Seductive Reasoning (14 page)

Aunt Pandora walked forward and
lightly grasped her chin. “Darling, I have a feeling there is more to Dr. Seth
Fallon than just an ambition to win a bet. He wasn’t looking at you as if you
were just a means to an end. The man was hot and bothered. As much as I’m glad
he’s in your life right now, be careful. I don’t want to see you get hurt.
Because if your Dr. Fallon hurts you, I’ll have to kill him.”

Chapter
Seven

Kate settled in a seat at the front
of Seth’s classroom and studied the people who came through the door.

There were several men but the
majority were women. No surprise there.

The man attracted them just by his
sheer presence. Kate smiled smugly to herself. Little did they know she slept
with him every night. Granted, they had not made love, but she still was able
to cuddle up next to him. Feel his body, listen to his breathing and smell him.

Last night, he’d slid over to his
side of the bed in an effort to avoid touching her. She’d tried to talk to him
about what had happened in the back yard. To her surprise, he’d rolled over,
and kissed her lightly on the mouth without saying a word. Then he’d gone to
sleep.

The desks fanned out in the room in
a kind of semicircular pattern. There was an overhead projector and a large
screen behind Seth’s desk. The people filled nearly every seat.

Sunlight streamed in through the
large windows, settling into several golden puddles on the wood floor. Kate
crossed her legs, dug a pad and pen from her purse, and prepared to take notes.
Why did she feel uncomfortable? Why did she feel as if every eye was on her?
Because they weren’t. Every female head faced front and center to watch Seth
prepare for his lecture. As far as the men were concerned, she had seen a few
of them glance her way, but that didn’t mean anything.

She hadn’t known until this morning
that he had a special lecture scheduled. This was not designed specifically for
students, but for the general public. The women attending the lecture had seen
him on the show, no doubt. They ranged in age from about eighteen to eighty. Most
of the men were young, in their late teens or early twenties, probably
university students.

Seth’s academic world was so
completely different from the path she had chosen. But she was used to being
different. Kate sighed. One thing for certain, she had no doubt her parents
would approve of Seth. But she wasn’t here to please her parents or Seth. She
was here to please herself--and to find a key to unlocking the secrets of Seth
Fallon.

Focus on the stakes.

The room smelled of wood, paper,
and knowledge. Kate had sat in the very front on purpose. She looked at Seth
and discovered that he had his gaze on her. An expression of annoyance mixed
with self-confidence blanketed his face. He’d certainly protested enough about
her being here this morning, but she’d been determined. She had the chance to
score some points, and she wasn’t about to pass it up.

He glanced around at the people who
crowded into the room jostling for a seat, then brought his gaze back to her.
He looked very professional in his white knit shirt with khaki slacks and
loafers. He reached up and adjusted the wire-framed glasses on his nose, and
her toes curled in her shoes. Whenever he did that, she had an urge to wrap her
arms and legs around him.

She nodded at him. One corner of
his sexy mouth kicked up slightly in a smile meant only for her. Her pulse rate
shot up. His eyes were compelling and full of the knowledge of what they had
shared. The touches, the kisses, the hot groping of hands and lips. A yearning
for fullfillment suffused her breasts and pooled between her thighs.

Seth moved to the front of his
desk, leaned against it, and rested his hands along the edge. “Good afternoon.
Thank you for coming.”

The audience clapped wildly. Seth
looked embarrassed at their display. He cleared his throat and continued.
“Today I’ll be talking about the solar system in general and discuss some of
the components that make up our solar system. Feel free to ask questions.”

A woman next to Kate raised her
hand. “Dr. Fallon, I was wondering how your week with Ms. Summers is going? Can
you give us a hint as to who might be the winner?”

A ripple of laughter floated
through the room. Kate sat up straight in her seat. Here was a golden
opportunity for her to drive her point home.

“The week is going fine, but we’re
here to talk about astronomy.”

