Confidential: Expecting! Read Online Free PDF

rich with secrets. No other adornment was necessary.
    A man could get sucked into those eyes if he wasn’t careful. It was a good thing Logan had no intention ofbeing lulled into complacency, even if he did enjoy the challenge of staying one step ahead of her.
    The eyes in question opened. If Mallory was unnerved to find him studying her, it didn’t show. She regarded him in return—boldly, bluntly and not the least bit embarrassed or uncomfortable. Logan swallowed, experiencing again that low tug of interest that seemed to define the time he spent in her presence.
    “I probably should apologize for staring,” he admitted. He waited a beat before adding, “And if you were another kind of woman, I would.”
    Her brows rose fractionally. “Another kind of woman?”
    “The coy sort.”
    “Coy.” Her lips pursed. “That’s not a word one hears often nowadays. It’s rather old-fashioned.”
    “Exactly.”
    “I’m not old-fashioned.”
    No, indeed. Mallory was worldly, at least in the sense that she grasped nuances, gestures. She wasn’t hard, though. He recalled the way she’d looked when speaking about her parents’ divorce. Then she had seemed almost vulnerable.
    “Nor am I coy,” she continued now.
    It was impossible to tell from her tone whether she was insulted or not. Logan decided she wasn’t. “Which is why I don’t feel the need to stand on pretense around you. I can say what I mean.”
    “Hmm.” It was an arousing sound that drew his gaze to her mouth. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” sheasked. When he glanced up and met her gaze, the amusement shimmering in her eyes told him she’d already made up her mind.
    “A good thing. Definitely a good thing.”
    She laughed. The sound was low and throaty. “I don’t know. I think I might prefer some pretense every now and then. I get so little of it. Subterfuge, sure.” She exhaled. “That’s par for the course in my line of work.”
    “But we’re not talking about your work.” Interesting, Logan thought, how it kept coming back to that. Interesting and a little unnerving.
    Mallory smiled. “Oh, that’s right. We’re talking about pretense.”
    Not just talking about it, he thought. Well, two could play the game. Logan decided to up the ante. “Are you saying you want me to pretend that I don’t find you as sexy as hell?”
    She blinked. He’d caught her off guard. He’d done it a few times in their relatively short acquaintance. Perhaps it was his male ego talking, but he liked knowing he could manage it.
    “Well?” he prodded when she remained quiet.
    “I’m trying to think of a response.”
    “And you can’t?” That came as a surprise.
    Mallory cleared her throat. “Well, you have to admit, Doc, yours is a loaded question.”
    Just the sort of question she was very good at asking, but he kept the observation to himself. Instead, Logan snorted. “And here I thought you weren’t one to act coy.”
    “Well, if I tell you no, you’ll think I’m playing games, but if I say yes, you’ll accuse me of being vain.”
    “Will I?”
    She ignored his question. “You’ve painted me into a corner. I don’t like corners.”
    “Sorry. I didn’t realize.”
    “Yes, you did.”
    He flashed a grin. “Okay, maybe I did. But in my defense, I find myself immensely curious as to what your answer will be.”
    The wind tugged at her hair, sending several strands of it across her face. Mallory pushed them aside with the palm of her hand. The gesture was practical and…“Tell me, Doc, what woman doesn’t enjoy being called sexy?”
    It was a question rather than an actual answer, but Logan let it pass.
    “For the record, I believe I said ‘sexy as hell.’ If you’re going to quote me…” He left the sentence unfinished in part because the words were unnecessary, but mostly because her complexion paled. When she stumbled back a step, he reached out to steady her. “Mallory? Are you all right?”
    “Fine.” She moved