A Lion After My Own Heart Read Online Free PDF

spare the world, I'll admit that I'm not seeing anybody. My turn. Are you?"
    "Oh, yes," I say, taking up my wine. "I have quite a serious relationship going on."
    "You do?"
    Is he looking skeptical? Wait. My joke revolved around Mr. Rocky Road. What am I thinking? How am I going to tell him I'm dating a tub of ice cream? Suddenly mortified, I think as quickly as I can. "Of course. I'm having a very, very serious affair with my job. Some might say it's a lifelong passion, but it leaves precious little room for anybody else." Phew .
    "That's too bad." Did he really just say that? I blink rapidly, but he continues. "Your turn."
    I swallow. I know I should be asking serious questions, but I don't want to be professional. I want to get to know him better as a person. "Favorite movie?"
    "Hmm." He thinks. "Tough one. I'd have to say Groundhog Day ."
    "Bill Murray?" I almost laugh. "I thought you'd say something like Selma ."
    "Great movie, but I love the idea behind Groundhog Day . That we can work endlessly at improving ourselves. That, and Bill Murray is a genius."
    "Fair enough," I say.
    "And you? Favorite movie?"
    "Got an hour? Let's settle for TV shows. I'm currently catching up on Downton Abbey , and - well, I have a thing for zombies, so... The Walking Dead ?"
    He grins. "Romantic."
    "I know, I'm crazy romantic. Show up in a zombie outfit with a rose clutched between your teeth, and I'm all yours."
    Alexander leans forward in a way that makes me a little lightheaded. "Good to know. I may use that information against you."
    "You're welcome to," I say, and then want to pinch myself. What am I doing? This is an interview, not a date. I cough and make a serious face. "Ahem. I think we've strayed a little off-topic."
    Alexander sits back, and I almost sigh with disappointment. "I think we have, but I don't mind. Do you?"
    "No," I sigh. "But I have to justify my paycheck somehow. Mind if I ask you some work-related questions?"
    He hesitates, then grins and sips from his wine. "If you must."
    "All right. Here goes." No more beating around the bush, so I plunge right into the heart of his mysterious background. "Tell me about Honeycomb Falls."
    Alexander gaze becomes cold. My smile wilts on my face. I didn't expect him to have such an intense reaction. "Honeycomb Falls?" His voice is stilted. "Where did you hear that name?"
    "Didn't - isn't that where you're from?"
    He nods. "It is. But I don't see why my childhood has anything to do with my mayoral run."
    "Well, your whole life is of interest," I say, suddenly wishing I could keep this dinner informal, could just forget about my assignment and enjoy this gorgeous man's company, the wine, the banter. But I have a job to do. And nothing will keep me from my work, not even if it sours the evening. "Are your parents still there?"
    "I'm sorry, but I don't talk about my childhood or my family," he says, voice flat.
    "Oh." It's such a point-blank refusal that for a moment I'm completely thrown off balance. "Um... You know that people are going to want to know?"
    Alexander struggles for a moment, then sighs. "Fine. My father is alive, but we're not close. My mother passed when I was young. These memories are painful. I don't like to discuss them."
    I lean forward. "Alexander, people are going to dig up these issues. You can't hide them if you're going to go so public."
    His scowl almost makes me scoot back in my seat. "My qualifications for the position have nothing to do with my childhood. I'm happy to talk about anything that's occurred since I graduated from college."
    Wow. I've never been so torn. The reporter in me senses a story. What happened that's got this sophisticated man so torn up? I need to ask questions. I need to pry. It's what I do. Mercia asked me to get a story, and this is it. Everything else is already pretty much public knowledge. Yet the part of me that's a woman, that wants to cuddle up in Alexander's lap and lose myself in his eyes wants to stop challenging him, stop