Carinian's Seeker Page 0,2

about the way this woman smelled made his gums tingle and burn. Made his incisors threaten to slip free. He clamped down on the strange reaction, willed his fangs to cease their mutiny and turned on the charm.

“Hey there,” he called, plastering on his innocent-as-a-newborn smile. “You’re leaving, too?”

“Yep.” Her answer was short and definitely intended to send a go-away message. He purposely didn’t get it.

“I’m going across the street to get a bite to eat. Care to join me?”

“I’m sorry, but I have an early day tomorrow.” The flat quality in her voice made it clear his charm wasn’t working.

Oddly enough, her rebuff hit him square in the gut and he felt his facade slip just a hair. Ruthlessly squashing down the unexpectedly strong instinct to conquer, Bix got back to business. Carinian’s business. “Are you going to skip dinner altogether?”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but are you always this nosy with people you don’t know?”

She stopped underneath an illuminated lamp in the parking lot and planted her fist on her hip. When her tennis shoe began to tap out an annoyed rhythm on the cold, icy ground, he cut her off before she could get her reprimand—and he was sure that’s what it would be—out of her mouth.

Hands held up in the universal “you win” gesture, he backed up a step and kept right on smiling. “Look, I’m not asking you out on a date. We both just worked out and unless you’ve already had dinner, I’m sure you want to eat before it gets too late. I’m going right over there,” he said, pointing to the Village Inn restaurant across the street. “If you care to join me, please do. By the way, my name is Jon, Jon Bixler. My friends call me Bix.”

He extended his hand and waited patiently for her to take it. She looked down at it like she expected it to turn into a Gila monster, but he held steady. Finally, she placed her smaller hand in his with a firm grip, though her face said her first impression of him hadn’t been decided yet.

“Carinian,” she offered softly, eyeing him askance.

“Nice to meet you,” he said casually, pumping her hand up and down. His smile remained plastered in place even when she didn’t say the same. Something inside of him wanted her to soften up a little, maybe even see him as a…as a what? Hell, he wasn’t sure. No, that wasn’t true, he knew exactly what he wanted. Her. But in his heart he knew it was impossible. This woman should never trust him.

Bix turned away and started towards his car. After three steps, he turned back again. One side of his mouth tipped up when Carinian’s right eyebrow rose a good inch. She probably wondered if he’d forgotten something.

“I forgot to mention.” His voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper as he looked right and left. “I’m having the ribs.”

His insides warmed when laughter bubbled right out of her. With a wink, he disappeared across the parking lot, leaving her shaking her head. But at least she was smiling. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why he cared.

Chapter Two

A few minutes later Carin found herself seated in a booth across from Mr. Damn-You’re-Fine, laughing her head off like she was outside at a ballgame or something. He, of course, ordered the ribs with a simple side salad, just as he’d promised in the parking lot. She had the rice pilaf with a no-frills grilled chicken breast.

“So, Carin, where are you from?”

“San Diego.”

“What are you doing in Colorado this time of year?”

A giggle bubbled up past her lips at his raised eyebrows and look of chagrin. Yeah, exactly how she felt about being in the arctic that some people called the Midwest.

“Here for training. I, uh, work for a biotech company. We just bought some new analytical software and I was sent here to learn how to use it.”

“I’m sure you’ll be having a talk with the person responsible for sending you here as soon as you get back to the coast.” Then he laughed. It was the first time she’d heard him do it, and the sound rumbled up out of his chest in a controlled boom. Deep, sensual. Damned sexy.

And he just seemed to get more appealing as the minutes slipped by.

He told her the funniest stories about his hillbilly Arkansas family and friends, and their antics growing up in the South. Like the time he and