Speed Dating by Nancy Warren Read Free Book Online Page A

breath. “You mean pornography?”
    “Hey, listen, I’m all for good, clean fun in the privacy of your living room but, like I said, I’ve got to be careful.…”
    She turned to him. “You think people would pay to see me in sex movies?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “Thank you,” she said, feeling better than she’d felt all night. “But I am not a porn star.”
    That crooked grin was aimed her way and with it the crinkling of that scar that for some reason made her weak at the knees. “You kiss like one.”
    She tamped down her delight with feigned severity. “And how would you know how a porn star kisses?”
    His evil chuckle was drowned out by the approaching sports car. The low, red car zoomed up and Dylan opened the door for her, then walked around to tip the valet and slide into the driver’s seat.
    She found herself back in that convertible flying along the highway a million miles an hour.
    When she tilted her head back to look up at the sky, it was like a kaleidoscope where the pattern kept changing too fast for her to keep up.
    “So, are you going to tell me what this award’s about?” Dylan yelled over the combined noise of the road and the wind.
    “No. Not yet. But I promise it’s perfectly respectable.”
    “I’m trusting you here, Kendall.”
    “Trust,” she said emphatically, “is the cornerstone of good business.”
    “You know, honey, you are an interesting woman.You talk like an accountant with the same mouth that kisses like a porn star.”
    “Well, trust me, all resemblance to a porn star ends with kissing.”
    He laughed and threw an arm around her shoulder. “Why don’t you let me decide?” That’s when she realized he had misconstrued her meaning.
    She blinked at him. He appeared more than pleased by the notion of having sex with her. In two years Marvin had never looked that interested.
    But then, Dylan had only known her a few hours, and he thought she was someone else.
    Was it her imagination or did they travel back to the hotel a lot faster than they’d traveled to the wedding?
    Impossible to tell, but before she could believe it, he was pulling up in front of the hotel. Oh, cool. He was using valet parking. She felt rich and important as she slid from the car, while yet another parking attendant held her door open for her.
    “Good evening, Mr. Hargreave,” the doorman said, then nodded to her. “Miss.”
    When she swooshed through the door and found herself in the main-floor lobby, she blinked. There was the illuminated sign confirming that the actuary banquet was in ballrooms A and B.
    “Where are you going?” Dylan asked as he fell into step with her.
    “The actuarial banquet. I’m going to take a peek and make sure I have time to run upstairs and grab my speech.”
    He studied the sign, then glanced at her. “You’re kidding me.”
    “No,” she said, feeling like Cinderella would have ifshe’d transformed back into the dowdy drudge before Prince Charming’s eyes.
    Instead of looking disappointed, or jumping into his race car and zooming off, he tipped back his head and laughed, a big, booming sound. “This, I have to see.”
    Most of the doors to ballrooms A and B were shut, but she found one that was propped open. She crept toward it and stuck her head inside. Amazingly, the president had kept it short this year. He was winding things up. There was no time to get herself another key and run upstairs and get her speech. She’d barely made it here in time.
    Oh, well. She’d practiced her speech so many times, she’d mostly memorized the thing, anyway.
    The president of the actuary association of America was praising someone who exemplified all the qualities of the best actuary.
    “This year’s winner combines a keen mind with exceptional organizational abilities. She’s been top…”
    “What are we doing here?” Dylan whispered, coming behind her and kissing her neck.
    “Basking,” she said. “And keep doing that.”
    “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s