Someone Irresistible by Adele Ashworth Page A

her mouth was the only sign that his brief reply wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Of course he didn’t know if she expected a show of anger on his part, or frustration, maybe something else. She should know, however, that he had to have considered everything before he went to her in the first place. He knew exactly how she would respond, and as the skin on her cheeks suddenly began to flush, he enjoyed the fact that she was just this moment putting this together in her mind. Still, he remained silent, letting her brood.
    She straightened her shoulders even more, if that was possible, though he couldn’t tell if it was for her own sense of confidence or his visual benefit, since her breasts pushed out against her silk bodice nicely and his concentration on her face faltered for just an instant as he stole a fast glance at them. She couldn’t be that astute at knowing how to distract a man, he didn’t think. Then again, she’d briefly been married.
    “The first requirement if I am to help you,” she began in earnest, chin held high, “is that you must tell me how you learned who exactly is sculpting the dinosaur models that now sit in the halls of the Zoological Garden.”
    He wasn’t expecting that, but he understood her need to know. It made him smile, actually, his first true smile of pleasure in days. “And your other requirements?”
    “We’ll get to them. I want this answer first.”
    Very tactful. He nodded as he drew a deep breath, capturing the scent of something roasting in the nearby kitchen. Dinner would be served soon, but for now they were alone in this part of the house. Even Mrs. Sheffield had disappeared, though he knew she was likely nearby, eavesdropping if she could. Mimi obviously suspected this as well or she would have been more direct with her question. How did he know she was the dinosaur sculptor? Maybe she was a good deal more clever than he’d first supposed. Amazing, for a woman.
    Nathan strode to the small sofa that faced both her and the grate, and sat comfortably, one arm relaxing lengthwise across the short back, one leg crossed over the other, his foot resting on his knee. He realized she likely had a list of specifics she needed answered, and if she were anything like his mother, this could take hours. He groaned inwardly.
    “I guessed you were a reptile sculptor, Mimi,” he replied at length.
    “I’ve known of your artistic talent for years, and I simply deduced that you’d follow in your father’s footsteps.”
    She clearly didn’t take that acknowledgment at face value, and her expression of flat disbelief told him so.
    “Really, Nathan. I think you owe me the truth considering that my father’s reputation is at stake.”
    Immediately his blood ran cold, and just as quickly she realized she shouldn’t have said that. Her eyes never strayed from his, but her fingers tightened noticeably around her reticule.
    “The truth?” he repeated, his tone dropping a degree with measured coolness. “The truth is that I’ve been digging with a team of French archeologists and paleontologists in southern France for the last eighteen months, Mimi, because it was the only work I could get. About a year ago I came upon some wonderful discoveries that were my very own. One was a marvelous fossilized tail of a Stegosaurus, the molding of which now sits in the Zoological Garden.”
    He could see the light come on in her eyes as they opened round with growing shock and understanding, and he simply had to grace her with a cunning grin to complete the blow.
    Leaning forward, elbows on his crossed leg, palms together, he slowly murmured, “I also discovered a Pteranodon, nearly complete and in perfect fossilized condition. I believe it lies in your studio, the likes of which you’re sculpting now.”
    Her lips parted with a sharp inhalation as her upper body tensed, her fingers practically white now as they clutched the twisted strings of the bag in her hand.
    Cautiously, she whispered,