Free Against the Law by Kat Martin Page A

The man was, after all, a professional.
    Which, in the time they had been working together, had become crystal-clear. From the way he handled an interview, to the endless stream of information he seemed able to come up with, as well as the focus he showed in following a lead.
    Thinking of the single moment in her bedroom when he had let down his guard, she smiled. He might be aprofessional, but he was an extremely virile man, and now she knew he wasn’t completely immune to her.
    Her mind strayed to the dimple that occasionally popped into his cheek. The man was already as tempting as ten pounds of chocolate. As handsome as sin and a body that made her stomach quiver. The dimple was completely over the top.
    It reminded her of the male models she dealt with in her business, most either gay or so in love with themselves it made her nauseous. To her, pretty boys weren’t the least attractive.
    Then again, even with the dimple, it was hard to think of Devlin Raines as a pretty boy. His jaw was too hard, his dark eyebrows too slashing, his cheekbones a little too carved. The man was a full-blooded male, no question about it. And she was wildly attracted to him.
    Still, in a way she was grateful that his personal set of rules made her off-limits. She wouldn’t mind a few nights of shared passion, but she was afraid a few nights with Dev Raines might not be enough. She couldn’t afford that, couldn’t afford to get involved in any sort of relationship.
    Better to ignore the attraction, keep their association exactly as it was.
    Lark finished her shower and dried her dark hair, fluffing it into the wispy, upturned style that she favored. Next she applied her makeup, choosing pale green eye shadow that complemented her eyes and her favorite fuchsia pink lipstick. From the bathroom, she walked into her closet to pick out something to wear.
    A short black skirt, a hot-pink top and strappy silverspike heels. She changed purses, choosing a smaller, black-and-pink fabric bag with a silver chain handle, one of last year’s LARK designs.
    Big silver earrings and an oversize pink rhinestone bracelet and she was ready for the evening.
    â€œWhat time is it?” she asked as she walked down the hall to the living room.
    Dev rose from his place on the sofa. He looked great in tan slacks, an open-collared blue-and-tan pinstriped shirt and a navy-blue Armani blazer. She’d noticed the seven-hundred-dollar Italian loafers he wore with his designer jeans, and gave him high marks for his taste in clothes.
    For several seconds he didn’t move.
    â€œIt’s a quarter to seven,” he finally said, his gaze running over her from to head to toe, his eyes as blue and hot as the tip of a flame. “God, you’ve got great legs.”
    Her pulse kicked up. She grinned, turned in a circle to give him a better view. “Thanks.” He might have his own set of rules, but so did she, and there was nothing to prevent her from having a little fun at his expense.
    Dev walked toward her. “I want to take you to bed,” he said. “But then you must know that.”
    Her breathing quickened. A little unnerved by so much masculinity standing so close, she took a step backward. “Actually, I wasn’t really sure.”
    â€œIt isn’t going to happen. I don’t do business that way.”
    She shifted a little, straightened. “Good. Then I won’t have to worry about it.”
    He cocked a dark eyebrow. “Were you? Worried, I mean?”
    â€œI thought maybe you were gay and I was just reading you wrong,” she teased.
    â€œI’m not gay.”
    Dear God, there was no chance of that. “I didn’t really think so. My instincts in that regard are usually spot-on.” She slung the chain strap over her shoulder, backed up a little more. Now that he had admitted his attraction, she felt oddly out of control. “Shall we go? I know how you hate being