For The Love Of A God Read Online Free Page A

steal you away from your colleagues for a moment?” He began to walk away, expecting her to follow.
    "Don't you mean ex-colleagues?” Maia whispered the comment, but realized too late Lord had heard her. She didn't think it possible, but he looked even sterner as he turned back to glance at her. His brows were so knit together, he might have been creating an afghan up there.
    Maybe Eric Lord just didn't get enough fiber in his diet.
    The man inclined his head with impatience. “Let's take a walk to the Greek gallery, Miss Douglas."
    She shot a parting look at Sheila and Dino and walked away with Lord. Her face colored bright red as she heard Dino say in a not-so-quiet voice, “Did you see the man's ass?"
    Embarrassed, she snuck a peek at the director. A faint light of amusement seemed to be back in his eyes. He was biting his bottom lip, as if trying not to smile.
    As his teeth released their hold on his full lip, she felt a queer little quiver run through her.
    God, he looked just like Eryx. It was all there. Even the honeyed stubble dotting his strong jaw. The stubble which had been rasping against her inner thighs in her recent dream.
    Maia gulped as he turned to her. “So,” he said. “I hear you're our resident Greek expert."
    She held her head up. Uncanny resemblance notwithstanding, sexy, god-like features notwithstanding, she wouldn't let this man intimidate her. He'd fired Mark! Okay, so Mark hadn't done any real work in about fifteen years and was coasting on his dated reputation, but he had a wife and kids. “Yes. I know the Greek exhibit better than anyone working here presently."
    He raised a perfect manly eyebrow at her. “No false modesty, I see."
    "No need. It's the truth. Ask anyone."
    They turned a corner and headed toward the Gallery of Greece, still hidden beneath its coverings. “Good. I'll be paying a lot of attention to the new gallery. As it happens, I'm a bit of an expert in ancient Greece myself."
    "I know,” she allowed. “You have an impressive pedigree. I read your grandfather's paper on the spread of Hellenistic civilization. It's brilliant. I referred to it a lot during my studies and my work."
    Eric Lord stopped walking for a moment, and stared at her, apparently stunned. “You read that? It was written years ago. I would have thought a young person like you would have turned to some newer research."
    "Young person?” she scoffed. “I'm twenty-eight, and you look all of thirty."
    She wouldn't have thought it possible, but the director blushed.
    "Besides,” she continued, trying to be nice. “Your grandfather's arguments are still completely valid. And I like his style of writing. He made it sound as if he were on intimate terms with the ancient Greeks."
    He cleared his throat.
    "Is your grandfather still...?"
    "Gone. He's been ... gone for years."
    "Oh. I'm sorry.” Maia stared at him. He seemed to have let his guard down at little, and she did truly admire his grandfather's work. But she was still determined to hate him. He'd fired what's-his-name, and she still didn't know what he wanted with her. “Look, Mr. Lord. I'm sure you didn't bring me here to reminisce. If you're planning to fire me, could we get it over with sooner rather than later? It'll take me a day just to clear out the crap on my desk."
    This time, he did laugh. His top-model face split with a huge grin, as if he were enjoying her discomfort tremendously. And even though his laugh irritated her, it also reached inside her body, like a manly finger seeking out her most private places. It tickled and teased her.
    "What's so funny?"
    "You, to be truthful,” he replied.
    She bristled. “Well, laugh if you want. I'm used to it. People have been laughing at me for years. I assure you it doesn't bother me anymore.” But there was a time when it did. When she was the overweight, pimply girl in high school, it had bothered her a great deal. She might have been the student who won all the academic awards at