Read For The Love Of A God for Free Online Page B

to laugh. “Fine. Then you can call me Maia."
    "Thank you, Maia,” he replied, almost in a whisper.
    Her vagina clenched. It actually seized. Feeling tremendous unease, Maia looked away again. He hadn't said anything sexual or vulgar. He'd only said her name. Yet, for some reason, the way Eric Lord said it made her feel as if he was touching her, caressing her most intimate places. She adjusted the way she was sitting, and angled away from him a little.
    God help her, her panties were wet.
    "You look a little flushed,” he said, staring at her lips. “You okay?"
    She let out a nervous titter and took her jean jacket off. “Yeah. Boy, where is the waitress with our drinks?” She scanned the pub. “So, what were you working on before you graced our presence here in Toronto?"
    He smiled and lowered his eyes. “I was in Greece. My family has a home there. I've been busy doing research for some time."
    Finally, two topics she loved: research and Greece. She seized on one of them. “Really? Where do you live in Greece?"
    He paused, looking back up at her. “Oh, it's quite out of the way. No one would even believe it existed.” He smiled, as if enjoying a private joke. “Let's talk about you. Tell me everything your resume doesn't tell me. How did you end up at the museum?"
    Eric stared at her so intensely it was uncomfortable. And his eyes kept dropping to her lips. She'd never given her lips much thought. They were average lips. But he seemed fascinated by them.
    And before she knew what was happening, she saw his eyes drop to her neckline and then to her breasts. They lingered there, considering.
    Although she was surprised to be the recipient of such attention, she wasn't shocked he would be offering it. After all, despite his professional exterior, his whole persona was practically drenched in the insinuation of sex and heaving bodies. He was probably used to people looking at him the same way. But no one had ever looked at her with such sudden ... hunger. He was looking at her the way she looked at Snickers bars.
    He blinked and the look disappeared, only to be replaced by one of grim determination. His fascination with her many charms was apparently short-lived.
    "Maia?"
    "Sorry,” she mumbled. “Lost in thought. What brought me to the museum? Well, my dad, frankly."
    "Ah, yes. The famous Dr. Jim Douglas.” Eric watched Maia grin, noting the grin did not reach her eyes. Why would the subject of her father grieve her? “He must be happy you followed in his footsteps."
    Her face was suffused with an emotion he couldn't quite make out. “He is. And he was happy I went into conservation, even though conservators don't get any glory. He used to take me to digs all over the world, and I loved it, but I was more interested in preserving history, rather than being the one to dig it up.” She paused, already lost in the topic. “It kills me when I see a bad conservation job. So many conservators in the past have tackled sculpture with heavy chemicals and beeswax, so much so the works end up looking like pristine Barbie dolls. I was taught sculptors create pieces that will age gracefully. And I wanted to preserve that process.” She stopped talking and breathed. “Sorry. I'm rambling. I just think it's crucial to maintain our artifacts for the next generations."
    Eric stared at her, almost at a loss for words. “You're not rambling, and I couldn't agree with you more. I guess it makes us kindred spirits. When I went back to Greece after many years and saw the changes, it grieved me. To see all the modern buildings. All the pollution and the cars zipping along ancient roads. It all seemed so wrong, and made me long for a more innocent time."
    "Why, Director Lord, you sound positively Victorian. The way you talk, it sounds as if you were around for the Industrial Revolution!” She winced immediately, as if she regretted her words. “Sorry. I don't always say the right things."
    He looked at her and laughed quietly.