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BOOK: Genetic Attraction

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She and Jake sat at the big island and sipped fresh juice as Roan scrambled eggs.

Jake smoothed her hair. “Any regrets?”

“A few, but only about the importance of our research, not about the decision to be with you and Roan. Funny how taking that first step toward you guys made all the difference. It was like I could feel the wires that had been holding me falling away. You were so brave, it inspired me, and I have to give some credit to my mom.

Suddenly nothing mattered except being free of the constrained life Kovak and the university were molding for me. For the first time, I could see that to have something new, I had to let go of the old.” She held out her clenched fist and opened her hand, like freeing a captured butterfly. “Now I have no idea what will happen, but I"m excited.”

Jake smiled. “Yeah, I feel the same. Of course, Roan"s bank account may take a hit with all his dependents.”

The dark-haired beauty turned from the cooktop In his jeans and tank top, his tattoo was clearly visible—her wild thing.

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“No problems with the bank account.” He spooned eggs onto plates and set them on the breakfast bar in front of them, and then made a plate for himself and sat beside them.

Around heavenly bites of egg and feta cheese, she asked, “I know you make a lot of money modeling, Roan, but it can"t be that much, can it?”

He smiled shyly. “Well, it"s a lot.” Then his eyes twinkled. “But I"m also pretty good at real estate.”

She shook her head at the world"s sweetest tycoon.

The phone rang.

Jake went to grab the phone in the great room so as not to disturb breakfast.

She and Roan talked some more about his investments while they ate. It seemed he had started buying apartment buildings back when his modeling career was just taking off in a big way. He"d been twenty. What a little entrepreneur.

Vaguely, she was aware of Jake talking in the other room. He wandered in closer to them still holding the phone.

“Yes, I"m sure she"ll be glad to talk to you. It"s an interesting idea, and the timing is probably good.”

He listened.

Who? What? Roan had also stopped talking and was fixed on Jake.

“It"s not yet common knowledge, but Dr. Silvay and I have decided to leave the university for personal reasons.” Pause. “Yes, Dr. Silvay holds all the patents.”

Another pause.

“When would you like to get together? No, today is not possible. Yes, that works. Noon, for lunch? Yes, I know the place. We"ll see you there.”

He disconnected and stared at her with a funny smile.

What was this about? “Okay, Cheshire cat, what the hell is going on?”

“Have you gotten some messages from a guy named Marshall Ehrlich?”

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Tara Lain

“Yeah, I think so. I had a voice mail last night but I didn"t get to listen to it. He said something about a proposition, but that"s all I heard. A lot has been going on.”

“Well, this guy Ehrlich was referred to us by Mrs. Edmunsen, a contributor to my sister Jenny"s charity. Ehrlich represents a group of investors that are interested in starting a company to, what he calls „productize" your gene sequencing.”

“
Our
gene sequencing.”

“They want to develop a commercial product that can be sold to doctors and hospitals worldwide to help select the correct treatments for all kinds of cancer.”

“C"mon, Jake. You know how many people have harebrained schemes about our research. The sequence is specific to every patient. You and I have talked about automating it, making it more universal, but we"ve never been able to figure out a way. It would be great, yes, but it"s pie in the sky.” She sipped her coffee. Man, it sure would be wonderful though.

Jake wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I think we should hear him out, sweetheart. He says the consortium has found an algorithm from some inventor they think is promising. He says we can work with it or use our own approach; they just want us on board. It"s up to us, but I know Mrs. Edmundsen is a really savvy lady. She wouldn"t have sent someone to us that wasn"t legitimate.”

Roan put more coffee in Jake"s cup and set one of his homemade scones beside it. “You guys have nothing to lose just talking to the guy. You don"t like it, we can all pack up and head for the Caribbean for a year.” He grinned. Clearly he knew his two scientists would never leave their research for a week, much less a year.

Jake leaned around Em and blew the beauty a kiss. “Roan"s right. We"ve got nothing to lose. But, Jesus, if it could happen…” He shook his head. “This could make the sequencing available. No ivory tower research. A real product that could help real people, just like you dreamed.”

She tried not to get her hopes up, but the idea was just too fantastic. Not only would it help people all over the world, it would give her and Jake meaningful,

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fulfilling work outside a university environment. Business was business, and if they could figure out a way to make money for the company, who"d give a shit how she and Jake lived their lives? She smiled. “Yeah, it would be amazing.”

Roan beamed and came over to hug them both with one arm each. “What were you saying about making room for something new?”

Jake kissed her cheek. “But we shouldn"t get ahead of ourselves. We"ll learn more when we meet him for lunch tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? You"re joking.”

“Not even. He said they want to be sure you"re interested before they make any additional plans.”

“But he wants both of us, right?”

“He seemed to start the conversation with the impression that we"re a package deal.”

Her heart tripped, and she slipped off the stool and wrapped her arms around her two men. Looking up into the beautiful blue and green eyes that she"d left everything for, she smiled. “Yes, my darlings. We are and always will be a package deal.”

Tara Lain

Tara never met a “beautiful boy” she didn"t love—at least on paper. Though a long-established non-fiction writer, Tara is new to the world of erotic romance fiction and loves creating beautiful boys of her own. Tara would often rather write than eat, loves to paint and collage, has practiced yoga for decades and tries to see a movie a week. Married to her soul mate, Tara loves diversity, inclusion, and new ideas. On her tombstone it will say “Yes.”

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