Seduced in September (Spring River Valley Book 9) Read Online Free PDF Page B

sense to keep her personal life very separate from her professional life.
    So last night she’d blurred the lines between them, and today was supposed to be about clarifying all that blurriness and putting everything back in the right boxes. Work was work. Dating was dating. The two didn’t mix.
    Despite that logic, her finger descended on the last digit of its own volition. She closed her eyes, bit her lower lip, and prayed she wouldn’t regret it.
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    Quinn’s plan was genius. A little fake static and some mumbo jumbo about losing bars while going through a tunnel was all it took. As soon as she called him back, he’d know her name.
    He couldn’t believe hearing her voice hadn’t jogged his memory, but then again, she probably sounded different over the phone. He recalled a sultry, breathy sex voice whispering things in his ears that had curled his toes. What he’d gotten this morning was obviously her “I’m playing it cool” voice. That was okay. He’d used the same one.
    So why hadn’t she called back yet? He stared at his phone, lying innocently on the bed he’d just made. This time when it rang the sound wouldn’t kill him. A glass of tomato juice, two aspirin, and a piece of dry toast had settled the pulsating of his brain and made him feel marginally better. A hot shower had helped a lot, allowing him to think clearly enough to pull off the static trick as soon as she’d mentioned picking her up at work.
    Since he didn’t know where she worked, he’d had to think fast. Once he saw her name, he could figure out the rest, he just had to wait for her to call back. Or better yet, he could suggest a different place to meet. That made even more sense. Why hadn’t he just done that in the first place?
    Ring, dammit. Ring.
    Finally, muffled by the comforter, the phone rang. He scooped it up and hesitated just long enough not to seem too anxious then focused his gaze on the caller ID where the name Madelyn Moriarty appeared.
    Madelyn…it seemed like sort of an old-fashioned name for a woman who, he recalled, was the epitome of fast forward. But it was charming. Maddie. Her name was Maddie. The rest of it seemed vaguely familiar. He knew someone named Moriarty…not just the villain in the Sherlock Holmes novels. How did he know her?
    No time for guessing games. He answered before the call went to voice mail. How would that look if he told her to call him back and he didn’t answer? “Hey, I was starting to get worried.”
    “Sorry, I had to let the dog out.”
    “What kind of dog?” Oh, super smooth, Preston. Small talk? Really?
    “A Pomeranian. He’s terribly cute and awfully friendly and monstrously needy.”
    “Sounds like a charmer. He’s lucky to have you to take care of him. Uh…so about tomorrow night.”
    “You haven’t changed your mind?”
    “No, of course not. I was just thinking, why don’t we meet somewhere instead? Like Colette’s. You know, go back to the scene of the crime?”
    She was silent for about twenty seconds , during which time he started to think he might have somehow blown it. “Okay, that’s fine. We said seven, or rather we were saying seven when your phone cut out.”
    “Seven is perfect.”
    “Okay, I’ll see you then, Quinn.”
    “I can’t wait, Maddie.” There. He’d effortlessly slipped her name into the conversation and everything was right as rain. Except it wasn’t.
    “Did you just call me Maddie?”
    Uh oh. “Um, Madelyn?”
    “Madelyn is my aunt.” Her tone hardened. “You don’t remember my name, do you?”
    “Of course I do. But more importantly, I remember we had an amazing time last night, and I’m dying to see you again.”
    “Really? What do I look like then?”
    “Umm, you have gorgeous blue eyes.”
    “Go on.”
    “And…uh…” He thought about the scent of lilacs, but that wasn’t what she’d asked. “Long blond hair…”
    “Not bad, now, what’s my name?”
    “I was a bit drunk last