Family Merger - By Leigh Greenwood Page 0,23

student, remember."

"Okay, how often did you clean your room?"

"I cleaned my half every week. My roommate only tackled his when he went home on vacation and had to pack up all his dirty clothes for the maids to wash."

Okay, he probably wouldn't leave his underwear on the bathroom floor, but he wouldn't complain if she dried her panty hose on the towel rack.

"Do you have any vices? What's your favorite one?"

Ron laughed. "I don't have time for vices. I work all the time, but you probably consider that a vice."

"What's your favorite female body part and why?"

"You're kidding."

"No."

"Will you tell me your favorite male body part if I answer?"

"This is my quiz. I get to ask the questions, and you get to answer."

"Okay, in case I answer wrong, I'm warning you, I know karate."

"I know jujitsu."

"Hell, I'm impressed you even know the word. Okay, I like breasts, lips, and eyes, not necessarily in that order."

That confused her. She'd never had an answer quite like that.

"Want to explain?"

"I like breasts because, well, I'm a guy and that's what guys do. I like lips because I love to kiss. I like eyes because if the woman has a sense of humor, they sparkle."

He was doing too well. It was time to throw him a curve. "If you were to dress a woman for a very special occasion, would you have any preferences for the dress and heels she wore?"

"I sure would."

Uh-oh. Danger sign. About the only notice real men took of dresses and shoes was to make sure a woman was wearing them.

"If it was a real important occasion I'd want her to wear something black. That way if anything spilled on her, it wouldn't show."

She nearly choked with laughter. "Do your dates often spill food on themselves?"

"No, but it's best to plan ahead."

"What about heels?"

"They can't be so high she can't stand up for thirty minutes without complaining her shoes are killing her. Why do women put their feet into shoes they know are going to hurt? No man would do a damned fool thing like that. This is fun. We've got time for one more."

"How long do you wait before trying to have sex with a woman?"

"That's too easy. I wait until she wants it as much as I do."

They had arrived at the airport. The limousine came to a halt at the curb. "Save the rest for next time. I've got to run." He reached for his briefcase.

"Is that all you're taking?"

"I left everything in my hotel room. I'll be back the day after tomorrow. I hope you can talk Cynthia into seeing her friend."

"I'll try."

"And plan something for us to do. I love my daughter, but I'd like to spend part of my day with you."

Kathryn didn't know why she should be feeling breathless just because a man said he wanted to spend time with her. It wasn't as if it hadn't happened before. Only everything Ron did felt as if it were happening for the first time. She remembered that was a line from some song and smiled.

"What's funny?" Ron asked.

"I just thought of a line from a song."

"That's a good sign. Music is the soul of romance."

Then he stunned her by pulling her out of the limousine. She started to remind him that security wouldn't let her see him off at the gate, but it was quickly apparent Ron wasn't thinking about boarding gates. He took both her hands in his and drew her close.

"I enjoyed this evening. I'm glad you decided to come with me."

"I didn't think I had a choice. If I declined, you'd have come after me." She knew immediately she'd said the wrong thing. It wasn't what she felt. It wasn't what he deserved. "I didn't mean that. I - "

"You're almost as bad as Cynthia. You don't trust people like me to like you for yourself. I don't blame you for the most part, but I'm going to prove I'm different. Now I've got to run."

Without warning he kissed her soundly, picked up his briefcase, turned and headed toward the terminal at a run. She stood there like a statue, her gaze following him, remaining on the door long after he'd entered and disappeared from her view.

It was foolish to attempt to deny this man had a powerful effect on her. On the surface he appeared to be exactly the kind of man she avoided. On the other hand, he felt like the kind of man she was looking for. She'd