He wanted to explore that, see if he could push through her icy exterior.
"I'm reading a book."
"So you said. It's a good one. I've read it before."
She frowned. "You didn't even look at it."
"I saw it when I sat down."
She crossed her arms. "Okay, fine. What's it about?"
"There's this guy, and he works for the CIA. But he's a double agent, working both sides. You don't know throughout the book if he's a good guy or bad guy, or if the partner he hooks up with in South Korea is on his side, or out to kill him. So when they both show up on the train . . ."
She held up her hand. "Stop. I haven't gotten to that part yet. Fine, I get it. You've read it."
"You thought I was bullshitting you."
"You wouldn't be the first."
The waitress brought their drinks. "Thanks," Grant said. "Can we see some menus?"
"I don't want to see a menu," she said to the waitress, who walked away anyway. She turned her attention back on Grant. "I don't want you to sit here with me. Honestly, are you always this rude?"
"Not always. You bring out the best in me."
She rolled her eyes.
"So tell me why that book."
"I like suspense and crime fiction."
"You don't strike me as the type."
Her brows lifted. "Type? Why? Did you expect I'd be thumbing through a fashion magazine? Or even better, that I didn't even know how to read? Do you expect all models to be dumb?"
"That would be stereotyping, and I'd be the last person to do that. And no. You looked like the type to read books on . . . I don't know. Psychology or something."
She laughed. "Why?"
He picked up her dark glasses. "You look so smart wearing these."
"I am smart. With or without the glasses."
He could tell he was digging the hole even deeper with every word he said. "Sorry. I'm not getting this out right. I've dated a few models."
"So I've heard."
He sighed. "A lot of them have different interests. One was a certified scuba diver, so I learned to dive when I was dating her. One was a hiker and a climber. I did some heinous climbs with her."
"You dated Elesia?" she asked.
"Yeah."
She wrinkled her nose. "She's a pit viper."
He laughed. "I'm not even going to comment."
"You have interesting taste in women."
"I like women who intrigue me and challenge me. Not just a pretty face."
"Good to know the modeling world isn't growing old and moldy with no men to date as long as you're around. After all, where would we be without our sports stars to take care of us?"
"Now who's stereotyping? I've also dated a schoolteacher, an accountant, a scientist, and a landscape architect."
She took a sip of her tea. "It's nice you're spreading it around."
He couldn't help but laugh. "So tell me what interests you, Katrina?"
KATRINA DIDN'T WANT to like Grant Cassidy. She didn't want him sitting at her table, yet there he was, drinking his beer and looking absolutely gorgeous.
She'd wanted to be alone, and she'd thought about spending the evening in her room so she could read. But it was just too beautiful here, and the beach and sea air beckoned, so she'd put on a pair of shorts and a tank top to come sit beachside for dinner.
Obviously a huge mistake, because no matter how hard she tried to insult the man, he simply wouldn't leave.
And no matter how hard she tried to deny the chemistry she felt during their photo shoot today, she couldn't.
She shot with male models all the time. Sometimes fully naked. She'd never felt anything. It was her job. She knew it, and so did the guys. But making eye contact with Grant Cassidy today, there'd been some kind of . . . she didn't even know how to describe it. A zing somewhere in the vicinity of her lower belly. A low warming that had spread when he'd laid his hands on her.
Even now, hours later, she could still feel his touch, the way he'd looked at her. She'd wanted . . . more. And if there was one thing Katrina never wanted from a man, it was more of anything. She was too focused on her career to spend any time at all thinking of men. Work was everything to her, and men were a distraction.
Like now. He sat across the table from her, all big and tan and smiling at her like he had exactly what she wanted.
Only she didn't want it. She wanted no part of anything he might have to offer.
She couldn't want it. Still, she couldn't help herself. "I'm surprised you read that book," she said.
"Now who's stereotyping? You think I'm a dumb jock, that all I read is sports magazines."
"I didn't say that."
"I actually have a degree in accounting. And yes, I did graduate before I went out for the draft."
She studied him. "Accounting. I don't see it."
"I was going to go for a law degree, but I like numbers better. I minored in finance. I wanted to make sure I could oversee my earnings with knowledge. I've seen too many football players blow it all or not know where their money is going, and a few years after they retire, the money is gone."
He was smart, too. She liked that.
She leaned back and looked at him. "Do you have an investment portfolio?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. With the high income a successful model commands, I imagine you do as well."
"I do. And I know exactly where my money is going."
"See? I knew you were a smart woman, Katrina. Smart and beautiful--a lethal combination."
She couldn't help but appreciate that he mentioned the smart part before the beautiful part. Too many men never paid attention to the fact that she had a brain. All they saw was her face and body and never even wanted to have a conversation with her. Which was why she didn't date. She didn't have time for men who were that superficial.
Grant seemed . . . different. Yeah, there'd been that spark of chemistry at the photo shoot today, but so far all he'd done was talk to her. He didn't sit down to ogle her or hit on her. It was kind of refreshing.
Not that she had any interest in dating him, but when was the last time she'd spent time talking with a man she wasn't connected to in the industry? She wasn't going to bed with him, but she could sit at the table and have a meal with him, right?
"Okay, fine. Let's see what's on the menu for dinner."
Once passion ignites, you can't stop the flames. . .
From New York Times Bestselling Author
Emma Burnett once gave up her dreams for a man who did nothing but hurt her. Now thirty-two and setting up her veterinary practice in the town she once called home, she won't let anything derail her career goals. But when Luke McCormack brings in his injured police dog, Emma can hardly ignore him. Despite her best efforts to keep things strictly professional, Luke's an attractive distraction she doesn't need.
Luke knows the only faithful creature in his life is his dog. After an ugly divorce that left him damn near broke, the last thing he needs is a woman in his life. Fun and games are great and, as a divorced man, the single women in town make sure he never lacks for company. But there's something about Emma that gets to him, and despite his determination to go it alone, he's drawn to her feisty spirit and the vulnerability she tries so hard to hide.
PRAISE FOR JACI BURTON AND HER NOVELS
"Jaci Burton's stories are full of heat and heart."
--Maya Banks, New York Times bestselling author
"Passionate, inventive. . .Burton offers
plenty of emotion and conflict."
--USA Today Happy Ever After blog
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She is one distraction he simply can't resist . . .
From New York Times Bestselling Author
When a movie crew asks to film on his cattle ranch, Logan McCormack doesn't expect Desiree Jenkins, the young star with the bad-girl rep, to be so open, so down-to-ea
rth . . . or so intimately interested in him.
Des is desperate for an escape from paparazzi and gossip columns, and she's found it at Logan's ranch. But more than that, she's hoping that this real-life cowboy will be the one to accept her for who she is, and give her the kind of happily ever after that can't be found in the movies . . .
PRAISE FOR JACI BURTON AND HER NOVELS
"Always sexy, romantic and charming!"
--Jill Shalvis
"The characters leap off the page and the romance sparkles as the sex sizzles."
--Romantic Times
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Jaci Burton, Hope Burns
(Series: Hope # 3)
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