“But Dr. Fallon,” Kate captured his
attention, “I think her question is a valid one.” She turned to the woman and
smiled. “I’ll be happy to discuss it with you after the lecture over coffee if
you’d like.”

The woman beamed. “Thank you. That
would be great.”

“Oh, you’re Kate Summers.” A woman
seated on the other side of her touched her on the arm. “This is so exciting.”
A murmur swept through the room, and voices repeated
it’s Ms. Summers
until they flowed together in one long whisper. Seth frowned at her, not at all
pleased at her jumping in on the conversation.

Seth walked to her seat, leaned
over and whispered in her ear. “Don’t screw this up for me, Kate.”

Seth’s softly spoken plea touched
Kate deep inside her heart. Today was very important to Seth. If his lecture
went as planned, it could mean a boost in the number of students choosing
astronomy as their major field. Not to mention more money for the department
and the university as a whole.

How could she possibly ruin it for
him when she could see how much astronomy meant to him? Kate nodded without
saying a word. Seth looked at her with suspicion for a moment, and then turned
back to the class.

“Let’s start with the springtime
sky and the constellations that are visible at this time of year. Can anyone
name a few?”

A man called out a couple of names.

Kate raised her hand and saw Seth’s
gaze dart to hers. His eyes flashed with annoyance, his lips were pursed and
his hair a bit mussed from where he’d run his fingers through it. He’d never
looked sexier.

God, if they were alone...

“Yes, Miss Summers?”

Kate licked her lips and watched in
satisfaction as Seth’s gaze flicked to her mouth and settled there for a
moment. “Pisces, Taurus and Aries are also visible.”

“Thank you. How many stars are in
our solar system?”

“Thousands,” someone called out.
Another said millions.

“One.” Kate smiled at Seth.

Seth looked at her and a very small
smile kicked up the corners of his mouth. Could he actually be pleased that she
knew the right answer?

“That’s right. We have only one
star in our solar system.”

“But how can you say that when
there are so many stars visible in the night sky?” someone asked.

“That’s true. But I’m not talking
about the Milky Way galaxy. There are billions of stars in the Milky Way, but
only one in our own solar system.”

When Seth spoke with such
excitement about the universe, a light came into those unfathomable eyes of
his. He truly loved teaching and sharing his knowledge. There was something
innately sexy about that.

Not to mention the way the man
moved. All that sex appeal and gorgeous male wrapped up in conservative
packaging. It made her want to start at his feet and work her way up until
there was nothing between them but skin and body heat.

Seth continued to lecture, moving
his hands as he talked. His palms were broad, his fingers long and slightly
calloused. She knew from experience how they felt touching her skin. Lust slow
danced through her stomach just thinking about it.

Kate listened to his voice. He was
like a pied piper with his deep rich baritone. The sound slid under her skin
and awakened her libido. No wonder he was so popular on campus. The women
couldn’t help themselves. It was a treat to just sit and listen to him. His
voice informed, instructed, but also soothed and excited at the same time. How was
that possible?

“Isn’t the Milky Way part of a
group of galaxies known as the Local Group?” Kate stared at Seth waiting for
him to answer.

A smile teased over his mouth. “You
read the book I gave you.” His tone was low so no one else could hear.

He seemed so pleased that she’d
read it. She loved seeing the pleasure and excitement on his face. She wanted
to keep it there forever.

But what about her own dream? She
sighed. It seemed the lines between her goals and Seth’s project were becoming
blurred.

“Yes, that’s correct. Can anyone
elaborate a little on the Local Group?”

She wanted to continue. She wanted
their conversation never to end. She needed to hold his attention. “I can, Dr.
Fallon.”

He adjusted his glasses, and pinned
the full effect of his blue eyes on her. “Well, please continue, Miss Summers.”

She nearly melted right there in
her chair. How could discussing astronomy turn out to be so damn sexy? Kate
felt every eye on her in the room. When she finished her statement there was a
kind of hushed quiet as if they couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say next.

