Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
When we sat down at a popular high-end steak house and he suggested the Tomahawk rib eye for two, which included lobster tails and sides that made my mouth water, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I didn’t say no to wine or the chocolate-caramel soufflé he’d ordered at the beginning of the meal either. It was like the word no didn’t exist for me tonight.
“Tell me about your research,” he said after we’d eaten our meal and were waiting for the soufflé to be served since they were each made individually.
“Really?” I shook my head. “You’ll be asleep before I finish explaining my dissertation.”
“Try me.”
“I've been studying how regulatory sequences control temporal and spatial patterns of gene expression by using a cDNA encoded reporter gene in transgenic mice. When I first started, the expression patterns we found were unexpected and that became the basis of my thesis…” I let my voice trail as I caught the glazed look he was trying valiantly to disguise. “Okay, too much. Basically, what I’m working on impacts the retina. Vision. Keeping people from going blind.”
“Oh.” He nodded. “That sounds amazing. How long until you get your PhD?”
“Good question. The research and data analysis are done, and I’ve finally gotten serious about writing the dissertation, so it’s just a matter now of going back and forth with my mentor doing revisions and making it as good as I possibly can. I’ve got a date set to defend it in May.”
“That’s soon,” he said, sounding surprised. “I don’t know why. I thought it would take longer.”
“I’ve been working toward this for a long time. The original goal was to be done by summer so I could move to Chicago and start my new life. Obviously, that’s changed, but I’d still like to make the same deadline.”
“What’s next since you’re not moving to Chicago?”
“Well, I still want to be done by summer,” I said, chuckling. “Except now I don’t have to search for a job in Chicago and can literally go anywhere.”
“There’s an interesting sense of freedom in that,” he said thoughtfully. “Don’t get me wrong. I love hockey, but it can be restrictive. I can only go where I’m offered a contract, you know?”
“Don’t you like playing for the Mavericks?” I asked in surprise.
“I love the Mavericks. Truly. The town, my teammates, where I live. All of it. But there are other things that matter. Like family. This situation with Joey and my sister. And lots of other stuff we probably don’t want to get into tonight. But I’ll admit I’m a little envious of the ability to go anywhere you want.”
“I still have to be offered a position,” I countered. “Whether it’s in a lab, or teaching, or something else. It’s no different than any other job search, except now I don’t have to restrict where I apply beyond whatever parameters I set for myself.”
“Here you are.” The waitress put a steaming soufflé down in front of us, and though I was still stuffed from dinner, my mouth watered.
“Jesus, that’s decadent,” I whispered.
“It is.” Boone picked up the spoon and very slowly pushed it into the gooey creation between us. “Open up, gorgeous.” He offered me the first bite and I parted my lips, waiting expectantly for the aromatic flavor to reach my taste buds.
“Oh fuck,” I moaned. “That’s…I’m not sure I can think of an adjective for how good that is.”
“Wow, the PhD student at a loss for words,” he teased, putting the spoon back in the soufflé. “Let’s see what I can come up with.” He took a bite and closed his eyes. He didn’t react at first, merely taking his time as if savoring it. “Pales in comparison to tasting you,” he said at last.
I swallowed, torn between wanting more dessert and the need to drag him out to the car and have my way with him right there in the parking lot. Had any guy ever looked as good as Michael Boone did with a tiny drop of caramel dangling from his lips? Would it be gauche if I leaned over and licked it off?
“You have a little something on your…” I leaned over, using my fingers to gently wipe away the caramel. To my surprise, he turned his head, capturing my fingers with his lips and lightly sucking the tips.
“Mmm.” His eyes met mine meaningfully, desire swirling in their depths.
I swallowed hard.
Oh yeah, this guy was going to rock my world.
“Maybe we should get going,” I said.
Time momentarily froze as our eyes reflected the yearning in both of us.
Without breaking our gaze, he motioned for the check.
Boone held my hand the whole drive back to my place. We didn’t talk, but there didn’t seem to be a need to. He gently rubbed his thumb along the skin of my hand, the light touch keeping me in a state of decadent arousal, reminiscent of that damn soufflé. Too much and not enough at the same time. I wanted more while simultaneously needing to be in the moment and enjoy whatever this was.