was small-town Pennsylvania, not the streets of New York. She hardly needed an
escort to the front door.
    “Thank you for dinner,” she said, rummaging through her
purse for her keys and trying to avoid looking at him. As it was, his image
would remain in her memory banks long after he was gone.
    She couldn’t wait to get inside and do what she’d thought
about doing with him all night long. Too bad he wouldn’t be there for it.
    “You’re welcome. Thanks for agreeing to the interview.”
    Clearly he wasn’t going to go away until she looked at him.
She turned, smiled and held out her hand. “Nice meeting you, Mark.”
    He tilted his head to the side and looked a bit confused.
Then he leaned in, his face inches away from hers.
    Oh no. Oh hell no! He wasn’t going to do that, was he?
Surely not. She wasn’t his type at all. He was hot and sexy and she was just
plain frumpy. She fought back panic as her thoughts ran rampant. His breath
sailed across her cheek as he bent his head toward hers.
    Then he shocked the hell out of her by brushing his lips
against hers. His soft mouth teased and tormented.
    Her toes curled, her heart pounded so loud she was certain
he could hear it thumping against her ribs. This kind of thing never happened
to women like her. Men like Mark Whitman didn’t kiss boring, socially retarded
professors.
    But he did. Right on the lips, his breath tinged with the
sweet wine they’d consumed at dinner. His mouth was soft, gliding ever so
gently over hers.
    She couldn’t breathe. How long had it been since she’d