society ever since college.â
âReally?â
Really, he soon discovered when she launched into a breathless tale of winding, often frustrating searches into the adoption system and how some states facilitated search efforts while others used legalities to thwart them entirely. She explained how luck could play a huge role in a search and how the outcomes werenât always happily-ever-afters, although even unhappy answers were often better than unanswered questions.
Clearly these searches were her passion and he found her passion fascinating. As fascinating as he found watching her, her excitable movements drove home the fact that he had a long way to go before he could even contemplate seduction. Her nerves were making her downright dangerous, he decided while watching her sweep a hand around to illustrate a point, only to miss wiping out a table lamp by a bare inch.
âYouâre knowledgeable,â he said hoping to keep April in her comfort zone, now that sheâd finally stopped talking long enough to draw air. âI imagine the people with the adoption society consider themselves lucky to have you around.â
She shrugged, looked slightly embarrassed. âIâm sure thatâs more than you ever wanted to know about adoption searches.â
âNot at all. Turns out that Iâm very interested in things that interest you.â
âOh.â
âDid you bring your cords?â he asked, deciding his best bet was to keep her off balance and reacting so she didnât have time to analyze what was happening between them. âIf not, I should have something thatâll work.â
She circled the table to unzip her laptop case and whipped out a tangle of electrical cords. âHere you go.â
The instant their fingers met sparks flew. April gasped and said, âOops, sorry,â before spilling the cords into his hand, careful to avoid touching him again.
She bolted toward the sitting room and leaned against the sofa, her nerves clearly back in force. Rex watched her retreat, glancing at her sneakers with rubber soles that should have grounded her from creating static electricity on the carpet.
He had the vague thought that this woman conducted more voltage than a lightning bolt and made a mental note to call the front desk to have the hotel provide a mat for the floor of their work area. An extra precaution since April would be networked to his system and might inadvertently share her electromagnetic gifts.
âGreat, youâve got everything you need here. Give me a minute and weâll be all set.â He connected her system to the switch box. âIâve got cable access to the Internet. Do you need anything else?â
âOh no. Thatâs perfect. But what about virus protection, Rex? Iâll be searching all sorts of databases. Are you protected? Iâd feel horrible if I gave you anything.â
âIâm a responsible adult. I make sure I have protection.â
There was a beat of silence before April laughed, a ripple of sound that made him smile. âGood, then we wonât be in for any unexpected surprises.â
âOh, I donât know. Not all surprises are unwelcome. Youâve been full of them since we met and each one is proving more interesting than the last.â
âMe? You mean because of my adoption searches?â
No, he hadnât meant her adoption searches but he wouldnât elaborate. Not that he would have minded knowing how she felt about abandoning the search for her birth parents. As a man with four sisters, working-class parents and a genealogy dating back several generations, Rex had no frame of reference for how she might feel about not knowing her heritage.
But he wouldnât ask. Not when he had more important mysteries to solve.
âYour adoption searches are interesting,â he said, switching seats at the table and booting his system. âBut I was referring to what a
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