Read Online Admit One by Lisa Clark O'Neill - Free Book Online

a local historian. “It’s… research, I guess you could say.” She’d poked around on the internet, but the information she’d turned up had been relatively sparse, and the family bible seemed to have been misplaced. It was her turn to shrug, slightly uncomfortable. “I’m a history nerd. I wanted to see what I could find out about Cousin Eugene. You know. The one whose grave…”
    “We tripped over while snogging?”
    “Yes.” Heat crept into her cheeks, and then Allie wrinkled her nose. “You know, it’s really disconcerting to have those two, um, memories intertwined.”
    “Try finding a random body part before breakfast. Believe me, it’ll put you off any uncomfortable associations between sex and death you might otherwise have developed.”
    Allie stifled the truly inappropriate urge to laugh, and when she saw the humor lurking in Mason’s eyes, clamped a hand over her mouth. “It’s really not funny.”
    “Oh, I don’t know.” He rocked back on his heels. “I rather think it has several classic elements of farce.”
    She did laugh then, a release of tension, and was rewarded with a smile.
    “A-hem.”
    They both turned toward the sound, only to find the new assistant librarian giving them a quelling look. “I’m forced to remind you that this is a library,” she said. “Not a comedy club.”
    “Terribly sorry,” Mason said, turning up the wattage on his smile to stun . “It was my fault entirely. I hope I shan’t be banished from the premises without being granted the opportunity to make amends.” 
    “Er…” From the look on the woman’s face, Allie could tell that she, too, had been turned into a quivering puddle by that smile, unable to process a word Mason had just said. Even with the black eye, he was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Add the accent and the impeccable manners and… well, it would take a far stronger woman than she not to be bowled over.
    She sighed. “Sorry,” she said, drawing the librarian’s attention. The woman – an attractive blonde who ordered green tea and a lemon muffin each time she frequented the Dust Jacket – blinked, seeming confused as to where she was. “We’ll keep it down,” Allie added.
    “Um, great,” the blonde said, her gaze straying back toward Mason. She blinked again.
    “Could you do me a favor?” Allie intervened, handing her the heavy book. “I’d like to check this out. If you could just take this up to the desk for me…?”
    “What? Oh. Sure. No problem.”
    Seeming to pull herself together, the librarian accepted the book. “Just bring your library card to the desk when you’re finished,” she said, and with one last sidelong glance at Mason, walked briskly away.
    Allie turned a look on Mason. “You did that on purpose.”
    “Did what?” He arched a single, inquisitive brow.
    “Smote her brain function with your smile of ovarian destruction.”
    “My what?”
    “Don’t play innocent with me.”
    “I wouldn’t dare.” His lips pursed, clearly stifling a forbidden laugh. “Ovarian destruction, is it?”
    “Only for the poor, hapless women who can’t see through your act.”
    When his smile faded, Allie wondered if perhaps she’d inadvertently offended him. “Mason –”
    One long finger stretched out to press against her lips. As his gaze lowered to her mouth, the tension which had fluttered away on the wings of levity became a rock solid ball in her gut.
    He bent his head and touched his lips to hers in a kiss of surpassing tenderness.
    “Mason –”
    “Shh…” He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “I have to go to the theater, and you need to do your research. Let’s let this lie for a bit, shall we? We can sort it out later.”
    “Okay,” she said, though she wasn’t entirely sure to what she was agreeing. Or what he thought they needed to sort out.
    “Brilliant,” he said, his normally clipped tone soft and sweet as honey.
    Before Allie could figure out exactly what had just happened, Mason