A Profiler's Case for Seduction(13)
“Every daughter needs her daddy in her life,” Dora replied. “And you’re obviously a good man, Mark. I’m sure you’d be a terrific father to her if you’d just let yourself, and you’ll never know how important it will be to her as she grows up to have a wonderful relationship with you.”
He raised a dark eyebrow. “I’m assuming by what you’re saying that you didn’t have a terrific father in your life?”
“I had the most miserable man on the face of the earth as a father and then when I was eighteen years old I married a photocopy of him.” She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “They say that daughters tend to marry men who are just like their fathers. Needless to say in my case that was a big mistake.”
“Do you have other family? Mother? Brothers or sisters?”
It was the usual dance when two people met, the ferreting out of personal information in a social setting. “I have a mother, a sister and two brothers who I only recently met. Don’t ask,” she said. “It’s a complicated family tree. What about you?” She felt far more comfortable when the conversation was about him and not her.
“I’m the only child of two highly educated people who didn’t quite know what to do with me.” His eyes twinkled with a light of humor. “I’m not even sure they understand what exactly they did to get me.”
Dora laughed. “Oh, I imagine they figured it out, since you don’t have any siblings.”
“True,” he agreed. “But they were the cerebral types who were ill equipped to be parents. I was shuffled off to boarding school as soon as I was out of diapers. I suppose I should be grateful that they were wealthy enough to see that I went to the very best schools.”
“And then you decided to become an FBI agent?”
“Actually, the FBI chose me, I didn’t necessarily choose them. At the time I was involved with several different experimental classes that revolved around the topic of criminal profiling. I excelled and the FBI took notice. They made me an offer I couldn’t resist.”
“You love what you do?” Once again she could smell the faint scent of fresh soap and shaving cream that drifted off him. In the past she’d been accustomed to men who smelled of grease and sweat and cheap cologne.
“I love it,” Mark replied, and his blue eyes deepened in hue. “Although it often takes me to some pretty dark places.”
In the next moment Dora realized he’d drifted off into someplace in his head. The focus of his eyes grew fuzzy and his features went a bit slack.
He’d done the same thing the day before, drifted off for several seconds to a place inside his brain where nobody could follow him. She waited for several long moments and then softly called his name. Nothing. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his forearm and said his name again, this time a little bit louder.
He gave her that heavy-lidded blink as his eyes regained their focus and he grimaced. “Sorry about that. I have a tendency to drift off. It’s one of the irritating qualities about me that destroyed my marriage. Sarah used to tell me that I was working half the time and when I was home I was lost in my own head. It didn’t leave much time for her.”
“Maybe she just needed to learn how to break through to pull you out of your mind. Or figure out how to join you there,” Dora replied.
Mark’s eyes darkened even more, transforming to the deepest midnight-blue. “I wouldn’t want anybody to join me in my head when I’m working a case, but I appreciate anyone who can pull me out of there.”
Dora smiled. “Then when you disappear like that I’m going to tap you three times on your arm and if that doesn’t do the trick I’m going to grab you by the hair and shake you.”
He laughed and it was the first time she’d heard the deep, exceedingly pleasant sound. “It’s a deal,” he agreed.
They both turned at the sound of the opening of the coffee-shop door. Ben Craig walked in and when he spied Dora he smiled. “Hi, Dora,” he said, approaching where she and Mark sat.
“Hello, Ben. Here for a late-night coffee fix?” she asked.
His handsome face wreathed into a wry grin. “For me this is an early-night coffee fix. I’ve got enough work on my desk to burn the midnight oil for the next couple of weeks.”
“Mark Flynn,” Mark said, and held out a hand to Melinda’s assistant.
“Oh, where are my manners?” Dora explained. She quickly made the introductions and then Ben headed toward the counter to get his drink.