Worth the Risk_ A Contemporary - Megan Hart Page 0,115

field coat she wore obscured any hint of the body beneath it, which was just as well because he needed nothing more to arouse him. He was already hard and throbbing just from the taste of her and the touch of her fingers in his hair.

Lila broke the kiss and stepped away from him. Her blue eyes had grown dark with a passion he was certain he did not imagine. Her perfect lips were swollen from his kiss, a sight that only tempted him to kiss her again.

She smiled. "Hmm."

Nothing more. Just that simple sound of musing. Or maybe she’d said "Mmm," like she’d tasted something good. Either way, the smile and the wordless reply she’d made to his kiss was sexier than any noise he’d ever heard.

He decided on boldness. "Are you going to invite me inside?"

"Yes, Tom." Lila’s voice was soft and pitched low, and he heard a note of hesitation in it. Not exactly the tone he’d been hoping for. "I’m going to invite you inside."

Lila led the way into the long hall that stretched the entire length of the house. To the right rose a narrow set of curving stairs. To the left was an arched doorway leading into the living room. Tom followed Lila to the left.

"Make yourself comfortable." She unbuttoned her coat and tossed it over a well-sprung chair badly in need of reupholstering. With her face turned from him it was hard to see if the passion had disappeared from her eyes, but it sure had gone from her voice. "Would you like some tea?"

He didn’t, not really, but he said yes anyway.

She moved through the living room and under an arch that led to a dining room. Beyond that was a set of swinging doors into the kitchen. She disappeared behind them and left him to settle himself on the sofa.

The house was decorated simply but with bold taste. Several of Rivka’s prints hung on the walls. One in particular caught his eye. "I have this print."

Carrying a loaded tray, Lila returned to the living room.

He smiled at her. "It was the first real art I ever bought. It’s my favorite work of your sister’s."

She appeared to assess him for a moment. "Is it?"

He moved closer to the wall to look at the picture. "Something about the flowers and the sky makes the rest seem so erotic. The line of the woman’s body, the way she’s got her hands raised to the sky. It’s very sexy." All at once the resemblance struck him, and he felt like a fool. Everything seemed to click at once. The shape of the woman’s hands, her hair, the curve of her jaw.

"It’s you, isn’t it?"

Lila nodded, busying herself with the mugs and spoons. "Yes."

"No wonder I thought you looked so familiar at the show!"

Now she did look up at him. Her brow raised in the look he recognized from the first night they’d met.

"You can’t see my face in that picture," she pointed out dryly. "Exactly what part of me did you recognize, Tom?"

Tom knew women expected him to be suave and smooth. Sometimes, he even was. Right now, he felt about as smooth as a gravel driveway on the skin of a toddler’s knees. "Your left ear?" He hoped for a smile. To his relief, he got one.

"I don’t usually tell people it’s me. You’re very observant." Lila’s expression was inscrutable. She patted the couch next to her. "Sit down?"

He did, remembering the way her thigh had felt against his at the restaurant. What had happened since then? She’d pulled back, was aloof, not like the handful of passionate woman who’d kissed him only moments before on the front porch.

"I had a nice time tonight." Lila poured him a cup of steaming tea. "I like talking to you, Tom."

"I liked talking to you, too." They’d moved from topic to topic like water flowing downstream. Though they’d shared different views on many subjects, not once had either of them gotten defensive or argumentative. Instead, they’d laughed. "I liked kissing you, Lila."

Her cheeks pinked, and her tongue slid across her lips again. "You make me nervous when you say things like that."

"I’m telling the truth."

She looked away from him and toyed with a single curl that had fallen over her shoulder. "I’m finding this all a little weird."

He frowned. "Why weird?"

She met his gaze frankly. "I told you before, Tom. Guys like you don’t date women like me."

He smiled. "And I told you—"

She stopped him with a