Don't Tell Read Online Free PDF Page B

answering twitch of his own lips. His secretary. Well, well. Life was finally beginning to roll his way, he thought as he shook the hand she offered. „I’m Dr. Hunter.“ She blinked, her mouth dropping open. Her small hand went lax in his. „You were expecting me, weren’t you?“
    „I – uh.“ She swallowed hard and regained her composure. „Yes, of course I was.“ Her lips curved and a dimple appeared in one cheek. „I just wasn’t expecting you. Exactly.“ She shook his hand heartily.
    „Who were you expecting? Exactly?“
    „A sixty-five-year-old man.“ She tilted her head to one side, those eyes of hers narrowing slightly. „That old sneak. You’ve met Wade Grayson, one of the other professors, haven’t you?“
    He nodded warily. „Once. At my interview with the dean.“
    His secretary chuckled, the sound rich and full of rueful merriment. „He’s let me go on and on since the dean announced you were coming, thinking you were a senior citizen bachelor.“ She looked up and her dimple deepened.
    „Not to worry. He’ll pay sooner or later. So you are my new young boss. Welcome, Dr. Hunter.“
    Pretty and charming. This is growing better by the moment, he thought. „Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Stewart.“
    „I’m Caroline to everyone around here. What do you prefer to be called?“ Her deep blue eyes danced at him. „I’m hoping you don’t want us to use your whole name.“
    This time his grin broke through. „It would serve you all right if I did.“ He hesitated, then decided. He’d start this new phase of his life without the old barriers. No more „Dr. Hunter.“
    „You can call me Max.“
    „A marked improvement over Maximillian Alexander.“ She shook her head, her eyes still filled with amusement. „Your parents had big hopes for you.“
    He appreciated her sense of humor. „Isn’t that the whole point of having children?“
    Caroline thought of Tom and everything she’d sacrificed, would continue to sacrifice for him. „Yes, you’re absolutely right.“ She stepped from behind the desk and stood before him, her head still tilted back. „I’ll show you your office, then you need to tell me how you want to proceed.“
    She walked towards a closed door and Max stood where he was for five hard beats of his heart, his eyes locking on her round hips swaying gracefully as she moved. The very fierceness of his body’s response took him by surprise. Don’t be insane, he chided himself. Don’t make up for Elise by falling for the first female that crosses your path. He wasn’t listening to himself, he knew, his gaze still locked on her round rear end in its modest black skirt. He swallowed, barely wrenching his eyes upward in time when she paused, her hand on the doorknob. She looked over her shoulder to find him rooted in the same spot.
    „This is your office,“ she said, her eyes gone sober. The change was as abrupt and unmistakable as the resulting prick of sadness at his own heart. Her voice said „Your office.“ Her eyes said it would always belong to Eli Bradford. She’d loved the old professor, that was clear.
    Retrieving his cane, Max followed her into an office covered in wood paneling with rows and rows of built-in bookcases. Plush wine carpet covered the floor, contrasting well with the wood. The tang of lemon furniture polish mixed with the pleasant smell of old books and the leather of a long worn sofa, perfect for an occasional nap. Framed prints covered the walls, an eclectic medley of Monet, Warhol, and O’Keeffe. A model airplane fight was taking place in one corner of the room, a British Spitfire and a German ME-109 hanging from thin wires. With a smile Max noted the ME-109 going down in flames. It would seem the good guys won in Dr. Bradford’s world.
    A large old mahogany desk dominated the room, accompanied by a matching chair, lit from behind by a large picture window that looked out onto the snowy courtyard where an occasional student