The Earl's Outrageous Lover Page 0,19
rifles. At least not yet.”
“You’re going to a shooting range?” he asked and increased the speed several more times.
Edward was not going to let her sleep. And truth be told, she was wide awake now, picturing Edward without a shirt on, in just those tight shorts that some runners wore. That image definitely woke her up. “Sure,” she sat up, pushing the pillows behind her. “I’ve always wanted to learn to shoot. Besides, mostly men go to a shooting range, right?” It wasn’t just to meet men, she admitted to herself. She wanted to learn to shoot just because she thought it was interesting. What woman wouldn’t want to break into the secret world of range shooting and experience all the testosterone in the air? It sounded thrilling, a bit like entering an exclusive men’s club. She knew there were many women who knew how to shoot, and she was determined to join their ranks. Today!
Edward shook his head but knew she couldn’t see his exasperation over the phone. “You don’t need to go to a shooting range, Jessica,” he said firmly. “I’ll introduce you to eligible men. Just look over your choices and see if anyone sparks any interest.”
“I’ll do that as well, but this sort of kills two birds with one stone, no pun intended,” she joked. “I’m looking for a man and what better way to find one than to go to places where they are the main consumers?”
Edward would have sighed if he had the breath but since he was sprinting now with a fifteen percent incline, he had to concentrate. “Jessica, just meet me for lunch.”
She smiled as her brain started waking up. She could hear the worry in his voice and it warmed her heart. “Look, I have less than two weeks until this tedious deadline comes to an end. I have to maximize my time. I can still meet you for lunch and I sincerely appreciate the offer. But I can get to the shooting range this morning and still be ready for lunch by noon. How does that sound?”
“Dangerous. Just meet me for lunch,” he repeated. “I’m not kidding, Jessica. No shooting range, understand?”
She laughed out loud, delighted for some reason to disconcert the man who seemed so cool and collected at all times. “You sound like my father, Edward. Don’t worry.” She paused, hearing a strange sound in the background. “Why are you up so early anyway? And what’s that sound?”
“I wake up early in order to work out. The sound is probably my feet hitting the treadmill. I’ll see you at noon, Jessica. I’m serous, no shooting range.”
“Right, noon,” she said and hung up the phone.
Edward tossed his cell phone into the holder next to his water and thought about the conversation he’d just had. He didn’t know Jessica very well, but he suspected that she would completely ignore his instruction to stay away from the shooting range. With frustration, he picked up his phone again and dialed Alice. “I need you to find me the shooting range closest to Jessica Mallory’s house and cancel my morning appointments,” he said when she answered.
Thankfully, Alice was too professional to question his instructions, even bizarre questions like finding a shooting range at five fifteen in the morning. He knew that she would e-mail him the address within the next five minutes, probably along with driving instructions for Tim and various other information about cost and hours along with whatever additional information she suspected he might need.
At seven-thirty, Edward walked down the stairs, took his cup of coffee from his butler and walked out to his car.
“To the office, my lord?” Tim asked, looking at a piece of paper in his hands. His mind was obviously confused by the instructions he’d received from Edward’s executive assistant earlier in the morning.
Grimly, Edward shook his head. “Alice has probably sent you the address of a shooting range. We’ll go to the office for my eight o’clock meeting, then I’ll need you to be ready to head over to the shooting range at nine o’clock. I don’t know what time Ms. Mallory will be there, but I need to arrive before her and inspect the weapons to ensure that she is safe and not about to kill herself with some ridiculous idea about learning how to shoot a pistol.”
Tim nodded his head, looked back down at the piece of paper, then hurriedly closed Edward’s door. He was completely confused, but more than willing to follow orders.