for.”
“Gee, that’s a real mystery,” he said, laughing. “But too bad, so sad. You have to like Miami if you’re going to live in this house.”
“Says who?” she demanded with mock indignation.
“Says my dad.”
They exchanged smiles, and for the hundredth time in the last few days, Kate caught a glimpse of the beautiful man Jude would soon become. He was extraordinary, and thank God he didn’t know it yet.
“Okay, quit distracting me. We’re going to read Lord of the Flies .” All business again, she slid the book across the table to him. “Here’s your copy.” Scowling, Jude flipped through the paperback. “It looks weird.” “It is weird. And spooky, and interesting. Go to it. You don’t have to read in the living room. Read wherever you’re comfortable, and when you’ve finished two chapters, I want you to sum up each chapter in your new literature journal. A complete paragraph, okay? Do I need to refresh you on what that is?” “Opening sentence, three body sentences, and a closing sentence. I know.” He stood, dragged the novel from the table, and ambled toward the foyer. “I’ll be in the conservatory,” he said with a heavy sigh.
Kate didn’t miss a beat. “With Professor Plum? Or Colonel Mustard?”
“With Miss Scarlet,” he said over his shoulder. “She’s hot.” She watched him go with a smile of satisfaction. Even this spooky old house wasn’t enough to dampen the joy of breaking down Jude Renaud’s defenses.
“God, Gideon, I thought you’d forgotten about me,” Delilah purred into the phone. “You could’ve spent the night with me when you were in Haileton this week. That’s a mere thirty miles from me. Should I feel rejected?” Gideon sat down on the edge of his bed, telephone receiver caught between ear and shoulder as he tied his running shoes. “Rejected? Never. Believe me, I thought about you. But I was there for a convention.
All work and no play.”
“Ah, well. It’s not just my loss, darling, and you know it.” She paused for effect. “Are you ever going to invite me to see your new home?”
“When things settle down. We’re still adjusting.”
“Say no more,” she said drolly. “Maybe you could sneak me out there. Jude wouldn’t have to know.
We could do one of those dangerous daylight rendezvous we were so adept at when you lived in Massachusetts.”
“I thought you were playing it safe with the daylight.” He stood and removed his watch, laid it on the valet by the bathroom. “It takes an awfully long time to bounce back from the kind of burn you suffered last year.” “Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Self-Righteous. All you have to do is slip on a pair of sunglasses and you’re absolutely mortal again.”
“Sunglasses aren’t perfect protection.” Duly reminded, he grabbed a pair from the dresser and happened to glance at the photograph of Caroline that sat by his change holder. She looked so young in the picture, as she had when they’d first met. Before bitterness had twisted her features, before hatred had rendered her into a stranger to him. He’d known better than to fall in love with a mortal, but he hadn’t had a choice. Even now, just looking at her photograph, a surge of wistfulness caught him unaware and he closed his eyes, wishing away the memories.
“You there, Gid?”
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I’d like to see you, Delilah.”
“You’d like to, or you need to?”
“Both,” he said flatly, and heard the smile in her husky voice.
“Name the time and place, and I’ll do my best to accommodate you, my love.”
“How about tonight? I’ll come there. We can take in a movie.”
“Why bother? I know what you want.” The desire in her tone wound around him, sinuous and breathtaking in its ability to arouse him. “I want it, too. Not a movie, not a night out on the town. Just you.” “Spoken like a true seductress,” he murmured.
“I was one, once.”
“A
“Gee, that’s a real mystery,” he said, laughing. “But too bad, so sad. You have to like Miami if you’re going to live in this house.”
“Says who?” she demanded with mock indignation.
“Says my dad.”
They exchanged smiles, and for the hundredth time in the last few days, Kate caught a glimpse of the beautiful man Jude would soon become. He was extraordinary, and thank God he didn’t know it yet.
“Okay, quit distracting me. We’re going to read Lord of the Flies .” All business again, she slid the book across the table to him. “Here’s your copy.” Scowling, Jude flipped through the paperback. “It looks weird.” “It is weird. And spooky, and interesting. Go to it. You don’t have to read in the living room. Read wherever you’re comfortable, and when you’ve finished two chapters, I want you to sum up each chapter in your new literature journal. A complete paragraph, okay? Do I need to refresh you on what that is?” “Opening sentence, three body sentences, and a closing sentence. I know.” He stood, dragged the novel from the table, and ambled toward the foyer. “I’ll be in the conservatory,” he said with a heavy sigh.
Kate didn’t miss a beat. “With Professor Plum? Or Colonel Mustard?”
“With Miss Scarlet,” he said over his shoulder. “She’s hot.” She watched him go with a smile of satisfaction. Even this spooky old house wasn’t enough to dampen the joy of breaking down Jude Renaud’s defenses.
“God, Gideon, I thought you’d forgotten about me,” Delilah purred into the phone. “You could’ve spent the night with me when you were in Haileton this week. That’s a mere thirty miles from me. Should I feel rejected?” Gideon sat down on the edge of his bed, telephone receiver caught between ear and shoulder as he tied his running shoes. “Rejected? Never. Believe me, I thought about you. But I was there for a convention.
All work and no play.”
“Ah, well. It’s not just my loss, darling, and you know it.” She paused for effect. “Are you ever going to invite me to see your new home?”
“When things settle down. We’re still adjusting.”
“Say no more,” she said drolly. “Maybe you could sneak me out there. Jude wouldn’t have to know.
We could do one of those dangerous daylight rendezvous we were so adept at when you lived in Massachusetts.”
“I thought you were playing it safe with the daylight.” He stood and removed his watch, laid it on the valet by the bathroom. “It takes an awfully long time to bounce back from the kind of burn you suffered last year.” “Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Self-Righteous. All you have to do is slip on a pair of sunglasses and you’re absolutely mortal again.”
“Sunglasses aren’t perfect protection.” Duly reminded, he grabbed a pair from the dresser and happened to glance at the photograph of Caroline that sat by his change holder. She looked so young in the picture, as she had when they’d first met. Before bitterness had twisted her features, before hatred had rendered her into a stranger to him. He’d known better than to fall in love with a mortal, but he hadn’t had a choice. Even now, just looking at her photograph, a surge of wistfulness caught him unaware and he closed his eyes, wishing away the memories.
“You there, Gid?”
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I’d like to see you, Delilah.”
“You’d like to, or you need to?”
“Both,” he said flatly, and heard the smile in her husky voice.
“Name the time and place, and I’ll do my best to accommodate you, my love.”
“How about tonight? I’ll come there. We can take in a movie.”
“Why bother? I know what you want.” The desire in her tone wound around him, sinuous and breathtaking in its ability to arouse him. “I want it, too. Not a movie, not a night out on the town. Just you.” “Spoken like a true seductress,” he murmured.
“I was one, once.”
“A
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