Dark Stranger Immortal (The Children of the Gods #3)(33)

As they waited for their food, Andrew felt Amanda’s eyes watching him and pretended not to notice, keeping his gaze firmly on his sister while they chitchatted about their parents’ recent adventures in Africa.

He feared that once he shifted his eyes to her, he would get stuck gaping at her beautiful face like an awestruck, pubescent boy.

Later, when their lunch arrived, he waited for Amanda to focus her attention on her food so he could ogle her without being observed. But somehow, the damn woman ate without looking at her plate and kept pinning him with that sexy gaze of hers. And if that wasn’t enough to make him sweat, she was driving him nuts with the way she ate, each sensually infused bite sending a signal straight to his groin.

She was toying with him, tantalizing him, and deriving wicked satisfaction from his discomfort.

Experiencing this new and unexpected chink in his armor was making him angry, which in turn helped him regain control. He was nearly forty, and a Special Forces veteran for fuck’s sake, not a goddamned horny teenager.

Time to switch things around and shift the direction this campaign is going.

Placing his napkin over his plate, he lifted his glass of mineral water and leaned back in his chair, staring straight into Amanda’s deep blue eyes.

“I have a few questions for you, Amanda. I hear Syssi is involved with your brother, and as she refuses to let me check him out, she leaves me with no other choice but to grill you instead. What could you tell me about him?

What kind of a man is he?” Andrew ignored Syssi’s sharp kick to his shin.

Amanda looked surprised by his question, evidently not expecting him to be able to focus on anything other than her magnificent self. As she mulled over her answer, a couple of moments passed before she said, “He is smart, loyal, hardworking and cares a lot about Syssi… Does that answer your question? It’s all true. But how can you trust my word? After all, he’s my brother and I’m biased…” She smiled innocently and took another tantalizing bite of her sandwich.

“I have no reason to doubt you. All I wanted was your honest opinion…

Any negatives you’d care to share?” Andrew smirked smugly, noting her questioning eyes. She’d anticipated he wouldn’t take her word at face value, but he always knew when people were lying to his face, and Amanda was telling him what she believed was the truth.

“Well, not many… He works too hard, is way too serious, doesn’t know how to let loose and enjoy himself, and has a short fuse… probably because he works too hard and doesn’t let loose… So although I love him, I find him somewhat boring and sometimes overbearing, but Syssi’s opinion of him differs, doesn’t it, sweetie?”

Amanda glanced at Syssi fondly, her whole face softening. Impossibly, she became even lovelier as she momentarily dropped her seductress act, and some of her true self shone through the facade she was projecting.

Andrew smiled. Amanda regarded his sister like a cougar would regard her cub. Which was funny—such a motherly, protective expression coming from someone so young.

Syssi’s face reddened as she tried to come up with an answer, probably afraid to sound like she was waxing poetic about her new boyfriend. “I find him fascinating, charming, and sweet.” She dug into her food with gusto, refusing to look Andrew in the eyes.

By the deepening crimson of her cheeks, he could just imagine the things she’d left unsaid.

Chuckling at his sister’s obvious discomfort, he shared a knowing look with Amanda—feeling an odd affinity with her. She seemed not much older than Syssi, but there was something about her that made him think of her as someone closer to his age. Maybe it was life experience, or perhaps her title, that made her seem older, more mature… or maybe it was his wishful thinking. He needed Amanda to be at least thirty so he could lust after her without feeling like a dirty old man.

Later, as the topic of conversation shifted to what had happened at the lab and then to Amanda’s research, she dropped her femme fatale persona for good, becoming the consummate scientist instead. And the passion she had for her work impressed Andrew in a way her previous antics did not.





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A M A N D A

T he change in Andrew’s guarded demeanor had not escaped Amanda’s notice, and she realized that her earlier efforts to make him squirm had been the wrong approach.

She’d been coming on too strong.

Some men were just strange that way; offended instead of grateful for being pursued by a beautiful woman. Or maybe he wasn’t used to this kind of attention. Except, if that were the case, she couldn’t understand what kept her competition away. He was very attractive in his own rugged and brooding way.

Tall and broad, his handsome if not pretty face was adorned with two small scars; one slicing diagonally across his chin, and a smaller one over his left brow. In her opinion, the scars only added character to his irresistible bad-boy allure. She wondered if there were any more of these cruel testaments to the battles he’d fought and survived hidden beneath the cover of his clothes. It was despicable of her, but she hoped so. It would make him even yummier…

There was nothing like a fierce warrior to whet her appetite…

Now that she’d eased up on the sexual innuendo, he seemed to be really taken with her, the scent of his arousal intensifying as he let down his guard.

The dear man was attracted to her intellect and not just her looks.