Chase, Zara - Tigers' Temptation [Impulse 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Online Free Page B

accident or design, Mikael couldn’t have said. She was intense, clearly interested in what he had say, and he found her difficult to read. It wasn’t too easy to concentrate, either. There was an inherent sensuality in her movements and gestures that distracted Mikael. Her voice was pitched low and soft, and she had a way of focusing her extraordinary eyes directly on him when she asked her questions, making Mikael want to go that extra mile to satisfy her curiosity, in spite of his determination to remain detached.
    Admit it, pal, it’s more than her curiosity you’d like to satisfy.
    Which was absolutely true. Mikael had never been so drawn toward any woman before. But she was a journalist—the irony wasn’t lost on Mikael—but it was a useful brake to use whenever his thoughts roved into forbidden territory. Philo might think she was the one for them, but she couldn’t be. What she did for a living made that impossible, and that was the end of the matter.
    “Mikael?” She lifted her brows, reminding him that she was waiting for an answer to her question. He’d been so lost in erotic thought that he didn’t remember what the question was.
    “Sorry.” He shook his head. “Just remembered something I need to do.” Something I’ve been waiting to do with the right woman for decades. “What did you ask me?”
    “You were talking about prevention rather than cure.”
    “Right.” Mikael made an effort to focus on something other than Layla’s tempting body. “Say, for example, you have a history of high blood pressure in your family. There’s a good chance you’ll develop blood pressure issues, too.”
    She nodded. “So you devise ways to stop people at risk from sharing the family’s ailment of choice?”
    Mikael expelled a mirthless chuckle, wondering what she was wearing beneath her sleeveless top. She’d sat up again and he could see the outline of the lacy bra encasing her pert tits. He wondered what color it was. He wondered what noises she’d make if he wrapped his lips around one of the big nipples he could see through her clothing. Shit, don’t go there!
    “The majority of people wouldn’t get sick if they paid attention to their diet and exercised, but that rarely happens. Philo and I work with herbs found locally to try and combat the toxins that cause specific diseases.”
    “Which is what you’re using on the volunteers?”
    “You got it,” Mikael said, telling the truth, just not the complete truth.
    “How’s it going?”
    “It’s too soon to tell. These studies take years to produce results.”
    “But if they do, drug companies could make billions producing your medications.”
    “Yeah, but it’s a big if. ”Mikael scowled.“And the last thing I want is greedy corporate types coming down here, throwing their money around, and getting in the way of my studies. Besides, the herbs only grow in this area. They wouldn’t last five minutes if the whole world raided them.”
    “Why do they only grow here?”
    Mikael shrugged. “No idea.”
    “Why not the rest of Florida? Is it something to do with Impulse’s weird climate?”
    “Could be.”
    “But surely they could be transplanted elsewhere. Then, if your cures work, more people could benefit.”
    “We haven’t got that far yet.”
    “Okay.” She flashed a smile that went straight to his groin. Mikael shifted his legs farther under the table. She didn’t need to see just how graphically her smile had affected him. “I can see you don’t like my questions and obviously don’t like journalists much, either. No wonder you didn’t welcome me with open arms.”
    Mikael allowed himself the merest hint of a smile as he raked her body with his gaze. “You’re probably not used to halfhearted reactions, looking the way you do.”
    His smile actually broadened when she returned the favor, subjecting him to a minute once-over. “I prefer to rely on my brains to open doors for me, just like you do.”
    “ Touché