process. “Fine! My day was fine!”
“What did you do?” he asked and sat down across from her like he’d originally planned, instead of next to her. He knew she needed space although soon, very soon, he wasn’t going to give it to her. His plan was to ease her into accepting their mutual attraction. But there was no way he would allow her to completely reject it.
She shook her head and looked up, glaring at him once again. “Why in the world would you want to know what I did today?”
He couldn’t believe she really had to ask. “Because I find you fascinating. And I’d like to get to know you better.”
She sighed and relaxed back against the extremely comfortable sofa cushions. “I thought the only prerequisites you had for a wife were a good hostess and procreator. Did I misunderstand at our lunch earlier this week?”
He chuckled, glad that the spitfire was back in full force. He was starting to become disturbed by the quiet Eva. She’d been looking distraught, forlorn, like he’d just stepped on her new puppy. This angry woman, still appearing ravishing and sexy as hell…she was much easier to handle and understand.
“I guess you sit around having lunches with your friends or shopping?” he prompted, knowing that wasn’t the case but he enjoyed riling her.
She tilted her head to the side. “What would you think if I told you that I teach investing classes for underprivileged families and am also a best-selling author of mysteries? That I spent the day at the morgue trying to get gory details out of the medical examiner on the latest murder victims so I can use those details in my own plot line?”
He threw back his head and laughed, thoroughly amused by the possibility. This woman, sitting so erect she might snap if she were any straighter, couldn’t write a gory mystery if her life depended on it. Romance possibly. But not a mystery. She was too sweet. And he also knew that she had a large trust fund given to her by her grandmother, had even reviewed her money manager’s investment strategy and approved of where her money was currently invested.
“So you don’t shop, you don’t spend your days going from one social function to the other and you’re a community activist. What’s your favorite charity?”
His disbelief in her writing and teaching skills actually made her feel stronger. It was wonderful that she could tell him the truth, and yet he didn’t believe her at all. It was like she was keeping a secret part of herself from him, from his all-knowing eyes and it helped her deal with his arrogance.
He’d also chosen a topic of conversation with which she was much more comfortable. It was a safe haven to discuss her charities, and she even considered it a fundraising attempt, although the man had been extremely generous with his donation to the recreation center already. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, just to have lunches and dinners with her? He must be crazy because Eva knew she wasn’t that special. “I have several charities that I favor, but not one that I prefer above any of the others.”
“So you’re a bleeding heart liberal, eh?” he teased, his eyes smiling at her and enjoying the banter.
She leaned forward to argue the merits of the charities she supported, unaware that her sweater was once again giving him a tantalizing view of her breast or that he was paying more attention to the elegant line of her neck.
It was amusing to tease her, to taunt her about the issues about which she was passionate. He didn’t tell her that he admired her for several of her opinions and the actions she took to help out. And he definitely didn’t tell her that he had already donated large sums to several of the charities she with which she worked. That might let her know that he agreed with her and he was much too fascinated by this woman’s spirit to let her calm down now. Her knowledge of his previous donations would keep her from arguing with him and he was enjoying
“What did you do?” he asked and sat down across from her like he’d originally planned, instead of next to her. He knew she needed space although soon, very soon, he wasn’t going to give it to her. His plan was to ease her into accepting their mutual attraction. But there was no way he would allow her to completely reject it.
She shook her head and looked up, glaring at him once again. “Why in the world would you want to know what I did today?”
He couldn’t believe she really had to ask. “Because I find you fascinating. And I’d like to get to know you better.”
She sighed and relaxed back against the extremely comfortable sofa cushions. “I thought the only prerequisites you had for a wife were a good hostess and procreator. Did I misunderstand at our lunch earlier this week?”
He chuckled, glad that the spitfire was back in full force. He was starting to become disturbed by the quiet Eva. She’d been looking distraught, forlorn, like he’d just stepped on her new puppy. This angry woman, still appearing ravishing and sexy as hell…she was much easier to handle and understand.
“I guess you sit around having lunches with your friends or shopping?” he prompted, knowing that wasn’t the case but he enjoyed riling her.
She tilted her head to the side. “What would you think if I told you that I teach investing classes for underprivileged families and am also a best-selling author of mysteries? That I spent the day at the morgue trying to get gory details out of the medical examiner on the latest murder victims so I can use those details in my own plot line?”
He threw back his head and laughed, thoroughly amused by the possibility. This woman, sitting so erect she might snap if she were any straighter, couldn’t write a gory mystery if her life depended on it. Romance possibly. But not a mystery. She was too sweet. And he also knew that she had a large trust fund given to her by her grandmother, had even reviewed her money manager’s investment strategy and approved of where her money was currently invested.
“So you don’t shop, you don’t spend your days going from one social function to the other and you’re a community activist. What’s your favorite charity?”
His disbelief in her writing and teaching skills actually made her feel stronger. It was wonderful that she could tell him the truth, and yet he didn’t believe her at all. It was like she was keeping a secret part of herself from him, from his all-knowing eyes and it helped her deal with his arrogance.
He’d also chosen a topic of conversation with which she was much more comfortable. It was a safe haven to discuss her charities, and she even considered it a fundraising attempt, although the man had been extremely generous with his donation to the recreation center already. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, just to have lunches and dinners with her? He must be crazy because Eva knew she wasn’t that special. “I have several charities that I favor, but not one that I prefer above any of the others.”
“So you’re a bleeding heart liberal, eh?” he teased, his eyes smiling at her and enjoying the banter.
She leaned forward to argue the merits of the charities she supported, unaware that her sweater was once again giving him a tantalizing view of her breast or that he was paying more attention to the elegant line of her neck.
It was amusing to tease her, to taunt her about the issues about which she was passionate. He didn’t tell her that he admired her for several of her opinions and the actions she took to help out. And he definitely didn’t tell her that he had already donated large sums to several of the charities she with which she worked. That might let her know that he agreed with her and he was much too fascinated by this woman’s spirit to let her calm down now. Her knowledge of his previous donations would keep her from arguing with him and he was enjoying
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