before you annoy me again."
"You're a bully." He scooped up some fudge and ice cream from his own sundae.
She watched him wince again as he ate. Maybe that wasn't from lust. Maybe it was from his almost-broken nose. "I am sorry if it really still hurts."
"How sorry are you?" He leered and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Not that sorry."
He laughed. "I like you, Dennie Banks. You're my kind of woman."
"Me and every other woman you meet," she sniffed, but she felt a little sizzle go up her spine, just the same. Back to work, Banks . "Speaking of people you've met, where did you find Bondman?"
"My aunt found him," Alec said, his eyes back on the screen. "Actually, the guy she's dating found him, and then the relationship spread."
"Do you really believe what he says?" Dennie asked, trying to keep the scorn out of her voice.
"Do I think Washington is corrupt? Hell, yes." Alec gestured, at the screen. "They don't make them like this anymore."
Dennie squinted at the TV. A guy in a white lab coat was talking to three other guys in suits, and they were all frowning with: concern. "That's because they made ten million of them back then. Monster picture, right?"
"Do not trash an entire genre," Alec said. "Monster movies have a long and honorable history." A close-up of the guy in the lab coat showed him still looking disturbed. Evidently he had only one facial expression. "Of course, this probably isn't one of the better examples," Alec said finally. "But still…"
Dennie put her half-finished sundae on the bedside table between them and leaned forward to see the screen better. "Is that Hans Conned?"
"Very good," Alec said, and swapped his empty sundae glass for her half-full one.
"Hey," Dennie said, and Alec moved over to sit beside her on the bed, shoving her over with his hip.
"You snooze, you lose." Alec spooned up some more hot fudge. "You can still have some. Your spoon's still in the dish."
It wasn't the lack of a spoon that was causing Dennie problems, it was Alec's proximity. The warmth from his kiss at the door last night came back, multiplied by how sweet he'd been kissing her in the lobby before, dinner and bolstered by the fact that he was in the middle of a great story she wanted. He leaned next to her, half-naked, warm wherever his body touched hers, and she vividly regretted giving up men. Actually, she'd had no trouble giving up other men, but giving up Alec, even though she'd never had him, that was a shame.
"Did I ever tell you my fantasy about whipped cream?" Alec asked her as he ate the last of hers.
Dennie's pulse kicked up at the thought. "If I had any interest in your fantasies, they wouldn't be fantasies," she said as coldly as she could while her entire body heated.
"That's harsh."
"Fran Lebowitz said it first."
"Good for her. Can we get back to my fantasy now?"
"No." Dennie dipped her spoon in the hot fudge and licked it which made her think of other things which was bad. Change of subject. "What is this movie?"
" Island of Terror . Science fiction from the sixties. A classic."
"You're kidding." Something moved on the TV screen, and Dennie gaped. "What is that?"
Alec stretched to put the sundae dish down and on the way back he just happened to put his arm around her. Before she could say anything, he said, "That's the alien life-form on the island. Haven't you been watching?"
Dennie leaned forward to see better and to keep herself from jumping him. "It looks like a big turtle."
"Their special effects budget must have been small," Alec said charitably.
Dennie looked skeptical. "That's a special effect?"
"For this movie, that's a special effect. Now lean back and pay attention." He tightened his hold on her, and she leaned back into him. This is a mistake , she thought, but if it was, it was at least going to be a mistake that felt great. "This is where the movie gets scary, and the aliens attack," Alee went on. "You better hold on to me. Girls get scared easier than guys."
Dozens of turtles
"You're a bully." He scooped up some fudge and ice cream from his own sundae.
She watched him wince again as he ate. Maybe that wasn't from lust. Maybe it was from his almost-broken nose. "I am sorry if it really still hurts."
"How sorry are you?" He leered and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Not that sorry."
He laughed. "I like you, Dennie Banks. You're my kind of woman."
"Me and every other woman you meet," she sniffed, but she felt a little sizzle go up her spine, just the same. Back to work, Banks . "Speaking of people you've met, where did you find Bondman?"
"My aunt found him," Alec said, his eyes back on the screen. "Actually, the guy she's dating found him, and then the relationship spread."
"Do you really believe what he says?" Dennie asked, trying to keep the scorn out of her voice.
"Do I think Washington is corrupt? Hell, yes." Alec gestured, at the screen. "They don't make them like this anymore."
Dennie squinted at the TV. A guy in a white lab coat was talking to three other guys in suits, and they were all frowning with: concern. "That's because they made ten million of them back then. Monster picture, right?"
"Do not trash an entire genre," Alec said. "Monster movies have a long and honorable history." A close-up of the guy in the lab coat showed him still looking disturbed. Evidently he had only one facial expression. "Of course, this probably isn't one of the better examples," Alec said finally. "But still…"
Dennie put her half-finished sundae on the bedside table between them and leaned forward to see the screen better. "Is that Hans Conned?"
"Very good," Alec said, and swapped his empty sundae glass for her half-full one.
"Hey," Dennie said, and Alec moved over to sit beside her on the bed, shoving her over with his hip.
"You snooze, you lose." Alec spooned up some more hot fudge. "You can still have some. Your spoon's still in the dish."
It wasn't the lack of a spoon that was causing Dennie problems, it was Alec's proximity. The warmth from his kiss at the door last night came back, multiplied by how sweet he'd been kissing her in the lobby before, dinner and bolstered by the fact that he was in the middle of a great story she wanted. He leaned next to her, half-naked, warm wherever his body touched hers, and she vividly regretted giving up men. Actually, she'd had no trouble giving up other men, but giving up Alec, even though she'd never had him, that was a shame.
"Did I ever tell you my fantasy about whipped cream?" Alec asked her as he ate the last of hers.
Dennie's pulse kicked up at the thought. "If I had any interest in your fantasies, they wouldn't be fantasies," she said as coldly as she could while her entire body heated.
"That's harsh."
"Fran Lebowitz said it first."
"Good for her. Can we get back to my fantasy now?"
"No." Dennie dipped her spoon in the hot fudge and licked it which made her think of other things which was bad. Change of subject. "What is this movie?"
" Island of Terror . Science fiction from the sixties. A classic."
"You're kidding." Something moved on the TV screen, and Dennie gaped. "What is that?"
Alec stretched to put the sundae dish down and on the way back he just happened to put his arm around her. Before she could say anything, he said, "That's the alien life-form on the island. Haven't you been watching?"
Dennie leaned forward to see better and to keep herself from jumping him. "It looks like a big turtle."
"Their special effects budget must have been small," Alec said charitably.
Dennie looked skeptical. "That's a special effect?"
"For this movie, that's a special effect. Now lean back and pay attention." He tightened his hold on her, and she leaned back into him. This is a mistake , she thought, but if it was, it was at least going to be a mistake that felt great. "This is where the movie gets scary, and the aliens attack," Alee went on. "You better hold on to me. Girls get scared easier than guys."
Dozens of turtles
Similar Books
