Page 20 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

I was a sucker for a woman with curves. I drew my eyes back to her angelic face. Her teeth chewed at her full bottom lip, making me wonder what they would taste like.

Ms. Ketill cleared her throat.

“He’s not herenow,” Dr. LeBeau responded in a smoky voice, one created to enthrall you, and make you think of bodies tangled up in sheets. One I was certain I’d heard before.

It was bad enough that she possessed such a luscious and tempting body. I didn’t need the added lure of the timbre of her voice.

I blinked, refocusing on the problem at hand. “Explain.”

Her chin lifted in a subtle show of defiance. “He’s not well.”

“He let a little cold keep him from doing his job? Perhaps Morris LeBeau is not the professional I thought him to be,” I snarled.

She leaned forward. Fire flashed in her eyes. “My father is a complete professional. How dare you insult him like that.”

I lifted a single eyebrow and kept silent. Silence made people uncomfortable and often pushed them to share the truth—or a rambling version of it—if I kept quiet long enough.

“He has the flu.” Her lips flattened.

I didn’t have time for this. I shook my head and pulled my phone out from my pants pocket.

“What are you doing?” Her panicked voice stopped me from dialing the rest of the numbers.

“If your father isn’t here, then he is in breach of his contract with the university. I need to speak to the chair of my department.”

She took a step closer to me. “There’s no need to do that. I told you, I can do the work.”

I turned back to my phone. “Yet you are not the one I was expecting.”

“Dr. Beast, please. My father’s reputation is all he has. He will be here once he’s well enough. I can do the work until he arrives.”

“I’m not letting you touch my book.” I wasn’t stupid. This book meant too much to take unnecessary chances.

“Call Dr. Ward Ramsey. He’s the one signing off on my work and can vouch for me.”

I stared at her, amazed she wasn’t backing down. Most people didn’t want to deal with me and myabrasivepersonality. Oddly enough, that didn’t anger me. I found her determination equally as alluring as her raspy voice.

But delaying work on the book didn’t fit into my timeline. That was what made me angry. I didn’t like surprises. Especially when they impacted something so important to me.

If it meant restoration could begin immediately, what would it hurt to call her bluff and contact Dr. Ramsey? I met him once and attended a handful of his presentations. He had a stellar reputation in rare books and preservation in addition to conservation. If he could vouch for her experience, I could accept her work.

She rattled off a number, once again her familiar voice tickling faintly at memories I couldn’t quite grasp.

I dialed the number. After two rings, it stopped. “Hello,” a low baritone uttered.

“Dr. Ramsey, it’s Dr. Jaxon Beast.”

“Dr. Beast, how are you? Please, call me Ward. How can I help you?”

“Then please, call me Jaxon. I have a woman here making some very bold claims.” I flicked a gaze at the woman in question.

“Ah, I’m guessing this is about Lily LeBeau.” A soft chuckle filtered through the phone.

“You guessed right.” I stared at Dr. Lily LeBeau, who still stood incredibly close to me. Close enough that I could see the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

A light scent of freshly picked roses wafted toward me, distracting me for a moment. I shook my head and forced myself to focus on what Ward was saying. I’d already missed the first half of the conversation.

“... Really, you’re in capable hands,” he finished.