Earth Angel Read Online Free PDF Page B

pretty good idea what the date would be like.
    She had just ensured he wouldn’t get it.
    In fact, she’d guaranteed that Miles would never ask her out again. Much better than not showing up in the first place, she decided, and mentally patted herself on the back for her shrewdness.
    Still, Miles was the most dangerous man she’d ever encountered. He seemed to have a control overher body that she just couldn’t shake. And if he found out about Earth Angel …
    Catherine shuddered. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all.
    The doorbell to her Center City town house rang. A regiment of butterflies immediately invaded the pit of her stomach. She grabbed the hair spritzer and sprayed it on her hair, scrunching up the strands in a last-minute lift. The image in the mirror restored her confidence in handling Miles.
    “What the heck,” she said out loud. “You only live once, so it might as well be on the wild side. And I can’t wait to see his face.”
    The door had no sooner opened than Miles felt all his breath whoosh out of his lungs.
    Catherine was … not the Catherine he’d been expecting. She was dressed in a black leather mini and an off-the-shoulder blue knit top that clung to her torso. No bra, he thought as shock shot through him. The black patterned stockings and very high heels had his chest squeezing in an invisible vise. She’s topped her outfit off with clunky bead jewelry and a hairdo that was artfully tangled in windblown fashion. He vaguely remembered hearing the term “big hair” somewhere. It certainly applied here. Her makeup was heavier than he’d ever seen before, and she’d done something to emphasize one eye.
    The whole effect, rather than being displeasing, was extremely sexy. But this was all wrong for the evening he’d planned. La Fourchette was definitely out. She’d never get past the maitre d’. He made animmediate mental change of plans, not wanting to embarrass her.
    “Miles, come in,” she said, smiling.
    “Thank you.” From somewhere he managed to find enough air to speak. His heart was thumping painfully, and he dimly wondered if he was having a heart attack. He’d always had a feeling Catherine would kill him. “You look gorgeous.”
    For some reason annoyance flitted over her face. “I’ll just get my jacket,” she said, and turned toward the living room.
    His feet automatically followed, as if he were under a spell. Before he knew it, he was in the middle of the room.
    What the decor said about Catherine was an eye-opener. He’d been expecting … Actually, he didn’t know what he’d been expecting. But to his delight, the room was tastefully furnished in 1920s art deco, with a Chinese carpet and gilt-trimmed
torchère
lamps. The furniture consisted of intricately inlaid wood veneer tables and tapestry-upholstered chairs. Movie posters hung from the walls, and he sensed they were originals.
    “Ready,” she said, breaking into his reverie.
    Her black leather jacket matched her black leather skirt, and made him think she’d look right at home on the back of a motorcycle.
    “Great,” he said, without blinking. “Shall we go?”
    “Where are we going?” she asked.
    Good question, he thought. “It’s a surprise.”
    It was a surprise all right, Catherine acknowledged, looking down at the steam table of gourmet fast food.
    “The beef stir-fry is terrific,” Miles said as he helped himself to spinach salad. “So’s the homemade pasta.”
    Never would she have thought dinner would be at Eden’s, a self-service restaurant. She should have known, though. He hadn’t even faltered over her outfit. He actually thought she looked gorgeous. Wonderful. Somehow, he was still in control of the evening, and she had no idea what had gone wrong.
    The glorified cafeteria was crowded with yuppies getting a meal before heading home or before going out for the evening. She had to admit that neither Miles, in his business suit, nor she looked out of place. He