Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty by Dallas Schulze Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: Sleeping Beauty by Dallas Schulze Read Free Book Online
Authors: Dallas Schulze
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance
touch. Her eyes shot to his face, wondering if he'd felt the same thing. The awareness in those clear blue eyes told her that the sensation had not been one-sided. Her cheeks warming, she pulled her hand back, resisting the urge to rub her fingertips against her tingling palm.
    "Now that we've been introduced, have lunch with me." Neill's tone was light, easy, making it seem ridiculous to have doubts, foolish to refuse. When she still hesitated, he gave her a crooked smile. "Take pity on me. I'm a stranger in a strange land, and I hate to eat alone."
    Anne's teeth worried her lower lip as she considered the idea. It was crazy, of course. She didn't do things like that—Shaving lunch with a strange man, even if he did happen to have smiling blue eyes and a truly beautiful mouth.
    "I told you how to pick out a cantaloupe," he reminded her. "Lunch seems like the least you could do to repay the favor."
    A smile tugged at the comers of her mouth. ''Cantaloupe is one of my favorite foods."
    "That makes it a debt of honor," Neill said solemnly. "You definitely have to save me from a lonely lunch."
    "I...there's a diner down the street," Anne said slowly, feeling excitement curl in the pit of her stomach. It was crazy, of course. It was completely out of character. Then again, just lately, she'd started to think that her character was pretty damn dull.
    Luanne's Cafe looked like a movie set from American Graffiti. Worn black-and-white checkered linoleum and red vinyl booths, patched here and there with duct tape, a long counter with a speckled gray surface and backless red stools. The walls were covered with framed photos of various sports teams, ranging from the local Little League to pro teams from all over the country and, from the look of the uniforms, dating back into the forties.
    Business appeared to be good, with all the seats at the counter filled and only one booth open. Neill took it, sliding into the seat that faced the door, wondering if Anne of the pretty gray eyes was going to show up. He was inclined to think she would, but he wouldn't have bet his next royalty check on it.
    She was an odd little thing, he thought, as he took a packet of crackers from the basket on the table and tore open the plastic. Not shy, exactly, but...skittish. Like a kitten who wanted to be petted but was cautious of getting too close. He hadn't imagined the way her eyes had brightened when she saw him and knew, without ego, that she'd thought of him a time or two since their brief meeting the day before. When he'd suggested lunch, she'd wanted to accept. He'd seen that in her eyes, too. Yet she'd hesitated, as if he'd suggested a torrid weekend, which, he had to admit, didn't sound half-bad.
    Neill trusted his instincts. As a writer, he had to. More often that not, particularly when he was starting a new project, they were all he had. And his instincts told him that there was a lot more to Anne Moore than what you saw at first glance. They'd also told him that she'd show up, he thought, smiling as he saw her walk through the door.
    Her teeth tugged at her full lower lip as her eyes skimmed the restaurant, and Neill found himself wondering how she would react if he offered to do the nibbling for her. Her eyes brightened when she saw him, and her mouth curved in a shy smile that, for some reason, made him want to drag her into the booth and kiss her senseless.
    Definitely too much time alone, Devlin, he thought, rising as she approached.
    The old-fashioned courtesy made Anne flush with pleasure, even as she wished he'd stayed seated and less noticeable. When she'd agreed to have lunch with him, she hadn't thought about the fact that there was nowhere, short of going to another town, that they could go where someone wasn't likely to recognize her and wonder who she was with. Not that there was any chance of a man who looked like he did going unnoticed unless he put a bag over his head, she admitted.
    "So, is there really a Luanne?" he asked as

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