Seductive Reasoning (3 page)

“Me too. What are you here to talk
about?”

Her heart hammered in her chest.
Her fingertips burned with the need to touch him. She inhaled and exhaled a
deep breath. Down, girl. “I had a middle management job for a while until I
opened my own shop and began designing lingerie in conjunction with the
astrological signs.”

The words flowed from her mouth in
a rapid stream. How could she ramble on about designing underwear when she’d rather
be taking it off for him?

Seth stared at her with gorgeous
deep blue eyes fringed with thick black lashes. A swath of chestnut hair lay
over his forehead, and she longed to feel the strands between her fingers. His
straight nose sat in perfect proportion to his strong, stubborn jawline and the
rest of his mouth-watering face.

Oh God, what a mouth. Just looking
at his firm, sensual lips made her want to run her tongue over them, then dip
inside for a good long taste.

Seth stood six feet three inches of
pure male with broad shoulders and large hands. She wondered what his very
masculine hands would feel like caressing, teasing, and tantalizing her skin.
Unfortunately, she’d never gotten to know him well enough to find that out.
They went out a couple of times, but he’d been too wrapped up in his studies
for any kind of lasting relationship.

Even though he appeared to be a
straightlaced professor, when he looked at her, his eyes held the same pure
masculine appreciation they had in the past.

Fate had handed her a second chance
at getting Seth Fallon to do more than just notice her, and she planned to make
the most of it. “Did you get your degree in Astronomy?”

“Yes. I’m a professor at Denver
University. I’m here to educate the public about astronomy.”

Kate stepped forward and held out
her hand. He hesitated only briefly before taking her hand in a firm grasp. Her
pulse skipped a beat at his touch. Longing for more skittered up her arm and
covered her breasts. They swelled and ached beneath her dress; the nipples
pressed against the silk as if wanting and needing his touch. He started to
pull his hand away, but she held on a bit longer. When she finally did let go,
she caressed his palm with the tips of her fingers. “Nice to see you again,
Seth.”

Want to get naked?

“Good to see you, Kate.”

“So tell me about what you do.”

Never comfortable with women, he
started talking about his job right away. Nothing new there ... or was it
her
he wasn’t comfortable with?

A damn shame in Kate’s estimation.
All of his unadulterated male beauty going to waste. Or maybe it wasn’t going
to waste now. Maybe he was married or had a girlfriend or something. Suddenly
she had to know before she tried once more to get his hands on her. “Are you
married Seth?”

He gave her an odd look. “No.”

Thank God.

“You?”

Married? She couldn’t even keep a
boyfriend. “No. Tell me more.”

Kate stepped to a table covered in
linen. An array of drinks and hors d’oeuvres spread across its surface. She
poured herself a glass of sparkling mineral water to soothe her parched throat.
She picked up a petit four and nibbled while Seth explained various aspects of
his research, including his theory about the influence of the stars and the
position of the planets on the weather and the occurrence of natural disasters.

“That’s interesting. You know those
same things can make or break any relationship. My theory is very similar to
yours.” She explained briefly about her shop and lingerie designs in relation
to the astrological signs.

He lifted a brow. “I disagree. The
weather and natural disasters are concrete events. Emotions are amorphous,
although certainly very real. People’s emotions are affected by circumstances
and other people in their lives, not by the position of the stars.”

Kate drew closer to Seth until his delicious
scent tickled her nose. She inhaled a slow even breath and smelled soap, along
with the aroma of a tangy yet subtle shaving lotion. These scents combined with
Seth’s own unique fragrance made her want to nuzzle her mouth into the side of
his neck and nip his ear. She laid her palm on his arm. He blinked at her
touch, but his gaze never left her face. The blue depths of his sexy eyes bored
into hers. His lips parted and for one incredible moment, she thought he might
lean forward and kiss her.

He didn’t. Instead, he pulled back
as if he’d surprised himself.

