Read Online Beauty and the Wolf / Their Miracle Twins by Nikki Logan Lois Faye Dyer - Free Book Online Page B

on the University of Washington campus. Since completing work on a museum exhibit in December, she’d been reassigned from her usual duties as a research assistant. She was now temporarily filling in for an English Literature professor who’d gone on emergency leave. Much as she loved the variety of her research work, Frankie welcomed the opportunity to teach in a classroom. The new responsibility challenged her creativity and gave her one-on-one contact with students, which wasn’t usually the case.
    Since her next lecture wasn’t for another forty-five minutes, she planned to make good use of the time to catch up on a few non-classroom duties.
    Her desk was littered with data reports, printouts ofclass grading curves and miscellaneous information. Deep in thought, she contemplated a possible change in her syllabus notes for the current lecture series on classic British authors of the twentieth century.
    “Hey, Professor.” The deep male voice was soft, just above a murmur, but Frankie jumped nonetheless, startled, her gaze flying to the doorway.
    Eli leaned against the doorjamb, one broad shoulder propped against the walnut edge. He was dressed for work in a blue-and-white plaid flannel shirt that hung unbuttoned over a white T-shirt tucked into the waistband of snug faded jeans. A black leather belt was threaded through the belt loops of the jeans, and dusty black boots covered his feet.
    “Hey,” she responded faintly.
    “Sorry I startled you.” He shoved away from the doorjamb and walked toward her, his stride easy. “I had to stop at a job site near here, and when I picked up coffee, I thought about you, probably stuck in your office, slaving away. So I brought you a latte—double shot, vanilla, right?” He held up two take-out Starbucks cups with lids.
    Frankie beamed at him, delighted. “You remembered.” She took the cup and sipped, closing her eyes in pleasure. “I owe you.”
    “And I’ll collect,” he shot back, grinning when her eyes opened and she studied him with suspicion. He picked up a straightback wooden chair and spun it around, straddling it, his forearms resting along thetop of the polished oak back. “Any new thoughts about our next move against Harry?”
    Frankie leaned back in her swivel chair, propping her stockinged feet atop the open bottom desk drawer, ankles crossed. “Believe it or not, Harry called this morning. He’s having a group of people over for dinner on Friday night to welcome a visiting software mogul from London. He asked if I’d like to join them.” She looked at Eli from beneath lowered lashes. “I told him yes, providing I could bring a date.”
    “And what did Harry say?” Eli drawled, lifting his cup to sip, his blue eyes watching her over the rim.
    “He asked me if my date was Nicholas Dean.”
    Eli stiffened, his eyes narrowing over her. “He’s still pushing Dean at you.”
    Frankie nodded. “Apparently.”
    “Has Dean called you?” Eli asked, his voice neutral.
    “Interestingly enough, no, he hasn’t.” Frankie tucked her hair behind her ear.
    Eli’s gaze tracked her fingers’ movement, lingering over her hair before fastening on her face once again. “So Harry must not be giving Dean the same kind of verbal nudging he’s giving you,” he guessed.
    “I suspect not.” Frankie frowned, considering. “Has Harry tried to grill you about me?”
    “Not yet.” Eli shrugged. “But we have a meeting tomorrow to discuss the Wolf Construction proposal for the south Seattle project. Maybe he’s waiting until then.” He sipped his coffee once again. “Harry’scagey—I wouldn’t put anything past him, and if he’s not nudging Nicholas about asking you out, he must have a reason.”
    “Or maybe Nicholas refused to get involved in Harry’s schemes,” Frankie said. “And if he did, then our plan isn’t really necessary.”
    Eli’s eyes glinted. “If you believe that, then you don’t know Harry as well as I thought you