Future Perfect Read Online Free Page B

look lovely tonight, dear,” Mrs. Bowers said.
    “I’ll second that,” came a voice from behind her.
    “Mr. Donovan,” Juliana said coolly, nodding her headin greeting and in gracious acknowledgement of his compliment as she turned to look back at him.
    She couldn’t keep her eyes from widening when she saw him.
    Gone were the worn-out, greasy clothes, the ragged, reckless, windblown look.
    Webster Donovan was wearing a tuxedo, looking every inch—and, sweet heavens, there were so
many
inches of him—the perfect, upperclass gentleman. His black jacket and pants had been tailored to his body like a second skin, and he wore them with such a familiarity that Juliana knew he was no stranger to formal clothes. He wore a black bow tie and cummerbund, and a crisp, white shirt. With his cheeks smooth, obviously freshly shaved, and his unruly hair slicked back from his handsome face, he looked sophisticated, debonair. So why was she reminded of a panther about to strike?
    He was leaning against the door frame, one long, powerful leg crossed in front of the other at the ankle. His crystal-blue eyes continued to sweep her body and face appreciatively, lingering just a moment too long on her low neckline, on the tops of her breasts, before returning to meet her gaze.
    Juliana felt her cheeks flush, and inwardly she cursed her pale complexion. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he rattled her. Taking a deep breath, she made quick introductions all around. “Shall we go into the dining room?” she then asked. “Mr. Donovan, if you would please escort Mrs. Bowers and Miss May?”
    She smiled at him sweetly, knowing that the two older ladies would keep him occupied with their stories andquestions until well after the meal. Anderson one, Donovan zero.
    But Webster merely inclined his head in acquiescence to her request, and with a slightly mocking smile aimed at Juliana, he offered the ladies his arms.
    I’m not even going to
wonder
what his smile means
, Juliana told herself.
He only did it to make me wonder
.
    But in the kitchen, there was no time to wonder about anything, except the best way to get the food out of the oven and onto the table.
    The sumptuous meal passed quickly enough. And Webster Donovan behaved himself quite nicely, Juliana decided. She watched him as he entertained the entire table with his stories of being a reporter on the presidential campaign trail.
    Unlike many people who could tell a good tale, Mr. Donovan was also a good listener. He paid close attention, with genuine interest in his eyes, as Mrs. Bowers talked about her life as a young bride during the Second World War. He even got Miss May to give him more than her normal monosyllabic answers as he gently asked about her beloved bird-watching trips.
    The newlyweds were lost in each other, and Webster even knew enough to let them remain distant. Mr. Donovan, Juliana quickly corrected herself. She couldn’t start thinking of him as Webster. That was far too dangerous.
    He glanced across the table at her, as if he knew she was thinking about him. Trapped for a moment, she stared back into his eyes—eyes that nearly pierced her with their determination, eyes that didn’t bother to hide his desire for her.
    Juliana quickly turned away. It would be too easy tobe drawn in by this man, much too easy. But smooth-talking, sophisticated, handsome men who thought they were God’s gift to women just weren’t her style. Except suddenly she had a very vivid picture of Webster Donovan standing in her kitchen, his deep-blue eyes soft and vulnerable, his face confused, all of that hard edge gone. She wondered for a moment if that had been an illusion or an act. Or was that man she’d seen for one brief moment in her kitchen hidden somewhere under the slick, smooth facade?
    She was not going to find out. She just had to keep her distance, be polite, and make sure there was always an elderly guest or two around when he was in the