Finally (Mature Men, #3) Read Online Free

artificially straight teeth. "Maybe not, but that is what you meant. Isn't it?"
    It was but I was not about to admit it. "No."
    "Now I'm crushed. What's your secret?"
    "Secret? What secret?"
    "It's a rare woman who can manage to both flatter and crush a man within a matter of minutes."
    "Are you calling me rare?" I teased.
    He nodded, his dark eyes seeming to smile at me. "I think I just did."
    "Are you flirting with me?"
    He shrugged. "Why not? You intrigue me."
    Call me delusional, but I believed him. Flattered, I smiled.
    His gaze shifted to my mouth. "You have an interesting smile."
    "Interesting as in strange or–"
    "Interesting as in very nice...sweet, yet so much more."
    I longed to ask how much more but decided I needed to remind us both why I was there. "You are flirting with me."
    He nodded. "Yes, I am, but I thought we'd already established that fact."
    "Why?"
    "You intrigue me. I thought we'd established that fact as well."
    Lord knew I wanted to run head long down the path that invited him to tell me more. But I couldn't. Janine had talked of little else but him for the last three weeks until I'd finally agreed to do what I'd done several times before–talk her up to a man she was too shy to approach herself. "It's Janine you should be flirting with."
    "I'm forty years old. I think that's old enough to determine who I want to flirt with. Don't you, Sherlyn?"
    I liked how he made my name sound exotic and sexy. "Yes, of course, but—"
    "There's no butts about it. I'm old enough. Now, have you considered the possibility that I have absolutely no interest in your very pretty friend?"
    "That's only because you haven't met her. If you'll give her a chance, I know you'll like her."
    He lifted his gaze from my mouth to my eyes. "How sure are you of that?"
    "Very sure."
    "Then put your money where your delectable looking mouth is."
    My delectable looking mouth? Oh, God, I wanted so much to be able to go with the flow with him. "What do you mean?"
    "I don't have any one special in my life at the moment and I've been feeling a little lonely lately."
    He didn't look like a man who ever needed to be lonely. "I'm sure there are scores of women who'd love the opportunity to do something about that." Including me.
    "Possibly, but the days when I wanted to date several women at the same time are over. While I'm not looking for anything super serious I am interested in meeting one special woman I can build a possible long-term relationship with at some point."
    The lucky woman he chose would fall on her knees each night and gives thanks while she tried to capture his heart. "Janine is special."
    "So you keep telling me, but I'm not convinced."
    "You would be if you'd only give her a chance."
    "Tell you what. Let's make a deal."
    "What kind of deal?"
    "Why don't you join me for dinner tonight and convince me how special your friend is?"
    I blinked. "You want me to have dinner with you tonight?"
    "Yes. There's a new restaurant in Old City I've been meaning to try. I hear the food is great and the atmosphere is conducive."
    "Conducive to what?"
    "Have dinner with me tonight and decide that for yourself."
    Sweet temptation, stay away from me. "I can't go out with you."
    "Of course you can. You can spend the evening convincing me what a great catch your friend is."
    The thought of having dinner with him got my juices flowing in a biblical way. I knew I was with a man capable of doing what Don had done—remove all thoughts of Darkwater from my mind. In fact, the desire I felt for him was so powerful I couldn't refuse the opportunity to spend a few hours with him. I nodded before I could change my mind. "Okay, but you'd better be prepared for a full court press."
    He looked amused. "I'll gird my loins accordingly."
    I'd rather you bared them. Dismissing the thought, I nodded. "Well, see that you do because I'm determined to convince you of Janine's worth."
    He leaned forward slightly and looked directly into my eyes. "I look forward