I had a crush on a really cute boy in my introductory anthropology class, she said. He ended up with a really cute boy in Western Civ.
He chuckled. Poor Phoebe.
Its the sort of thing that usually happens to me, she confessed. Im not terribly good at being womanly. I like to kick around in blue jeans and sweatshirts and dig up old things.
A woman can be anything she wants to be. It doesnt require lace and a helpless attitude. Not anymore.
Do you think it ever did, really? she asked curiously. I mean, you read about women like Elizabeth the First and Isabella of Spain, who lived as they liked and ruled entire nations in the sixteenth century.
They were the exceptions, he reminded her. On the other hand, in Native American cultures, women owned the property and often sat in council when the various tribes made decisions affecting war and peace. Ours was always a matriarchal society.
I know. I have a B. A. in anthropology.
I noticed.
She laughed softly. Her fingers traced a pattern around the rim of her coffee cup. Will I see you in D.C. if I get the job at the Smithsonian?
I suppose so, he told her. You put me at ease. Im not sure its a good thing.
Why? Are you being tailed by foreign spies or something and you have to stay on edge because they might attack you?
He smiled. I dont think so. He leaned back. But Ive had some experience with intelligence work.
I dont doubt that. She searched his eyes. Is it expensive to live in D.C.?
Not if youre frugal. I can show you where to shop for an apartment, or you might want to double up with someone.
She kept her eyes on the coffee cup. Is that an invitation?
He hesitated. No.
She grinned. Just kidding.
His fingers curled around hers, creating little electrical sparks all along the paths of her nerves. One day at a time, he said firmly. Youll learn that I dont do much on impulse. I like to think things through before I act.
I can see where that would have been a valuable trait in the FBI, with people shooting at you, she said, nodding.
He let go of her hand with an involuntary laugh. God, Phoebe! You say the most outrageous things sometimes.
Im sorry, it slipped out. Ill behave.
He just shook his head. Ill never forget the first thing you ever said to me, he added. Do you have shovel-shaped incisors? you asked.
Stop! she wailed.
He caught her long braid and tugged on it. His dark eyes probed hers. I hate your hair bound up like this. Id like to get a handful of it.
I know how you feel, she murmured, glancing pointedly at his own ponytail.
He smiled. Well have to let our hair down together again some time, he mused, and compare length.
Yours is much thicker than mine, she observed. She pictured it loose, as shed seen it, when they were tracking people around the toxic waste site last year. She remembered standing on the riverbank with him while they kissed in a fever that never seemed to cool. If they hadnt been interrupted, anything could have happened. She flushed as she remembered how his hair had felt in her hands that last few minutes they were together as he crushed her down the length of that long, powerful body
Cut it out, he said, glancing at the thin gold watch on his wrist. I have to catch a plane.
She cleared her throat and tried not to look as hot and bothered as she felt. And he tried not to see that she was.
They finished their meal and he drove her back to the hotel where Clayton and Derrie were staying. He parked the car in a parking space a healthy walk from the hotel door, under a maple tree, and turned to her. The difference in their heights was even more apparent when they were seated. Her head barely came up to his chin. It excited him. He didnt understand why.
I have my own room, she said without looking up. And Derrie and Clayton wont be back yet.
I wont come in, he said deliberately. I dont have much time.
I wish you could stay and have supper with us, she remarked.
I left a case hanging fire to come here. It was all I could do to manage one day.
I dont know anything about you, really, she told him honestly. You said you were FBI when you were in Charleston, and then you told Derrie you were CIA, then you turned out to be a government prosecutor. You keep secrets.
Yes, but I dont lie as a rule, he said. I would have told you more if Id been around long enough. It wasnt necessary, because I wasnt going to be around, and we both knew it. I came here against my better judgment, Phoebe. Im too old and too jaded for a woman your age. You havent even reached the stage of French kissing, while Ive long passed the stage of Victorian courtship.
She felt her cheeks burn, but she met his eyes levelly. In other words, if you stayed around long enough, youd want to sleep with me.
His dark eyes ran slowly over her face. I already want to sleep with you, he said. Theres nothing I want more. Thats why Im going to get on a plane and go straight back to D.C.
She wasnt sure how she felt. Her eyes searched his. You might ask, she said.
Ask what?
If Id like to sleep with you, she said.