Page 21 of Tight Spaces

"What do you mean?"

"They keep meticulous records of results, but there are no dates anywhere on three of these reports, or names for the projects. It’s odd."

"It sounds suspicious, if you ask me."

"Yeah, that’s what worries me. Luminescent is a major supplier for pharmaceuticals for third world countries and the Middle East. If they’re supplying products that don’t work, but make things worse, that’s..." words failed her.

"Dangerous."

"Right." Not to mention, unethical. Despicable. Just plain rotten.

"I mean, dangerous for you."

"What? Why for me?"

"You’ve got to wonder if you were supposed to be given this set of data."

He had a point. "The woman helping me get the downloads was a little ditzy." Then it was like Danusia’s brain finally switched on and she shook her head. "What are we doing talking about my research?"

"Just discussing our days, right?"

He wanted to do the how-was-your-day thing? It was her own fault, so she bucked up and asked how his was.

He laughed. "If you could see your face, professor. My class was a wash. I nearly sent two of the participants to the infirmary."

"That doesn’t happen very often?"

"Try never."

"Why today?" she prompted, wanting him to say it.

"Wasn’t paying enough attention to pull my punches properly."

"Oh." She liked hearing that. A lot.

"Yes, oh. Want to take a guess what I was thinking about?"

"Your best friend’s Bar Mitzvah?" she couldn’t help teasing. She was feeling giddy.

"Not Jewish and neither is he."

"The government cover-up of alien visitations?"

"Not a conspiracy nut."

Her research said it wasn't so nutty, but that was a discussion for a different day.

She was grinning as he reeled her into his body. "How best to utilize your retirement fund?"

"Brat." Then he kissed her and all desire to tease fled, along with coherent thought.

His mouth fit perfectly over hers. His lips gave just the right pressure to send tingles of awareness radiating outward, until she could feel this one perfect kiss in her toes. She responded, letting her tongue dart out to taste. He groaned and suddenly their tongues were sliding against each other and his arms were around her, pressing their bodies together.

His skin was so warm and soft under her hands, his muscles so hard.

She caressed along his sides, around his back and back over his chest, loving the feel of his curly chest hair under her fingers. Her hands could not stay still though. They sought out one treasure after another. Hard male nipples, well defined pecs, biceps that bulged under her fingertips, inviting her to grip them tight and hard.

She mapped his every bulge and valley of muscle with the investigative fervency of an obsessed topographer.