Simply Sex Read Online Free PDF Page B

guess. My mother gave up an architectural business to go with my dad wherever he got transferred. She never complained, but I think she has regrets about sacrificing her career.”
    “I don’t want a woman to give up her work for me, just make room for mine.”
    “That makes sense.” It did, she guessed, for the right woman. She hoped Cole found her. Maybe it was Deborah, whom Janie had declared a perfect match.
    But here he was with Kylie now and they were sipping the last of their wine and staring at each other in a silence thick with arousal. Maybe just a kiss. The idea roller-coastered through her and her stomach plunged.
    “Enough about my marriage plans,” Cole said softly, his flicking cheek muscle signaling the desire she read in his eyes. Her heart began to beat so fast she put a hand to her chest.
    “Can I get you anything else?” the waiter asked wearily.
    They both started at the interruption. They’d had dessert and coffee, paid their bill, and their table had been cleared long ago. They’d dragged this out impossibly long.
    “No, no. We’re fine,” she said.
    Cole sipped at his empty wineglass, putting up a pretense of still having something to consume. She was glad he seemed no more inclined to say goodbye than she was. Their connection felt condensed, as though they’d swallowed their friendship as a bullion cube instead of sipping cups and cups of broth.
    “It’s hard to believe you need Personal Touch,” she said.
    “I take it you don’t approve of dating services.”
    She realized how he might take that. “It’s not that. And Janie’s the best. If you need help. But you don’t seem…”
    “Like a loser who has to pay someone to get him a date?”
    “That didn’t sound right.” She blushed. “I just hate the taste of shoe leather, even flavored with mint and chocolate.”
    He chuckled lightly. “I figure I owed the love of my life the same energy I’d invest in a career search. I see Janie as my relationship headhunter. I don’t have time to hit bars or parties, so I see this as a practical answer to a time-consuming problem.”
    “It’s efficient, I guess.” When he put it that way it made sense. “If I ever want to settle down, I might do the same thing.” Janie had offered her services many times.
    “So, no boyfriend?” His face went from pink to bright red.
    “Not right now. I’m too busy. And it gets too…”
    “Complicated?” When she nodded, he said, “I’ve been out of circulation for going on two years. Gets lonely.”
    “No kidding. I miss sex.” She swallowed hard.
    Cole laughed. “That’s cutting to the chase.”
    “Why be subtle?” She flamed with a blush all the same.
    “Good point. Sex can be a problem for workaholics. The last woman I saw wasn’t happy that I only had time for, well, for—”
    “Quickies?”
    He grinned sheepishly.
    “Boy, do I know what you mean. You have a nice evening—great sex—but you need sleep. Except the guy wants waffles and strawberries in the morning, then there’s more sex and before long the weekend’s lost. So you try to catch up working late all week, but he feels neglected.”
    “Exactly. It’s a drag to disappoint someone.”
    “I keep hooking up with guys with a lot of spare time and they want to hang out, go to games or concerts or camping or sailing. What little free time I have I like to spend—” she leaned closer and whispered “—watching TV.” She winked. “I’m a secret TV junkie.”
    “Me, too. Comedy Central is my favorite.”
    “Oh, I live on that station.” The cable network featured stand-up comics, quirky sketch shows and humorous talk shows.
    Cole grinned, delighted, she could tell. “I hustle all week so I can watch Friday Night Stand-Up. ”
    “Bingo,” she said and laughed. He joined her, his eyes twinkling, then settling into something much hotter.
    A silence fell. It was clear that neither wanted to leave, but the tables were all empty, the waiters were putting