Silk Confessions by Joanne Rock Page A

to believe he would be interested? “Tell me, Tempest, do you date much?”
    “Is this question of a professional nature?” She tugged on her necklace in what he began to realize was a nervous gesture. Fondling the small pearl at the end of the gold chain, she slid the charm to the right and then to the left, back and forth.
    He imagined that mesmerizing touch skimming across his skin instead. Back and forth.
    “Yes and no. We were talking about your alibi, but then it made me remember your alibi was a date.” He rescued the pearl from her twitching fingers. “It made me wonder if you go out much or if you have a significant other in your life.”
    She went utterly still as he replaced the necklace just below her collarbone, being careful not to actually touch her. He had the distinct impression that under Tempest’ssomewhat shy facade lay a woman of emotions as fiery as her name implied. If he ever touched her…sparks would definitely fly.
    “I don’t have time for significant others.” She shrugged, the movement shifting the pearl along her skin. “I barely have time to watch my soap opera and feed my dog.”
    “So the coffee shop guy doesn’t hold any special place in your affections?” Not that he was jealous, damn it.
    “I don’t date.” She said it more firmly, perhaps reading some of his intent in his eyes. “And I don’t think you can find people who will be remotely compatible with you by hanging out in your average nightclub or coffee shop. I always thought a service like MatingGame would be the better way to go.”
    “You can’t test chemistry online.” He couldn’t imagine meeting a woman in such a sterile environment. How would you know what the personal dynamics would be like unless you met face-to-face? Much better to get close.
    “Chemistry is overrated. What about common interests and shared values? That’s the heart of a great relationship.”
    Wes had heard the same spiel from his partner Vanessa, but had never given her ideas the time of day. Now that Tempest seemed to place stock in them, too, he wondered how a man would go about winning over her mind as much as her body.
    Not that it should matter to Wes. His plans for Tem pest were simple. Straightforward. Soon to be satisfying.
    “Maybe you’re right.” He turned back to the computer, thinking he’d finish a little business at the same time he got to know Tempest better. “I thought I’d play around with the MatingGame application form anyway to get an idea what they want to know to match people up withdates. You want to help me? Maybe we can learn a few things about each other.”
    “We don’t need to know much about each other to work together.”
    Undeterred, Wes started filling in blanks on the application form. “Qualities I value in a woman—loyalty, faithfulness, integrity.”
    Beside him, Tempest snorted.
    “What?”
    “What do you mean ‘what’? You sound like you’re shopping for a dog, not a girlfriend. Everybody wants loyalty in a relationship, Wes. That doesn’t say squat about what kind of woman you’d like.”
    He stared at his application, still liking his answers. “This is the stuff that matters.”
    “What about creativity and vision? What about finding a woman who follows her dreams and celebrates life? Someone who isn’t afraid to thumb her nose at conventional norms so she can immerse herself in her art…” She trailed off, her tawny gaze suddenly a bit horror-stricken.
    Wes couldn’t help the smile that curled his lips. He leaned in closer to Tempest, ready to find out if she harbored passion and fire beneath her nervous twitches and tendency to wriggle.
    “Someone like you?”

CHAPTER FIVE
    T EMPEST COULDN’T ANSWER. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t make herself move away from the six-foot-plus detective inching closer to her with every breath.
    If she had reasons for keeping her distance from this man, she certainly couldn’t remember them now when her whole body shivered in