Kate licked her lips, and a deep
sense of satisfaction bloomed inside her when his gaze followed the movement of
her tongue. “Seth, people are affected by everything touching their lives,
including the stars, the air, the planets, the moon. Each other. The human
touch.” She lifted another frosted teacake from the tray and brought the
tempting morsel to Seth’s mouth. “Wanna bite?”

His gaze flicked sharply to hers.
She smiled in satisfaction. Well ... he wasn’t immune after all.

Slowly and seductively, she brought
the cake to her mouth, took a bite, and licked icing from her lips.

He shifted his gaze from her mouth
and moved away from her. “I agree that we are affected by our world, but the
stars and planets don’t have a big influence on how we live our lives or how we
react. People are in control of their actions. Not the stars. The stars and
planets can affect predictions about the weather or natural disasters, but they
can’t be used to predict how people will react. Astrology is a form of
entertainment and nothing more.”

Kate shrugged. She’d heard these
arguments before. The man presented a definite challenge. “Astrology is more
than entertainment. It’s very real. The stars can be used to predict how people
will react. I can prove it.”

His sexy mouth quirked. “You can’t
prove it, Kate, because it doesn’t work.”

She ignored his remark. Her parents
said the same thing. “Think how an approaching thunderstorm makes you feel.
Think about the crash of thunder, the rush of the wind, the smell of
approaching rain. What about the majesty of lightning? The white-hot streak
across the sky, the smell of ozone in the air, the way your hair stands up on
the back of your neck. Don’t you feel a sense of excitement, sometimes anxiety
or even a little fear knowing you have no control over something that
powerful?”

“A thunderstorm can be explained.
It is not only a natural occurrence but it has a basis in science. I feel no
anxiety or fear. Excitement maybe, if the storm is particularly fierce. I find
it interesting to study the positions of the planets and the stars to see how
they affect the storm, then compare the configuration to storms in the past.”

Kate cocked her head. “Seth, you’re
missing the point. What about a reaction from your gut?” She pointed to her
stomach. “Forget science for a moment. Do you ever just watch and enjoy the
storm for the surging wind, flashes of lightning, and the hard drive of rain?
Have you ever made passionate love during a thunderstorm and climaxed at the
height of the storm?”

He stared at her with sexy blue
eyes. Kate slid next to him until the heat from his body curled around her,
until she lost herself in the infinite blue of his eyes. She rested a hand in
the middle of Seth’s chest, against the silky smoothness of his tie. His heart
beat against her palm in answer to her own thudding pulse. She wanted to
replace her hand with her lips. His breath wafted over her mouth and a groan
nearly escaped her throat. “Well, have you?”

Silence enveloped the room while
Seth watched her in his deeply intense way, the way he studied everything, as
though he looked into her very soul. “Have I what?”

“Made love during a storm.”

His gaze skimmed her face, rested
on her mouth, then slipped back to her eyes. A brief knock sounded on the door.
The panel flew open, and the producer stuck her head into the green room. “Show
time.”

Seth moved around Kate, but she
rested her palm on his cheek stopping him. “This conversation isn’t over.”

Chapter
Two

Seth paced the edge of the studio
behind a bank of curtains. He stopped and peered through an opening in the
curtains. Beams from bright, hot lights danced around the center stage area.
Two cameras perched a few feet to his left with cables snaking over the polished
tile floor. The studio audience filled about a dozen rows of seats in front of
the stage.

He straightened his jacket,
loosened his tie, and inhaled a deep breath. Kate’s pure unadulterated female
allure rocked his organized, academic world, and he didn’t like it one bit. He
hadn’t liked it back in college, either. He knew she’d had the hots for
him--and he’d had unscholarly feelings for her, too. His attraction drew him to
her like an undiscovered star in the night sky, but after a few dates, he realized
she affected more than his libido and ended it quickly. The woman crowded him.
Not just physically, but emotionally.

Okay, Fallon, think about the
show. Your reason for being here. Not Kate Summers.

The set reminded Seth of the
Tonight Show a la Colorado. This show offered a more intimate setting, with an
overstuffed sectional sofa and coffee table, and a backdrop of the Denver
skyline at dusk.