The pride was still there in Seth’s
eyes, only stronger. He thought she hadn’t even looked at the book he’d given
her to read. She’d touched him in a special way. Not physically, but
emotionally. The way to really get to Seth Fallon was through his intellect.

“Professor, I must admit I’m truly
fascinated by all of this information, but studying astronomy doesn’t leave any
room for creativity does it?” Kate held her hands out palm up. “I mean it’s a
science and you have to deal in facts not ideas. You can’t be inventive or
innovative.”

If she couldn’t be inventive or
innovative, she would end up being straitlaced like her parents. They were
lawyers--and how creative could a person get with the law? Laws were set down
on paper and meant to be followed.

If she had to be rigid and toe the
line, her creativity would be crushed. If she did what her family wanted her to
do, she would betray her own desires and dreams. That was something she could
not do.

“On the contrary, Miss Summers,
there is plenty of room for creativity in astronomy. What about the development
of telescopes?”

When he finished his explanation,
Kate realized he was right. He was absolutely right. Since he was creative in
his field, would he be creative in the bedroom as well? Kate couldn’t wait to
find out.

Seth opened the sliding glass door
of the porch attached to his house. He’d spent the entire night tossing and
turning. Restlessness had coursed through him like an illness he couldn’t
shake.

Kate had slept next to him. She
hadn’t tried to slip onto his side of the bed, or seduce him with a sexy
nightgown. After they had dinner and watched a little television, she bade him
goodnight and went to her room. He listened to the sounds she made as she got
ready for bed. Then silence.

He’d almost jumped up from the sofa
and gone after her, taken her in his arms and given her the long, thorough
lovemaking session that they both wanted and deserved. How had she managed to
get to him so quickly?

He’d talked her into a change of
venue. He thought that if he could get back to his own house, that this need he
had for her would subside, and he’d get himself and his libido under control.

How wrong he had been. Not having
her touch him in bed had made everything worse. Now all he could think about
was Kate, her scent, her skin, and the sound of her voice.

A simple meal of salad and
sandwiches with glasses of iced tea sprigged with mint was laid out on a
glass-topped table. He looked at Kate standing on the edge of the porch leaning
against one of the posts. She wore white shorts that molded her sweet fanny and
the feminine secret that lay between her legs. Suddenly, he was dying to know
what she was wearing underneath it all.

Her pink top had spaghetti straps
and outlined her breasts and nipples. With any slight movement the bottom hem
of the top shifted. A tantalizing view of bare skin teased him, skin he knew
was soft and feminine.

Christ, he wanted to take her in
his arms, slide his tongue into her mouth, and steep himself in her.

She sipped wine from her glass. He
had a perfect view of a drop of wine on her lush, lower lip. Her pink tongue
slipped from between her lips and licked away the droplet. Seth nearly groaned.

He should just have a quiet dinner
with her, then catch up on his work for the rest of the night. That way she
would go to her bed, which for him had become a torture chamber.

The sheets smelled of her.

The room smelled of her.

She wouldn’t leave him alone.

She kept touching him, kissing him
and making him do things he shouldn’t be doing if he was going to win that
money, and she damn well knew it. A little more slap and tickle and she’d push
him over the edge. And there would be no turning back.

Yesterday in class, she’d really
surprised him. Her unexpected questions and knowledge had deeply touched him.
She’d actually read the book he’d given her. Could she actually be taking his
intellect seriously? “Thank you, Kate.”

She turned and stared at him. A
breeze lifted her dark hair from her shoulders and blew the strands back from
her face. A soft ray of dying sunlight from the dusky sky caressed one side of
her cheek. Her eyes looked intensely green in the waning light, her lips soft
and dewy. Lips he knew were giving and intoxicating. Lips that could make a man
forget who he was or forget why he was here.

“Thank you for what?” Her voice
sounded soft and a little husky. “For the food?” She gave a slight wave of her
hand. “For the music?” The sound of violins wept into the cool, evening air. A
chime that hung by the back door tinkled in the breeze. She lifted her glass,
sipped, and licked her lips provocatively.