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Color climbed her cheeks, and she picked up her iced tea. “I was only twenty,” she murmured.
“Now it’s my turn to be flattered.”
She started laughing midsip and quickly lowered the glass and licked the splattered moisture from her lips. “I deserved that.”
“No comment.”
“Good move.”
He smiled. Neither diplomacy nor chivalry had shut him up. He was too busy watching her tongue sweep her lower lip to think of anything clever to say. And how that tiny dimple flashed at the corner of her mouth, calling further attention to that wide sexy mouth of hers.
Their eyes met. Neither of them spoke.
For an instant he recalled the first time he’d seen her in one of his lectures, sitting midway up the stadium-style seating. There had to have been at least a hundred students, but the light shining on her wild auburn hair had caught his eye. She’d given him a shy smile that forced his gaze down to his notes for the next forty minutes.
“You folks ready to order?”
Karrie blinked at the waitress as if she had no idea what the woman was talking about.
Before Rob could rebound and respond, the waitress said, “Maybe I should give you a few more minutes.”
“Great,” Karrie said at the same time Rob said, “We’re ready.”
The waitress smiled. “I’ll be back in a few.”
“I’ll just order a salad,” Karrie murmured and closed her menu. “I know you’re anxious to get this meeting over with.”
“No, please, take your time.”
She set the menu aside, braced her arms on the table and leaned forward. “You’re right. We don’t object to your dig, and it’s entirely reasonable to assume that by tomorrow afternoon I’ll be getting back to you with written consent. Tomorrow morning I have to check with county records. My plane was delayed or I would have already done that.”
“What are you looking for at county records?” He didn’t like the way she was all business suddenly.
Her gaze narrowed slightly. “Do you expect to find anything?”
“No.” He shrugged. “I mean I hope the kids find a few arrowheads and maybe some broken pottery. Just to keep the dig interesting. But generally I just want them to go through the paces.”
She nodded. “So we should have no problem.”
“None.” Shit, he hoped not. As far as he knew, his friend Joe Tonopah was the only one who believed there might be a Paiute burial ground in the area. “What’s Sanax planning on doing with the land?”
“Nothing, so far. It was bought on speculation a long time ago. Personally, I think it’ll end up being a zero for us.”
Good. He didn’t have to feel too bad about not being totally honest with her. His friend Joe was eighty-eight and the diabetes had taken its toll. Rob had made him a promise he intended to keep. Even if it meant deceiving Karrie.
THE WAITRESS RETURNED, and after they’d ordered and she left, an awkward silence stretched. Damn, Karrie wished she’d never met Madam Zora. Bad enough her nerves were shot to hell just sitting across from him, but every time her mind wandered back to what the psychic had predicted two months ago, she’d get all jittery inside.
Hard to come across mature and sophisticated when her palms were so clammy that she avoided picking up her glass. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t his student anymore, and he wasn’t married. If he was attached, he’d have to speak up. Because as soon as business was out of the way, she was going for it.
Talk about the perfect Man To Do. He fit the bill in every way. She’d had such an incredible crush on him all those years ago. In fact, that crush had actually hampered her social life. None of the boys at school could compete with the handsome professor. He’d been such a fascinating bundle of contradictions. He knew his material extraordinarily well, and taught with a passion that had fascinated her with a subject that had never made her pause. And yet there was a shy quality that showed up the second he wasn’t talking about the land, or the artifacts. He’d blushed back then, and every time he did, half the women in the class swooned. It was just so charming.
Everything had gotten worse when she’d gone on her first dig with him. Because that’s when she’d seen him without his shirt. Oh, mama, that wasn’t something she’d ever forget. Sculpted like a masterwork, tan, muscled so perfectly it was more than human, it was art.
If she’d dreamed about him once, she’d dreamed about him a hundred times. Every one of those dreams had ended with them making love. Of course, he’d made it perfectly clear that she was a student and only that back then. But now?
