Close to Her Heart Read Online Free PDF

accepted the posting for faculty head. He’d looked Italian to her, with his thick dark hair and olive skin.
    And his eyes—they were soulful and sad, wise and perceptive. She’d felt as if they’d established a special connection from the moment he looked at her and said her name.
    “Dr. Carrigan. Yes. I’m familiar with your work. As a father, I find it very interesting.”
    Her work—the reason she was here in Seattle at the University of Washington—was with the much respected Dr. Jenna Dayton. Jenna was interested in the infant’s sensitivity to fairness and early pro-social behavior and how that linked to later academic success. They’d just completed a major research paper and released a jointly written article that had been getting a lot of attention.
    Dani had felt gratified by Adrian Carlson’s acknowledgment. And she wasn’t put off by the mention of a daughter, either. Like everyone else, she knew Dr. Carlson’s circumstances, that his wife had died six months ago, that he’d re-located with his daughter needing to make a new start.
    Dani wasn’t used to looking to colleagues—especially those in positions higher than hers—for dating prospects.
    But Adrian was the kind of man a woman was lucky to meet once in her lifetime. He had the polite manners of a European, combined with a brilliant intellect and a sharp wit. How could she resist?
    If he hadn’t been attracted to her, too, she would have been spared.
    But she could tell, from the start, that he was.
    The way his eyes would dart to hers when something was said that struck him as interesting or clever. The way he rolled his pen with his long elegant fingers when they were alone, later, at the end of the meeting. She looked at those fingers and imagined them on her skin—
    “Darling. I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting.”
    She’d been daydreaming so hadn’t noticed him enter the restaurant. Now, Adrian was at the table, bending to kiss her before taking a seat.
    “Ava was so excited about going to this party. Then when it was time for me to actually leave, she turned clingy. I was afraid I was going to have cancel our lunch entirely, but fortunately, the mother hosting the party brought out supplies for a craft—making a sock puppet or something—and instantly I was extraneous. Ava wouldn’t even hug me goodbye.”
    Dani heard the words, but didn’t take in their meaning. She was focused on the way he called her darling , his favorite endearment for her. Adrian never dropped the “g” the way flirtatious cowboys back in Montana often did. His darling sounded smooth and sophisticated.
    She sipped her water, trying to push away the resentment she felt about his late arrival. This was supposed to be a happy occasion. She couldn’t begin by nursing a grudge.
    The waiter returned and before she could intervene, Adrian had ordered them a bottle of a Sonoma Syrah. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all weekend,” he said, reaching for one of her hands. “I’m glad you wore that blouse. You look so feminine in pink.”
    He stroked the skin on her hand gently, slowly, suggestively.
    “It’s been a long time since we made love.”
    “Yes.” She studied his eyes. Was this her opening? But before she could get out the right words, Adrian was talking again.
    “There’s a boutique hotel down the street. What do you say we rent a room after lunch?”
    They’d never done that before. It sounded extravagant to Dani. But also erotic.
    “Maybe. But there is something—”
    The waiter was back with the wine and two glasses. Dani let him pour some of the Merlot into her glass, not wanting to make a big deal about not drinking until she’d delivered her news.
    When they were alone again, she leaned in close and lowered her voice. “If you’re wondering if I’ve been avoiding having sex with you the past while—the answer is yes.”
    Adrian looked shocked. Hurt. “Darling. You’re not happy with me?”
    “No, no, that’s