him a quick glance from underneath her lashes. “So, now you see.” Her hand made a little wave.
Tanner had sworn off women for eleven months, but before that he’d had plenty of experience. When a woman said something like “now you see” in that bright, isn’t-this-all-logical voice, it was a 99.9 percent chance that he was blind as a bat. “See, uh, what?”
“That what happened on New Year’s…that was just a reaction to my circumstances. Not a reaction to you in particular.”
He stared at her. Did she really believe that bullshit?
“While changing into dry clothes before we headed for the DMV, I thought about Uncle Geoff and the kind of man he is. When I came to Coronado, I thought you were only going to give me a few vacation tips, but I can see him twisting your arm into taking on the favor of watching out for me while I’m here.”
“Hannah—”
She put up her hand. “Let me finish. Because ofNew Year’s, because I came on to you like…like a desperate house wife or something, I don’t blame you for coming to your own conclusion that I need a keeper more than anything else. But now…”
“Now?”
“Now that I’ve explained about Duncan, you can appreciate that it was just an odd response to New Year’s Eve, and mojitos, and…and…” She made that little hand flip again. “Now you can feel confident that I’m perfectly able to handle myself. By myself.”
Is that right? She thought now he should feel free to let loose a woman who’d been without sex in four years and probably doubted her desirability to boot? Not to mention that she was someone who was so out of touch with her sexuality that she thought it was her circumstances that had drawn them together. Her circumstances, and not a this-particular-man, this-particular-woman, particular to him and Hannah, particularly red hot, take-your-panties-off-right-now chemistry?
Of course, he’d vowed he wasn’t going to be participating in any further science experiments himself, not with his Secret Ser vice career on the line, but he couldn’t let a woman this dangerous to mankind out of his sight. Who knew what trouble she might get into? He only knew who would be getting the blame if she did.
He gave her his best smile. “Neither one of us has anything to worry about, then. It’s not as if we’re about to fall into bed again.”
“Right.” She sat back, obviously relieved. He noticedshe still had that tabloid he’d found. Her fingers tightened on it when he reached over to pat the back of her hand.
“And so there’s no reason you can’t go out to dinner with me to night.”
12
W hat? After her long speech about being capable of handling herself and of no longer being in her New Year’s Eve, uh, “state,” could she possibly have said no to Tanner’s invitation to dinner?
Refusal would have made her look foolish, and that particular fashion was so last year on Hannah.
With that firmly in mind, she’d let Desirée raid her overstuffed closet once again, and out had come this beautiful and bold red silk chiffon strapless dress. The bodice curved over the tops of her breasts and cupped under them, creating an empire waistline. From there, more layers of fabric fell to her knees in soft pleats and folds. Desirée pulled out a pair of sharp-toed red pumps to match, as well as a lipstick in the same exact shade.
The other woman had apparently absorbedmakeup tips through the umbilical chord. Although it didn’t seem she was close to her former-model mother, Desirée was positive about what Hannah should do with her face.
“A brush of powder in a naked-skin shade,” Desirée declared, sweeping sable hairs over Hannah’s forehead, nose, and across her eyelids. “Then just the red mouth and gobs and gobs of mascara.”
“This isn’t like a real date or anything,” Hannah hastened to assure them both, as she followed directions and looked at the ceiling while Desirée wielded the black wand on her upper and
Tanner had sworn off women for eleven months, but before that he’d had plenty of experience. When a woman said something like “now you see” in that bright, isn’t-this-all-logical voice, it was a 99.9 percent chance that he was blind as a bat. “See, uh, what?”
“That what happened on New Year’s…that was just a reaction to my circumstances. Not a reaction to you in particular.”
He stared at her. Did she really believe that bullshit?
“While changing into dry clothes before we headed for the DMV, I thought about Uncle Geoff and the kind of man he is. When I came to Coronado, I thought you were only going to give me a few vacation tips, but I can see him twisting your arm into taking on the favor of watching out for me while I’m here.”
“Hannah—”
She put up her hand. “Let me finish. Because ofNew Year’s, because I came on to you like…like a desperate house wife or something, I don’t blame you for coming to your own conclusion that I need a keeper more than anything else. But now…”
“Now?”
“Now that I’ve explained about Duncan, you can appreciate that it was just an odd response to New Year’s Eve, and mojitos, and…and…” She made that little hand flip again. “Now you can feel confident that I’m perfectly able to handle myself. By myself.”
Is that right? She thought now he should feel free to let loose a woman who’d been without sex in four years and probably doubted her desirability to boot? Not to mention that she was someone who was so out of touch with her sexuality that she thought it was her circumstances that had drawn them together. Her circumstances, and not a this-particular-man, this-particular-woman, particular to him and Hannah, particularly red hot, take-your-panties-off-right-now chemistry?
Of course, he’d vowed he wasn’t going to be participating in any further science experiments himself, not with his Secret Ser vice career on the line, but he couldn’t let a woman this dangerous to mankind out of his sight. Who knew what trouble she might get into? He only knew who would be getting the blame if she did.
He gave her his best smile. “Neither one of us has anything to worry about, then. It’s not as if we’re about to fall into bed again.”
“Right.” She sat back, obviously relieved. He noticedshe still had that tabloid he’d found. Her fingers tightened on it when he reached over to pat the back of her hand.
“And so there’s no reason you can’t go out to dinner with me to night.”
12
W hat? After her long speech about being capable of handling herself and of no longer being in her New Year’s Eve, uh, “state,” could she possibly have said no to Tanner’s invitation to dinner?
Refusal would have made her look foolish, and that particular fashion was so last year on Hannah.
With that firmly in mind, she’d let Desirée raid her overstuffed closet once again, and out had come this beautiful and bold red silk chiffon strapless dress. The bodice curved over the tops of her breasts and cupped under them, creating an empire waistline. From there, more layers of fabric fell to her knees in soft pleats and folds. Desirée pulled out a pair of sharp-toed red pumps to match, as well as a lipstick in the same exact shade.
The other woman had apparently absorbedmakeup tips through the umbilical chord. Although it didn’t seem she was close to her former-model mother, Desirée was positive about what Hannah should do with her face.
“A brush of powder in a naked-skin shade,” Desirée declared, sweeping sable hairs over Hannah’s forehead, nose, and across her eyelids. “Then just the red mouth and gobs and gobs of mascara.”
“This isn’t like a real date or anything,” Hannah hastened to assure them both, as she followed directions and looked at the ceiling while Desirée wielded the black wand on her upper and
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