Roped Into Romance Read Free

to him was as much about what she saw when she looked into his eyes as when she looked at his body.
    Call her foolish, but she swore she'd caught a glimpse of awareness that reached deeper than a sexual level. And that possibility, that complex attraction to both mind and matter was what she wanted to explore.
    She flipped open her notebook and made her way to the space perfectly suited for the bubble sculptures on which she and Macy had their hearts set. "I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight until I found out if the sculptures are going to fit beneath the ductwork. We went by the store earlier today so I know exactly how tall they are."
    While Lauren continued her decorative chatter, Anton had followed her across the main room. She'd counted each of his footsteps — she took one and a half to each of his — and now she felt his body heat behind her.
    She had to talk herself out of stepping back into his solid male warmth when she so wanted to know what he felt like. Oh, but her imagination was running wild, wanting to experience more of him than she would have time to experience tonight.
    "Let's see." She dug the measuring tape from her backpack, extended the strip of stiff metal far enough to reach the shiny ventilation system directly overhead. Then she let go of the casing. Gravity slowly pulled it to the floor where it landed with a light thunk. She looked back at Anton and smiled. "And voilà! Exactly…this tall."
    Anton reached over her shoulder, his large hand taking hold of the metal strip. He nodded toward the floor. "I'll do this part. You get down there and do yours."
    Lauren released the measuring tape and turned beneath his outstretched arm. She had a devil of a time keeping a straight face. Anton wasn't having much better luck ignoring his own timely double entendre. "Just…go. Do. Before I get my other foot stuck in my mouth."
    With a wink, she dropped to her knees at his feet. Once she noted the distance between floor and ceiling, she sat back on her heels and jotted dimensions into her notebook. "A perfect fit. You can let go now."
    She made to stand. He made to reach for the tape casing. It was o ne of those badly timed movie moments where their faces ended up inches apart. She could so easily have kissed him. His lips were so beautifully full and she just knew that the stubble beneath his lower lip would tickle.
    Imagining the feel of his mouth had kept her tossing and turning a good part of last night. But, as tempting as she found his mouth — and his everything else, she knew what anticipation added to the sensual equation.
    She also was quite sure he would be worth the wait.
    And so she gave him nothing more than a smile before she got back to her feet. He handed her the tape, closing his fingers around her smaller hand. "Did you get what you needed?"
    "Well, that is certainly a leading question. But, to answer you honestly? No. I didn't.
    Do you mind?" Pulling out the tape while pulling her hand from his hold, she moved away, motioning for him to step back. "Right there. Stop. How far apart are we?"
    Looking at her like she was crazy before looking down at the tape in his hand, he answered, "Fifteen feet."
    "Hmm." Lauren walked toward him, feeding the tape back into the case. "The base of each sculpture is three feet, so that's perfect. Now all we have to figure out is if we can afford to buy five."
    "You've made up your mind then? About the loft?"
    "We're getting there. Arguing over a few details still."
    "And taking measurements just in case?"
    "Yes. And no." Lauren took a deep breath. Here came the honesty part. "I was also hoping you'd let me buy you dinner."
    She didn't know why she was nervous. Other tha n the obvious reason that she rarely invited a virtual stranger to eat. A stranger to whom she found herself so viscerally attracted at that. And so she held her breath.
    Finally, after what seemed like eternal minutes spent staring into her eyes, his glittering even in the