job? I gather you weren’t selling fries at a burger shop.” Her tone indicated her doubt.
“Nope. I was working for my dad. He wanted to teach me about the big, bad world.” He actually had worked for his father a few summers, doing yard work and repairs to the house.
“Is your father alive?”
“Yeah, he and Mom live in Tucson. He plays a lot of golf now, but he used to run a manufacturing plant down there.”
The waiter returned, and James was glad. He’dhave to be more careful when he answered Elise’s questions or she’d figure out something was wrong.
He escorted her to the car, which pleased him. Not because he was ready for the evening to end. No, not that. He was looking forward to the next part of their research. All evening, he’d stared at those soft lips. And as soon as they got back to her apartment, he was going to taste them.
E LISE WAS FEELING better about their agreement. She’d managed an entire evening without falling apart. And once they’d started talking about general things, rather than her love life, she hadn’t blushed once.
He was still charming, of course. It seemed to be a natural thing with him. But with a table between them, she could manage just fine.
In the car, as he drove, she asked him if he preferred acting in a comedy or a drama. That question launched a discussion of their favorite movies. Amazingly, she discovered they liked a lot of the same ones. Of course, he preferred a few bang-bang shoot-’em-ups, mostly contemporary, that she’d never seen, and he hadn’t bothered with Sense and Sensibility or Emma.
“So next time shall we take in a movie? How about Sunday evening?” he suggested as he parked the car in front of her place.
“Monday, Wednesday and Friday are my early classes,” she pointed out.
“Okay, we’ll make it Monday night. What time’s your first class on Tuesday?”
“Eleven, but I keep office hours from nine-thirty until class.”
“Nine-thirty? Unfair, I have to be at work at eight o’clock,” he teased.
She stared at him. “I didn’t know the Drama Department scheduled any classes that early. I’m surprised.”
“It’s not classes,” he said hurriedly. “I do some prep work for my supervising professor.”
“Oh, I guess that’s not too bad. Well, thanks for a lovely evening,” she began as she reached for the door handle.
“Wait.”
“Yes? Did I forget something?”
“Yeah, I think you did. This—”
As his head drew closer, she suddenly realized what he meant. She had every intention of protesting, but somehow she didn’t get the words out until it was too late.
His warm, sexy lips covered hers, lured hers into clinging to his, opening to his, inviting him in, even though she’d had no intention of doing so.
He accepted the invitation.
His hands did even more, encircling her, pulling her across the bench seat, pressing her against his long, lean form. He lifted his mouth and quickly re-slanted it on hers to take the kiss deeper. Somehow, her arms ended up around his neck.
She thought she’d never been kissed like that before. A startling realization for a woman of her age.
“What was that?” she muttered, staring fiercely into his blue eyes when he lifted his head.
“Sweetheart, if you don’t know, I definitely needto practice more,” he whispered, even as he lowered his head again.
The second kiss was even better than the first…and frightened Elise. The evening had gone so well. She’d thought she could handle the situation. Now he was proving she couldn’t.
“Stop!” she urged, jerking her lips from his, even as her body protested.
“Why? We’re doing so well,” he murmured, and started to kiss her again.
“No!” She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the hysterical note in her voice. “We don’t need to practice. We’re both able to— I mean, we’re experienced. This isn’t necessary.”
“You want me to stop?”
She stared at him. Hadn’t he been listening?
“Nope. I was working for my dad. He wanted to teach me about the big, bad world.” He actually had worked for his father a few summers, doing yard work and repairs to the house.
“Is your father alive?”
“Yeah, he and Mom live in Tucson. He plays a lot of golf now, but he used to run a manufacturing plant down there.”
The waiter returned, and James was glad. He’dhave to be more careful when he answered Elise’s questions or she’d figure out something was wrong.
He escorted her to the car, which pleased him. Not because he was ready for the evening to end. No, not that. He was looking forward to the next part of their research. All evening, he’d stared at those soft lips. And as soon as they got back to her apartment, he was going to taste them.
E LISE WAS FEELING better about their agreement. She’d managed an entire evening without falling apart. And once they’d started talking about general things, rather than her love life, she hadn’t blushed once.
He was still charming, of course. It seemed to be a natural thing with him. But with a table between them, she could manage just fine.
In the car, as he drove, she asked him if he preferred acting in a comedy or a drama. That question launched a discussion of their favorite movies. Amazingly, she discovered they liked a lot of the same ones. Of course, he preferred a few bang-bang shoot-’em-ups, mostly contemporary, that she’d never seen, and he hadn’t bothered with Sense and Sensibility or Emma.
“So next time shall we take in a movie? How about Sunday evening?” he suggested as he parked the car in front of her place.
“Monday, Wednesday and Friday are my early classes,” she pointed out.
“Okay, we’ll make it Monday night. What time’s your first class on Tuesday?”
“Eleven, but I keep office hours from nine-thirty until class.”
“Nine-thirty? Unfair, I have to be at work at eight o’clock,” he teased.
She stared at him. “I didn’t know the Drama Department scheduled any classes that early. I’m surprised.”
“It’s not classes,” he said hurriedly. “I do some prep work for my supervising professor.”
“Oh, I guess that’s not too bad. Well, thanks for a lovely evening,” she began as she reached for the door handle.
“Wait.”
“Yes? Did I forget something?”
“Yeah, I think you did. This—”
As his head drew closer, she suddenly realized what he meant. She had every intention of protesting, but somehow she didn’t get the words out until it was too late.
His warm, sexy lips covered hers, lured hers into clinging to his, opening to his, inviting him in, even though she’d had no intention of doing so.
He accepted the invitation.
His hands did even more, encircling her, pulling her across the bench seat, pressing her against his long, lean form. He lifted his mouth and quickly re-slanted it on hers to take the kiss deeper. Somehow, her arms ended up around his neck.
She thought she’d never been kissed like that before. A startling realization for a woman of her age.
“What was that?” she muttered, staring fiercely into his blue eyes when he lifted his head.
“Sweetheart, if you don’t know, I definitely needto practice more,” he whispered, even as he lowered his head again.
The second kiss was even better than the first…and frightened Elise. The evening had gone so well. She’d thought she could handle the situation. Now he was proving she couldn’t.
“Stop!” she urged, jerking her lips from his, even as her body protested.
“Why? We’re doing so well,” he murmured, and started to kiss her again.
“No!” She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the hysterical note in her voice. “We don’t need to practice. We’re both able to— I mean, we’re experienced. This isn’t necessary.”
“You want me to stop?”
She stared at him. Hadn’t he been listening?
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