"I haven't gotten any intel back on him. Not yet. And we haven't seen him in Austin. But he's the one you're scared of."

"Of course I'm scared of him. He's a scary guy." She stood up and went to the desk, then started to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"What aren't you telling me, Taylor?"

Her back was too him, but as she picked up the cup, he saw that her hands were shaking. "Nothing."

She turned, then looked straight at him, long lashes surrounding wide, guileless brown eyes. "Absolutely nothing," she repeated.

And he knew without a doubt that she was lying.

Chapter Six

In all her years at the University of Texas, Taylor had never been inside Memorial Stadium, the shrine to football that dominated the east side of campus, near the LBJ Library and the Texas Performing Arts Center. But because she'd pretty much lived her entire college life in the PAC, she'd seen the stadium every single day.

Now, they were walking down the hill toward the drama department, the stadium looming to their left, and Landon's car parked illegally behind them, an APD placard on the dashboard to keep it from getting ticketed.

"Cheater," she teased as they walked side by side, but he only grinned at her like a boy in a candy store. "The job's got perks. Gotta enjoy them."

"Perks," she said. "Interesting..." She let her voice trail off, not quite believing that she was being so bold. But ever since she'd stood naked in front of him she hadn't been able to get the expression on his face out of her mind. She'd seen hard, animal lust more than once in her life, but that wasn't what had colored Landon's face.

No, she'd seen desire. Longing. A potent, ripe need. Hell, she'd seen appreciation. And every flicker on his face, every spark in his eyes had been like looking in a mirror.

He wanted her, too. And though she knew she should back away slowly, the truth was, she didn't want to. Or maybe she did. She wasn't sure. And that uncertainty was driving her boldness. Because if she pushed and he answered in kind...

Well, then the decision would be made for her.

Not the permanent kind, God forbid. But maybe it would be okay to let herself go with this man, at least for a little bit.

She cast a sideways glance at him, remembering how it had felt. Not just her reaction to his expression, but the act of being naked in front of him. Yeah, she'd bolted and cried out, but that was more out of surprise than any sort of negative feelings.

On the contrary, once the shock had worn off, desire had fired her skin. She'd pressed her back to the bathroom door and breathed, fantasizing about what would have happened if she'd simply walked toward him, inviting him to touch her.

She hadn't had the courage, though. But now ... well, maybe now she wanted to poke at that question and see where their attraction led ... and to hope that it led to bed, and to Landon between her thighs.

"Was that one of them?" she asked, spitting the words out quickly before she changed her mind.

He paused on the sidewalk, his face a question mark.

"Seeing me naked. Was that a job perk?"

His Adam's apple rose and fell, and for a moment she thought he wasn't going to answer. Then he looked boldly into her eyes. "Damn right it was."

They stood like that for a moment, simply looking at each other. Then a skateboarder zipped past, and she jumped, and that was it. The spell was broken.

"Come on," he said. "That class will be letting out soon."

"Right." She fell in step beside him, cursing whatever idiotic policy let skateboarders on sidewalks--was that even allowed? But then Landon reached for her hand. She looked up, surprised, and saw his cocky grin.

"We're trying to bait him, remember. What better way than to look like a couple, right?"

She nodded, her throat feeling strangely thick.

A few more steps and they reached the intersection. They were catty-corner to the drama building, and crossed diagonally when it was clear, then entered the building. A common area was just off the main hall, with tables, chairs, and some tattered sofas. Landon led them to a sofa, and even when they were seated, he kept a tight hold on her hand.

"Did you go to UT?" she asked, when the silence became too much for her.

He shook his head. "No. I grew up in Austin, but I went to St. Edwards," he told her, naming a private college located south of the river. "Got my bachelor's in criminal justice, then joined the Marines."

Tags: J. Kenner Man of the Month Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net