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Authors: Laura Iding
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wanted to reach all the way over to kiss her. “Tell me, what is so wrong with exploring the possibility of an affair?”
CHAPTER SIX
A FFAIR ? Leila stared at Quinn, half suspecting he was teasing, testing her reaction. Yet the intensity of his gaze warned her he was dead serious. She snapped her mouth closed, realizing she was gaping at him.
In all her thirty-four years no man had ever offered to have an affair with her.
She couldn’t believe it was happening now. And she couldn’t believe she was tempted, even for a moment, to drown caution in the lake by taking him up on his ridiculous offer.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.” Coward , the devil on her shoulder hissed.
He merely quirked a brow, tilting his head as if she were some unknown specimen he was curious about. “Would you mind telling me why?”
Why? Wasn’t it obvious? She had no idea what had happened to Danny’s mother but Quinn’s comment about love being a complication led her to believe he didn’t miss her, at least not in the same way she missed George. She didn’t know if she could have sex with someone without being in a relationship. And a relationship with Quinn would be trouble. A fact she knew with every nerve in her body.
Yet her heart beat rapidly in her chest, betraying her interest in Quinn on a personal level. She did her best to ignore her physical reaction to him. “Because I’m not the sort of woman who jumps heedlessly into an affair.” She mentally winced at her prim tone.
Thankfully, the waiter showed up at that moment with their salads. Avoiding Quinn’s gaze, she waited as the waiter ground fresh pepper over hers before picking up her fork.
“This looks delicious,” she murmured, as if they hadn’t been calmly discussing an affair a few moments earlier.
“Absolutely,” he agreed, although his eyes weren’t on his food. Instead, they seemed to cling to her face. She wished he’d stop staring at her like that.
Deciding she didn’t have to speak as long as her mouth was full of food, she dug into her salad, even though she wasn’t exactly hungry. Her stomach was knotted up with tension, the same feeling she’d always had around Quinn from the first moment she’d met him.
A few days ago she’d thought he was an arrogant jerk. Now she wasn’t sure what to think. He was still arrogant. Arrogant and persistent. Obtuse. Defiantly obtuse.
“Tell me, Leila, exactly what sort of woman does agree to an affair?” he asked between bites. “One who believes sex is immoral?”
She momentarily closed her eyes. Why didn’t he just drop the subject? “I never said that.”
“Ah, so it’s just an affair with me that you object to?”He continued speaking as if discussing the possibility of having sex was an everyday topic for dinner conversation. “I don’t believe you’re prejudiced against my mixture of Spanish and Italian blood, since you’re not even certain what nationality you are. Maybe it’s because of Danny? Do you think I should stop living my life because I’m a single man raising a son?”
“Quinn, please. You must know that’s not true either.” She swallowed a sigh, trying not to show her rising frustration. “Can’t you just accept the fact that we’re colleagues and that’s all? This was supposed to be a friendly dinner. Stop trying to make it into something more.”
He stared at her for a long moment and finally gave a regal nod of his head, agreeing to her wishes. And then, just as smoothly, he asked about where she’d completed her residency program.
Grateful to be back on a safe topic, she found herself relaxing enough to enjoy the rest of the meal as they compared medical school and residency stories. Of course he’d gone to Yale, while she’d attended the University of Madison, but the differences didn’t seem so great now that they were both on the staff at Cedar Bluff. By silent, mutual consent, they stayed away from personal topics, like her brief marriage and
CHAPTER SIX
A FFAIR ? Leila stared at Quinn, half suspecting he was teasing, testing her reaction. Yet the intensity of his gaze warned her he was dead serious. She snapped her mouth closed, realizing she was gaping at him.
In all her thirty-four years no man had ever offered to have an affair with her.
She couldn’t believe it was happening now. And she couldn’t believe she was tempted, even for a moment, to drown caution in the lake by taking him up on his ridiculous offer.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.” Coward , the devil on her shoulder hissed.
He merely quirked a brow, tilting his head as if she were some unknown specimen he was curious about. “Would you mind telling me why?”
Why? Wasn’t it obvious? She had no idea what had happened to Danny’s mother but Quinn’s comment about love being a complication led her to believe he didn’t miss her, at least not in the same way she missed George. She didn’t know if she could have sex with someone without being in a relationship. And a relationship with Quinn would be trouble. A fact she knew with every nerve in her body.
Yet her heart beat rapidly in her chest, betraying her interest in Quinn on a personal level. She did her best to ignore her physical reaction to him. “Because I’m not the sort of woman who jumps heedlessly into an affair.” She mentally winced at her prim tone.
Thankfully, the waiter showed up at that moment with their salads. Avoiding Quinn’s gaze, she waited as the waiter ground fresh pepper over hers before picking up her fork.
“This looks delicious,” she murmured, as if they hadn’t been calmly discussing an affair a few moments earlier.
“Absolutely,” he agreed, although his eyes weren’t on his food. Instead, they seemed to cling to her face. She wished he’d stop staring at her like that.
Deciding she didn’t have to speak as long as her mouth was full of food, she dug into her salad, even though she wasn’t exactly hungry. Her stomach was knotted up with tension, the same feeling she’d always had around Quinn from the first moment she’d met him.
A few days ago she’d thought he was an arrogant jerk. Now she wasn’t sure what to think. He was still arrogant. Arrogant and persistent. Obtuse. Defiantly obtuse.
“Tell me, Leila, exactly what sort of woman does agree to an affair?” he asked between bites. “One who believes sex is immoral?”
She momentarily closed her eyes. Why didn’t he just drop the subject? “I never said that.”
“Ah, so it’s just an affair with me that you object to?”He continued speaking as if discussing the possibility of having sex was an everyday topic for dinner conversation. “I don’t believe you’re prejudiced against my mixture of Spanish and Italian blood, since you’re not even certain what nationality you are. Maybe it’s because of Danny? Do you think I should stop living my life because I’m a single man raising a son?”
“Quinn, please. You must know that’s not true either.” She swallowed a sigh, trying not to show her rising frustration. “Can’t you just accept the fact that we’re colleagues and that’s all? This was supposed to be a friendly dinner. Stop trying to make it into something more.”
He stared at her for a long moment and finally gave a regal nod of his head, agreeing to her wishes. And then, just as smoothly, he asked about where she’d completed her residency program.
Grateful to be back on a safe topic, she found herself relaxing enough to enjoy the rest of the meal as they compared medical school and residency stories. Of course he’d gone to Yale, while she’d attended the University of Madison, but the differences didn’t seem so great now that they were both on the staff at Cedar Bluff. By silent, mutual consent, they stayed away from personal topics, like her brief marriage and
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