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Eve had changed clothes. She now wore baggy sweatpants and an oversize blackWelcome to Fabulous Las Vegashoodie. Disappointed, he eyed the famous sign printed in vivid color across her chest.“I liked the other outfit better.”
“Yeah, well, this is more comfortable. And now we match.” She gave him a sassy little smile.
Hoodie or not, he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her again but decided it might be better to wait for the proverbial all good things.
She sank down on the leather sofa.“Have a seat.”
He sat beside her but not as close as he wanted. Uncapping his water, he tipped back his head and quickly downed half the bottle. He felt her heated gaze on his throat, smiled to himself, and made a mental note to drink more slowly. Maybe she’d be tempted to lick him again.
He capped the bottle.“Tell me about your grandmother.”
She sipped her milk and licked her lower lip.“There’s not a lot to tell. I don’t remember much.” Her eyes took on a faraway expression.“She used to take me to the beach to hunt for seashells. There aren’t any good ones at Cape Canaveral, but I would find the most amazing shells in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I realized later that she would buy them from a tourist shop and plant them in the sand for me to find.”
Adam imagined Eve as a little girl, big brown eyes alight as she hunted for seashells with her grandma. What a cute kid she must have been.
“She’d tell me stories,” Eve continued.“She never read them from a book; she’d make them up.” A wan smile curved her lips.“Nowadays, her stories would be considered outdated.”
Adam frowned.“Why?”
She gazed at him for a moment, and he saw something wistful in her dark eyes. He could get lost in them and wouldn’t care if no one ever found him.
“The thing now is to be an independent woman. No rescuing, no happily ever after, no…”
No Prince Charming.
He heard it as if she’d spoken it out loud.
He looked deep into her eyes.“And what do you think of that?”
She held his gaze.
He held his breath.
“Fairy tales are nice,” she finally replied.“But we live in the real world.”
He motioned toward the book.“What’s with the anatomy textbook?”
Pride spread throughout the smile she gave him.“I’m working toward my degree.”
“In physical therapy?”
“Yeah. I’m taking classes at UNLV. I’m almost done.”
“Really?”
She nodded.“Then I have three more years to go until I earn my doctorate.”
An escort working toward a doctorate.“What made you choose physical therapy?”
Her entire face lit up.“I took my first anatomy and physiology course in high school and was hooked. I remember learning about the intricacies of the different systems of the body and being amazed by how they all work together. I loved learning about how the body repairs damage to its own structures.”
It was evident from how she talked about it that this was her passion. So, how had she ended up doing escort work? He tried to think of a way of asking without insulting her.
“The human body absolutely fascinates me.” Her gaze dipped to his torso, paused at his throat, then moved back to his eyes.“When I was looking for places to go to college and researching majors, I discovered kinesiology. It took my obsession to another level. Not only could I study the different systems of the body, but I could learn in-depth and focus on—”
The ring of the phone interrupted her. Adam mentally cursed.
Eve checked the number on the display.“It’s the front desk.” She put the phone on speaker.“Yes?”