Too Grand for Words (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

times after walking through it. But then again, she really wasn’t the kind of woman men held doors open for. In fact, she really wasn’t a woman anymore at all. At least she didn’t feel like it. She hoped that one day she could find the person she used to be. So many years of dealing with professional alpha males had made her hard and spiny. She hadn’t had a choice. It was either that or become a puddle of water that many men would splash through with their boots.
    The waitress approached them. “Mr. Porter, nice to see you again,” she said demurely. She didn’t even turn to look at Moira.
    Steven gave the waitress a friendly nod just like she’d seen in the casino as he said, “A glass of Merlot, Chateau Petrus if you have it.” He turned his gaze to her to make sure that’s what she wanted. When she nodded tentatively he said, “I’ll have a scotch, Macallan, thirty-year-old.”
    Her alarms started to go off. The fear factor struck eight point something on her “don’t be an idiot” scale. Beautiful women surrounded them. Why had he asked her for a drink? “I don’t think I’ve ever had Chateau Petrus before.” She peered at him, trying to figure him out.
    “I think you’ll enjoy it,” he said, his jaw tightening with a grin. He removed his jacket and draped it over the arm of his chair. “Do you live in Vancouver?”
    “Ah, so you’re one of those rare Americans where the corners of the earth don’t stop at the border.”
    “No, I’ve been to Vancouver many times. They did a great job for the 2010 Olympics, could have used a little more snow though.” He chuckled. “It’s a beautiful city, but most of the time I’m there for business.”
    “It is a nice city, isn’t it? I’ve lived there all my life.” She clasped her hands around her knee because she had the desire to grab something to steady herself. Clutching the armrests of the chair would make her look ready for an execution, but that was about what it felt like. How many seconds would it take him to realize she was tough as nails and just as gnarly.
    “Are you here by yourself?”
    “No, I’m here with some of my officers. We came this morning. Well—yesterday morning now, I guess,” she said, glancing at her watch.
    “Officers?” He looked bemused. “You’re just too sweet to be a police officer.” He paused and raised his brows. “I hope that’s not going to end up being an insult?”
    She laughed. “No.” She shook her head. “Maritimes Officer, the Canadian Coast Guard type.”
    “Really? And what do you do for them?”
    Still trying to figure out why she was sitting here with this man she said, “I work in the Port of Vancouver.” To her it felt the same as saying I’m a welder or a steelworker . In fact, she felt more man than woman most of the time. She’d lost her soft edges long ago.
    “So that’s why you held your ground pretty well with that kid. You must be used to abrasive.” His eyebrows rose. “Sounds like an interesting profession.”
    “At times it is.” She curled her fingers tighter around her knee. “Deep seas and other commercial craft that move around the port participate in our system. They call us for traffic updates, using us like an additional navigational aid. We protect the sensitive areas in the harbor, and assist in making the marine traffic flow smoothly.
    “Our department also handles all the emergency communications for vessels in our area of responsibility. If vessels of any size get into trouble they call us, and we coordinate the communications with the resources that respond.” God, she’d dropped right into it, hadn’t she, sounding like an official advertisement for her department.
    The waitress returned with their drinks. Moira didn’t miss the fact that her finger slid over Steven’s before she released the glass, but he didn’t acknowledge the signal at all.
    “So it’s similar to air traffic control, but for the marine industry. I don’t think I