She could see he was interested. She wasn’t leaving until tomorrow night. Which left a tantalizing window of opportunity, and what was the Man To Do about if not seizing the day?
She’d been in the e-mail group for a little over a year, enjoying the frank discussions with incredibly bright and witty women from all walks of life. Their most daring project was the Man To Do. The whole concept was wild and wicked. Find a guy who didn’t fit into the lifetime plan, who wasn’t someone to take home to Mom. Have a night, a weekend, whatever, that was purely for pleasure. For getting one’s ya-yas out. Only, there hadn’t been one man in New York who’d piqued her interest. Not enough to actually do the deed.
Despite the image of the Sex and the City and all that, she wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of gal. She’d always had to have some kind of emotion attached to sex, or she wasn’t interested. Not necessarily love, but something more than lust.
Rob Philips fit the bill to a T. It felt as if she’d wanted him forever, and here he was, practically served up on a silver platter.
God, she hoped the rumors that he was gay weren’t true. She didn’t think so. Not with the scorching way he’d been looking at her. Another reason she could barely think straight. He still had the most amazing brown eyes she’d ever seen.
Surprisingly, he looked even better than she remembered. And she’d remembered the details for far too long. The boyish grin was the same, kind of reticent and shy, but his face was more weathered. Not just tanned but more chiseled. As if he’d cosmetically added the lines fanning out at the corners of his eyes, and the small scar at his jaw had been strategically placed just so.
Hell, he’d be a perfect candidate for one of Madison’s photo shoots. He had just the right look. Rugged, sexy, his intelligence shining in those remarkable eyes. Her gaze went back to that perfect little scar on his chin. Just the touch to make him seem mysterious and a wee bit dangerous. “What happened?” she asked, pointing to the mirrored spot on her own chin.
His fingers automatically went to the scarred skin. Even his hands were tan. “Rock climbing.”
Not the outdoor type, she mentally shuddered. “You’re lucky that’s the only memento.”
His mouth twisted in a wry grin. “Not exactly.” He leaned back and briefly lifted his shirt to expose a nasty gash under his rib cage.
Karrie swallowed hard. Yeah, the scar was ugly and barely healed, but that wasn’t what had her trying to catch her breath. The chest of her dreams had become even more enticing. He had a set of abs on him that sent an arrow of heat straight to the juncture of her thighs. “Ouch,” she said finally. “When did that happen?”
“About two months ago.”
“Around here?”
He gave her a sheepish look. “Yeah.”
“Come on, there’s a story here.”
“I don’t want to ruin my macho image.”
She laughed. “You have to tell me now.”
“I should’ve ordered an appetizer.”
“You’d have to stop chewing eventually.”
His slow grin made her feel like a silly schoolgirl again, giddy and, astonishingly, a little light-headed. This whole thing was so unreal. He wasn’t just sexy but he actually had a personality. In class the only thing she’d known for sure was that he loved his career. Now she saw there was more to him than digging shards.
“You were climbing at Red Rock, right? What’s the name of that place where beginners go in the Calico Basin area? I think it’s called Caustic?”
He winced.
She grinned. “Am I right?”
“How do you know about Caustic? You’re gonna make me look like a real wimp and tell me you climb, right?”
“God, no. Stairs. That’s my limit. Quit changing the subject.”
“Seriously, how do you know about Caustic?”
“I lived here, remember?”
“How long did you stay after college?”
“About a minute.”
He chuckled. “You liked it here that much, eh?”
“I’m from Searchlight. Enough said.”
He reared his head back. The look on his face went beyond surprise. He seemed displeased, which didn’t make sense. “Searchlight?”
“I take it you’ve been there.”
“Sure. It’s small.”
She smiled. “That was very diplomatic. Now, get back to the rock-climbing incident.”
“You’re ruthless.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Okay…” He rubbed his jaw near the tiny scar, looking distracted suddenly. “There’s this place in Henderson where you learn to climb. Indoors, simulated. You getting the picture?”
