121037.fb2 Bamboo Dragon - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 18

Bamboo Dragon - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 18

"Not on my account."

She faced back toward the jungle, moved a half step closer, leaning on the rail beside him, with her shoulder touching his. "My fieldwork in the past has all been digs in the United States," she told him, lowering her voice to something like a confidential tone. "I can't believe I'm really here. It's like… "

"A fantasy?"

"Exactly."

"I could pinch you if you like."

"Why, Dr. Ward, is that a proposition?"

"Well… "

"You know, I really think I owe you something. For last night."

"Last night?"

"With Chalmers."

"That was nothing," Remo told her.

"Oh, I understand he slipped and hit his head. A funny thing about his nose, though, don't you think? I could have sworn he'd fallen on his back."

"It was dark," he said. "I didn't pay that much attention."

"Anyway, the point is you were willing to defend me, standing up to someone twice your size. If you hadn't come along… I mean, I'm sure he meant to… well, you know."

"It's done."

"I wish he wasn't coming with us, Renton. Anything can happen in a place like this," she said. "It would mean so much to me if I had someone to depend on."

Audrey turned toward Remo as she spoke, and edged a little closer so that one firm breast was pressed against his arm. She wore a bra today, but there was no ignoring the insistent pressure of her nipple, even masked by several layers of fabric.

"You've got Dr. Stockwell," Remo said.

Her laughter startled him—spontaneous, explosive. There was nothing shy or juvenile about it.

"Safford? Please!" Her nipple prodded Remo's arm for emphasis. "If we run into a Tyrannosaurus rex, he'll quote you all the vital stats before the damned thing swallows him alive. When it comes down to people in the real world, though, away from academia… well, let's just say he's no Clint Eastwood."

"Even in defense of someone special?"

Audrey blinked at Remo, with a hint of color rising in her cheeks, then laughed again. "My God," she said, "don't tell me that nonsense has traveled all the way from Georgetown to New Orleans."

"What nonsense is that?"

"About my 'hot affair' with Safford. Christ, I'd like to get my hands on the pathetic creep who started that one circulating."

"So you're not… involved?"

She struck a pose, with one hand on her hip, the other on the rail. "Do I look like a fossil, Renton?"

"Hardly."

"There you go. We work together, and we're friends. The past three years, we've gone to dinner maybe half a dozen times. He's nice, you understand? And safe."

"But you get tired of nice and safe."

"Who doesn't?" Audrey moved in again, her body heat washing over Remo.

"Well, there's always Chalmers."

"I refuse to mate outside my species, thank you very much." She hesitated, staring into Remo's eyes. "Oh, hey… you're not… I mean… "

"Not what?"

She raised a hand, limp-wristed. "You know."

His turn to laugh. "Not lately."

"No, I didn't think so." Audrey's hip was rubbing his now, just in case the rigid nipple didn't make her point. "A woman knows."

"The intuition thing," he said.

"That, too."

"Does Dr. Stockwell know you're just good friends?"

"He should. I mean, we haven't done it, anything like that."

"Sometimes a man sees what he wants to see."

"I don't know what he's seeing, Renton, but I haven't shown him anything. I'm not responsible for anyone's imagination."

"So you're up for grabs, then."

"I've been known to do some grabbing of my own."

"Empirical research?"

"The finest kind."

"I hate to change the subject—"

"Don't."

"A brief detour."

Audrey almost pouted. "If you must."