Love on the Run Read Online Free PDF

school. But you can count on one hand those who know his secret. And here you not only have the information, but in this day of no privacy for professionals, you’ve managed to keep it under wraps. How do you do it?”
    Michael’s response was deadpan, all matter of fact, no cockiness. “I’m good at my job.”
    Shayna’s response was equally sincere. “I believe you.”
    They looked into each other’s eyes and for a moment, a brief, unchecked moment, something passed between them. Something both recognized, but neither acknowledged. The atmosphere changed in the room. Heat that had nothing to do with the weather. The afternoon meeting lasted into the evening, their brand brainstorming punctuated by snippets of personal information and tiny windows into each other’s lives. For Shayna, the discomfort of being around Michael dissipated and for Michael, the options for making Shayna a one-name star grew with each moment spent in her presence.
    â€œAre you hungry?” Michael asked after checking his watch, surprised that so much time had passed.
    â€œA little.” Had she dared been honest with herself she would have added that what she desired was sitting in front of her, not in the kitchen.
    â€œThen please excuse me for a moment.” Michael left the room.
    Okay, is this brothah getting ready to cook for me? The thought of those sexy biceps rippling as they stirred a sauce or flipped a burger made Shayna’s mouth water more than the thought of food. Naw, he’s probably calling a restaurant to have something delivered.
    He was doing neither. After locating and having a brief conversation with Orlando, the chef who worked for him three to four days a week depending on his travel schedule, Michael sent Gregory a quick text: Meeting running long. Will call when done.
    An hour later Michael and Shayna sat on the patio, having enjoyed the Thai food that Orlando had prepared, sipped bubbly that either rarely imbibed, and now relaxed in the beauty of a warm, autumn evening. And still the heat, pulsating and vibrant, like a third guest. Felt yet ignored. For both, there was a running inner dialogue that this was strictly business. A lie, but it sounded good in their minds.
    The chef removed the dinner plates and set down dessert. As soon as he’d retreated into the house, Shayna picked up her spoon and dug into the creamy gelato creation. “Is this you every night?”
    â€œWhat?” Michael didn’t reach for his dessert. He was too busy enjoying the chocolate sweetness on the other side of the patio table, and wishing that he could have a lick of her instead of the ice cream in his bowl.
    â€œThis,” Shayna said with a sweep of her arm across the table. “Chef-prepared dinners, moonlight dips in the pool, champagne wishes, and caviar dreams . . .”
    Michael shrugged. “You could say that, but then again . . .” Another shrug. “It’s not something that I think about. As I told you earlier, my growing up in Long Beach was fairly typical, pretty solidly middle class. Guess you could say this is my new normal.”
    â€œIt’s a pretty nice normal.” For a brief moment, Shayna closed her eyes and focused on the ambrosia of flavors on her tongue. The deepest, darkest of chocolates, but she could detect other flavors, cinnamon and vanilla among them. “Wow, this is heaven right here, heaven in a bowl.”
    â€œYeah, Orlando is the real deal. He can do it all: cook, bake, and make desserts like this. I stole him from one of my favorite eateries on the Strip, haven’t been able to set foot back into that restaurant since!”
    â€œI can see why; his food is amazing.” Another couple bites and then Shayna continued. “How did you get into this, managing athletes?”
    â€œI always loved sports, especially tennis. But by the time I’d graduated college, I’d learned that the best way to