HandsOn by Jaci Burton Read Free Book Online Page B

out, giggling with yet another mumbled apology.
    By the time Lara closed the door and turned to Mark, he
pretty much figured that ignoring Nancy’s interruption wasn’t going to happen.
Whatever heat they’d exchanged had now cooled considerably.
    “I’m sorry,” she said, looking more at the furniture than
she was at him.
    “No big deal. It’s late and I have a family thing to do
tomorrow anyway.” He stepped to the door.
    “But you…that is, I did but you didn’t and I…”
    He laughed at her discomfort. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll
take care of that next time.”
    “Next time?”
    “Yeah. I’m busy tomorrow, but how about Monday? I could come
over, we could share a pizza, just talk a little. Or maybe you’d like to go out
somewhere.”
    “Um, you want to go out with me again?”
    Mark wondered who’d knocked the hell out of Lara’s
self-esteem. “Of course I do. That is, if you want to.”
    “I guess. I mean, sure, I’d like that.”
    “Great. Call you Monday.” Before she could stutter out
another sentence, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, long, hard and so
deeply that his cock sprang to life again. He’d better get the hell out of
there before he did have his turn at release. This was all happening too fast.
He had to be more subtle.
    Logic warred with his brain, and since his brain currently
resided in his aching dick, it was a helluva battle. But he finally pulled
away. “Night, Lara.”
    “Night, Mark.”
    She closed the door and he slipped into his SUV. Sexual
tension still clung to every part of his body.
    Lara had surprised the hell out of him tonight. First, she
looked nothing like she usually did. Not that there was anything wrong with her
before, but he’d found that harried and frazzled look indicative of her
scatterbrained personality. And actually kind of sexy.
    Yet listening to her talk at the club tonight, so confident
in her assessment of sexual mores and body language, impressed him. Maybe he’d
have to sit in on one of her lectures, learn a little bit more about Dr. Lara
McKenzie.
    Only to play the game better, of course. Once she agreed to
do the article with him, their relationship would be strictly business.
    His main goal was his career. Success was just around the
corner, he just had to play his cards right.
    Lara’s innocence and naiveté should make that part easy.
    And if he kept telling himself that, maybe he’d start to
believe it.
    * * * * *
    Lara refused to watch the clock. She had work to do. Only a
teenager would pace the house waiting for a boyfriend to show up. First off,
she was way past the teenage years, and second, Mark wasn’t her boyfriend.
    Nevertheless, he’d been due to arrive a half hour ago and
still hadn’t appeared.
    “Quit doubting yourself, Lara. He’s going to show up.”
    She was going to have to stop talking to herself. But old
insecurities had reared their ugly heads, making her doubt her abilities to
attract a man. It had been a long time since she’d been involved with anyone,
and certainly no man had ever given her the shattering orgasm that Mark had.
    Nancy had been right, much to her chagrin. He had slipped
his hand up her dress and given her an ear-splitting orgasm that night. Her
body heated at the thought of what she’d allowed him to do, how easy it had
been to take her over the edge.
    And then he’d left without satisfaction. Unless he hadn’t
been as turned on as she had.
    No, he had been. She’d felt it. Boy, had she felt it. Quite
impressive too. Bob would be jealous.
    A giggle escaped and she wound her arms around herself,
feeling stupid for standing there dressed up at six o’clock on a Monday night.
    She should be working. Okay, she’d tried to work all day.
But work led to sexual thoughts, and sexual thoughts had led to images of her
and Mark and the things they could do together.
    How long had it been? Too damn long to remember. Not since
that disastrous relationship in grad school. Larry