After the Kiss Read Online Free PDF Page B

eyes away from the tray of olives three people in front of her and spun toward the unfamiliar voice.
    “I—oh!”
    As in
Oh, shit
.
    Maybe approaching Mitchell Forbes wouldn’t be such a challenge after all.
    He’d already found her.
    “The drinks are free,” she blurted out.
    He looked away. “I know. It was meant to be a joke.”
    Julie blanched. A joke?
That
had been a joke? No way could she suffer through a pseudo-relationship with this guy. He had the sense of humor of a pretzel. Still …
    “Oh! Funny,” she said with a wide grin and a bright laugh.
    He gave a wan smile. “It wasn’t.”
    And then she melted just a little, because damned if Mitchell Forbes didn’t have the sweetest little dimples in each cheek. It softened his otherwise buttoned-up appearance.
    Although, to be fair, he was a good deal more interesting up close than he’d been from across the room. Sure, the pinstripes were on the wrong side of dowdy, but the suit itself was tailored perfectly to surprisingly broad shoulders. He was just a touch too muscled to be wiry. There was an energy about him, as though he always wanted to be moving and it was only through rigid self-restraint that he managed to remain still.
    The glasses, too, were a pleasant surprise. Julie was surprised to see that the eyes behind the thin-rimmed rectangular frames were deep blue. With his dark hair, she would have assumed he’d have brown eyes, but these were a startling navy.
    Well, whaddaya know. He’s kind of cute
.
    By this time, there was just one person in front of them in line at the bar, and Julie acted on a whim. “Hey, do you want to get out of here?”
    He blinked in surprise. “You don’t even know my name.”
    Oh, honey, you only wish I didn’t
.
    “So tell me then,” she said coyly, playing dumb and linking her arm through his.
    For a second she thought she caught something that looked like disdain flicker behind his glasses, but the expression passed and he gave a slow smile. “Mitchell Forbes.”
    “Mitchell? Not Mitch?”
    “No. Not Mitch.”
    Of course not. Nicknames are soooo plebian
.
    “I’m Julie Greene.”
    “Yes, I’m aware.”
    She wasn’t surprised. Half the people at the fund-raiser knew who she was. Julie paused, bringing them both to a stop. “You know, Mitchell Forbes, for someone who knows my name and sought me out of the crowd to buy me a free drink, you certainly don’t seem all that interested in conversation.”
Or being charming
.
    He flushed slightly and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve done this.”
    “Talking?”
    His dimples flickered. “Talking to women. I just came out of a two-year relationship. My flirtation skills are rusty.”
    “Lucky for you, mine are not.”
    “I can see that.”
    Julie’s brow furrowed. She was used to men who were more … well, admiring. And despite the fact that he’d found her across a crowded room, he didn’t seem all that enamored. It had been a while since she’d dealt with a man who wasn’t nearly as well versed in the dating game as she was.
    Say the right things, damn it
, she silently ordered him.
    She tried again to strike the right chord. “We don’t have to leave if you’re not ready. There’s an exhibit on the fifth floor that I absolutely love.”
    His lip gave the tiniest curl of horror. No surprise there. She’d yet to meet a man who could tolerate modern art for more than thirty minutes.
    “Actually, I’m sort of over the crowds and I haven’t eaten yet,” he replied. “Can I put the drink money toward buying you dinner?”
    Finally
.
    “I’d love that.” She curled her fingers just slightly around the forearm she was still touching, but he merely pulled his arm away.
    She almost laughed. They were like two kids pushed together by the prom chaperones with absolutely no feel for each other. Always a step out of sync.
    Neither spoke as they fetched her coat and headed out the door.
    “You like