Beyond the Ivory Tower Read Online Free Page A

hers. Lightly, as if he were afraid of spooking her. Once. Twice. Her lids felt weighted, too heavy to keep open. His mouth settled over hers, firmly this time, tongue licking along the seam, seeking entry. He tasted like cherries and plums with a hint of spice, like the Cabernet they’d been drinking. Except the wine hadn’t made her heart race and her skin burn.
    Time lost its meaning. Her fingers found his jaw. Prickly evening stubble gave way to soft hair that brushed his shirt collar in back.
    He groaned, changing the angle of the kiss. His hand skimmed her spine, stopping briefly at her waist, before dropping farther down, beneath the jacket, palming her bottom and lifting. Off-balance, she grabbed for his shoulder. She could feel him against her stomach, hard, throbbing, insistent. A shudder rippled through her.
    The sound of laughter filtered through her consciousness.
    She jerked back, eyes flying open. What was she doing?
    His hand tightened on her backside, pressing their lower bodies together. Liquid fire streaked through her belly, pooling in her pelvis. For a moment she nearly succumbed to the lure of those tempting lips just a breath away.
    Then common sense prevailed. She gulped and pushed against his chest.
    “Anna.” He managed to imbue that one word with all the hunger and frustration she still felt.
    “No.” Her throat felt dry, raspy. She licked her lips and tried again. “Please, Ethan. Let go.”
    He was slow to respond. She felt him exhale, and then his fingers loosened, easing her down until she was standing with both feet planted firmly on the pavement. She stepped back, clutching the jacket to keep it from sliding off. With unsteady fingers, she pulled the lapels closed over her chest.
    Behind them, the pub door opened and several men in business suits spilled out.
    “Come on,” Ethan said, settling an arm across her shoulders. “Let’s get out of here.”
    Her feet moved on auto-pilot. After half a block, she realized they were heading back toward his office. “Wait,” she said. “I’m parked near Union Square.”
    He nodded and directed their steps left, toward New Montgomery Street. “Where are you staying?”
    “The Inn on Castro.” She glanced sideways at him. “Why?”
    “I’d like to have breakfast with you.”
    She stumbled, grateful for the support of his arm. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
    “I don’t recall asking.”
    “Oh.” For someone who was usually quick on the uptake, she felt completely disoriented, as if her brain were operating in a fog. “What exactly does breakfast entail?”
    “Coffee. Fruit, eggs, pancakes. Whatever you usually eat in the morning.”
    She chewed her lip.
    “I’m not proposing a lifetime commitment here,” he said. “Just a meal and some friendly conversation.”
    She wasn’t sure what else he wanted to discuss, especially after he’d nixed her ideas regarding Klara. Unless friendly conversation was a euphemism for something else. But hadn’t they already agreed they weren’t having sex? Which left…what?
    “You’re over-thinking it,” he said. “My talk should be over by ten. I can meet you at the inn by ten-thirty.” He leaned down, so his lips were nearly touching her ear. “Unless you want to come hear me speak.”
    “Where?”
    “At the Talbot Fellowship summit. I might make a convert of you yet.”
    “Right.” She snorted. “Dream on.”
    “Will you come?”
    Her curiosity prickled. Know your enemy—wasn’t that the adage? Besides, it might give her a chance to spend some more time with her sister before heading back to L.A. Find out first-hand what Klara would be doing for the foreseeable future, and with whom.
    “Okay,” she agreed, before she could change her mind. “Where is it?”
    “I’ll send a car for you.”
    And just like that, the chasm between them widened. Not that Ethan seemed aware of it. Maybe in his world, a chauffeured vehicle was something everyone had.
    “Be ready by