Playing with Dynamite Read Online Free PDF Page B

she conceded, and spritzed her neck with a spray bottle of water.
    His gaze homed in on the droplets dotting her chest. He wanted to lick every bit of water from her skin, spritz her, and do it again until his thirst was at least temporarily quenched. Instead he licked his lips and turned to the pool where a couple of kids played splashing games. “It sounds as if you’ve got this all planned out.”
    â€œSome of it.” Lisa pulled a sheet of paper from her tote bag. “I got this in the mail the other day.”
    Brick leaned forward to read it. “Meet your mate, not just a date. A dating service?” he said, unable to hide his horror. “Have you gone crazy? You’ll have every nut in Tennessee calling you day and night.”
    She set her chin stubbornly. “It’s just one of my options. Senada’s also—”
    â€œSenada!”
    When Lisa’s chin rose another notch, Brick bit his tongue, laced his fingers together and cracked all his knuckles at once.
    â€œShe knows a lot of men.”
    â€œThat’s putting it mildly,” he muttered.
    â€œShe knows a lot more about men than I do and—”
    â€œYou always knew enough for me,” he pointed out in a dark velvet voice. “And what you didn’t know, I sure as hell liked teaching you.”
    Lisa’s heart seemed to pause, then flutter wildly. She’d kept the conversation centered on her search for a husband as a means of protection because she felt more than bare beneath Brick’s gaze. She felt naked.
    Every time his eyes lingered, she felt as if he’d touched her. Could he tell she was having a hard time breathing normally? Could he sense the way her nipples tingled? Did he know about the insidious moist warmth that built within her because her body simply couldn’t forget what he’d been to her? He was looking at her as if she were the only woman in the world, and despite all her resolutions her mouth was cotton-dry from his intoxicating effect on her.
    Lisa swallowed hard. “You don’t understand. Senada’s had a lot more experience—”
    â€œI know,” he said dryly.
    â€œNo.” She sighed. “Let me put it this way. Senada was the kind of girl who had five offers to go to her high school prom.”
    â€œAnd?” Brick was waiting for the rest of the story. Something told him it would be important.
    â€œAnd I got no offers,” Lisa admitted reluctantly. “I was in the National Honor Society, I took piano lessons, went to church like a good girl. I was great with books, but when it came to guys, I was…”
    â€œShy,” Brick supplied for her, feeling a twist of compassion. He recalled a few girls from his own high school days that had seemed awkward and shy with the boys. They’d often been the last ones picked for dates because their uneasiness had transferred itself to the boys.
    She gave a small dip of her head. “That would be putting it very generously.”
    â€œYou’re not in high school anymore, Lisa.”
    â€œI know,” she said softly. “I’m all grown up with a woman’s body and mind—and a woman’s needs.” She gave a rueful smile. “But I’ve still got the heart of a child, and Senada tells me I’ve got plenty to offer the right man. I just need to find him.”
    Brick felt as if she’d just sliced him in two. He narrowed his eyes at the sharp pain. There was too much he hadn’t told Lisa. In his quest to remain uncommitted, he’d managed to be blind as a bat about her vulnerabilities. She was a gentle woman, beautiful both inside and out, and if he’d had his act together, maybe she wouldn’t be wondering if she would find the right man. If he’d had his head on straight, she’d be in his arms and he wouldn’t feel like someone had ripped out his guts.
    Brick took the first step in a new direction. He tugged