Karrie tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help herself, which brought the smile back to his lips. “I’m impressed that you even made the attempt.”
“A group of fourteen-year-olds weren’t so impressed. They laughed their asses off because they had to help the old geezer down the last ten feet.”
“But you were really hurt.”
“They didn’t know that at the time.” He studied her for a moment, his eyebrows coming together in a slight frown. “You look different.”
Slowly shaking her head, she shrugged. “Probably pale. We had a bad winter. Not much sun.”
“It’s your hair.”
“Oh.” She smoothed back the unruly curls. She’d left New York with a French braid, but that had been hours and two time zones ago. The best she’d been able to do on the taxi ride over was to brush it out and tie it back. “Are you saying different bad, or different good?”
His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Very good, indeed.”
She felt the compliment to the tips of her toes, and her water glass held sudden interest. “Thanks,” she murmured. “I like your hair, too. It’s longer.”
“Yeah.” He looked embarrassed at the return volley. “I’d like to say I abandoned the geek look, but I just keep forgetting to get it cut.”
“A geek? You?”
He picked up his glass of wine and took a sip, but not before she saw the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She had the feeling that if there’d ever been anything geeky about him it was because that’s the way he wanted to appear.
They weren’t so different. He’d embarked on his career at a young age and probably created a facade to support his image. She’d done the same after arriving in Manhattan. Convinced that she’d been the biggest hick to set foot in the city, she quickly devoured fashion magazines and spent money she could ill afford on clothes and hair care. She’d even skipped meals so that she could eat skimpy, pricey appetizers and sip expensive wine in the In restaurants.
Foolish and shallow maybe, but she didn’t regret any of it. She had a great job, a terrific salary and unlimited potential if she continued to play the game. Which reminded her of the reason for being here.
“There’s something else I want to go over with you,” she said, at the same time she caught their waitress’s eye and motioned the woman over. “I’m working on a press release about the dig.”
“Pardon?”
The waitress showed up before Karrie could respond. She ordered a glass of wine for herself and another for him. He looked annoyed, but she couldn’t tell if it was over the press release or her assertiveness. Probably both.
The waitress had barely taken a step toward the bar when he asked, “What about this press release?”
“No big deal.” She hadn’t considered how honest to be with him. “Like any large corporation we’ve had a few go-rounds with the County and I’m looking to get some good press out of this.”
“This was your idea?”
She nodded. “I am in the PR department.”
“I don’t understand. Other than the press aspect, why are you involved?”
“The vice president in charge found out I knew the area and figured I might have some valuable insight. Which we both know means nothing. But I wasn’t about to turn down the opportunity to strut my stuff.”
He sat back, his shoulders tensing, and showed excessive interest in the antics of two teenagers who had just joined their parents at a nearby table.
She waited for him to respond but he seemed willing to let the subject drop. “Do you have a problem dealing with me?”
He sent her a quick frown. “No. Why should I?”
“You seem agitated.”
The slow lazy smile was instantly back. “Actually, I’m going to enjoy working with you.”
Karrie didn’t quite believe it. Something had gotten him riled, but it was hard to think about much more than the way one side of his mouth always hiked up a tad before he actually smiled, or the way crisp dark hair curled at the open neck of his shirt.
She grabbed her glass of iced tea, mostly watered down but there was still some ice left, and enjoyed the cool moisture against her palm. Time to change the subject, get him back to his earlier calm. “Good God, I don’t remember it being so hot this early in June.” She fisted her hair, lifted it off her neck, and then with her moistened hand cupped the heated skin at her nape.
His gaze went to her throat, traveled to her scoop neckline, flickered lower for a moment before he met her eyes. “It’s really not that hot yet. Besides, it’s air-conditioned in here.”
“Yeah, but the patio doors are open,” she murmured, feeling a whole new wave of heat flushing her skin.
“Wait until late July and August.”
“Thankfully, I won’t be here.”