Kate stood near him. He glanced at
her out of the corners of his eyes. An expression of absolute excitement covered
her face. Figures, she wouldn’t be nervous.

He turned his attention back to the
set, only to have her scent surround him as she edged in closer. Way too close
for comfort. Her leg grazed his thigh, and her hand rested on his elbow. Seth’s
heart rate kicked into overdrive at her touch and the sensual, musky scent of
her perfume. She turned her face with her pert nose and full, soft looking
mouth toward his. A bow defined her upper lip. The corners of her mouth tipped
up, giving the impression of a slight smile. Her eyes, the color of emeralds,
stared into his. Star earrings danced at her ears.

Seth shifted his gaze from hers and
watched the talk show host, Ms. Landers, a woman in her late twenties to early
thirties, wrap up her monologue with the audience and move to the sofa. After a
brief introduction by an off-camera announcer, a man with headphones behind the
main camera signaled her by holding up his hand and counting backward.

“Good evening, Denver. Welcome to
another night of provocative talk on titillating subjects.” The audience
clapped and whistled in response to her statement. “Tonight we have two very
special guests, a professor and a lingerie shop owner. What do these two have
in common? Hold on to your underwear because you’re about to find out.

“Please welcome our guests, Dr.
Seth Fallon and Ms. Kate Summers.”

Kate tugged on his arm. Seth’s
stomach dropped to his toes and his tie suddenly gripped his throat like a
vise.

God, he hated the social scene. Why
did he have to socialize in front of a camera?

He answered the tug of Kate’s hand
and walked with as much dignity as possible to the sofa amid the whistles from
the mostly female audience. They were obviously here because of Kate and her
lingerie and not because they were excited to hear about astronomy.

Seth sat next to Ms. Landers, who
occupied a large wingback chair and read from a teleprompter. Kate perched next
to Seth on the satiny-smooth leather sofa. Her shoulder brushed against his. Oh
boy.

Ms. Landers turned to Kate. “Ms.
Summers, I’d like to start with you. Tell our viewing audience a little about
your shop, Star Dust and Sexy Nights, and why you’re here.”

“First of all, thanks for inviting
me, Ms. Landers.”

At the sound of Kate’s husky voice,
lust circled Seth’s gut and dipped lower. Out of control. He hated that
feeling.

“I have a degree in fashion
design.”

Her face lit up with an open,
friendly smile Seth found impossible to resist.

“I believe there is a direct link
between a person’s astrological sign and the types of clothing they choose,
from outerwear to innerwear, like lingerie.” Kate brushed a strand of hair away
from her face. “A person’s sign also has an influence on their sexuality and
desire for sex. We’ve all heard what a full moon often does to people.”

The audience laughed in response
which showed Seth exactly how ill-informed they were. Hrmph, full moon my foot!
Ridiculous! He had to admit--Kate charmed the audience as well as she’d charmed
him.

“So, I took that theory a step
further and designed lingerie in harmony with the twelve astrological signs.
With each sale, I include a book on that particular sign along with a book of
love poems. With the help of word-of-mouth and the Internet, I’m thrilled to
report that sales have tripled. Because of this phenomenal interest, my next
step is to take my lingerie to the national level. Since I’m so busy doing the
actual designs, I would not be opposed to an investor or a partnership with the
right person.”

“Lingerie and the
stars--fascinating, but before we get into that....” Ms. Landers turned to
Seth. “Professor, tell our audience why you’re here.”

“Thank you, Ms. Landers. I’m here
because I think the field of Astronomy is grossly underrated and misunderstood.
To better inform the public, I will be playing a sort of devil’s advocate to
try to discredit Ms. Summers’ theories. Since the Astronomy Department of
Denver University has a series of projects we’re working on, I thought it might
be helpful to discuss one of mine. In my project, my theory is that the
position of the stars and planets has a direct influence on the earth’s weather
and natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.”

“Equally engaging, Professor, and
it sounds like both you and Ms. Summers have some common ground here. Before we
delve into that,”--Ms. Landers directed her attention to Kate--“Ms. Summers
please elaborate on why you include a copy of love poems with each sale.”