Nerds Are From Mars
knew when it would come in handy. Tonight it certainly had. A birth chart on a screen was one thing. A birth chart the subject could hold in his hand was much more powerful.
    He’d dressed down, and she liked that he was feeling in a casual mood. Instead of a white shirt and sports jacket, he’d worn jeans and a green knit polo, which gave her an even better view of his manly chest and tight buns. Not every Ph.D. could fill out a polo shirt and a pair of Levis, but Dr. Nolan Bradbury had it covered.
    His presence in her room changed everything. Before he’d been an astrological subject on a computer screen, but now he was a flesh-and-blood man, a sexy Virgo with so much to offer. She’d created charts for several of the guys she’d dated, in most cases because they’d asked her to. Nolan’s reluctance made him that much more intriguing.
    She’d never conducted a reading in a bedroom before, either. Doing that made the situation more erotic, but she had no intention of going to bed with Nolan tonight. She hadn’t ruled that out as a future possibility. In fact, according to his chart, it was quite likely to happen. But for this first encounter she wanted to dazzle him with her astrological savvy, not her sexuality.
    He warily eyed the computer and the printer, which had just spit out his chart. “So you’re done?”
    “This very minute. Your timing is perfect.”
    He seemed pleased by that. “Find anything interesting?”
    “A few things.” She played it cool, but inside she was seething with excitement. His chart told her exactly why she’d been drawn to him, but if she explained it fully, he might bolt. She didn’t want to scare him off, not when the possibilities were endless.
    He held up a bottle of wine she hadn’t noticed when he first came in. “I brought this. If you don’t care for red, that’s okay, but I –”
    “I’m a Sag, remember? We like everything, and red wine is perfect. But I don’t have a corkscrew.”
    “I do.” He reached in the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a slim version used by waiters everywhere. His sophistication courtesy of former girlfriends or Harcourt was obvious in the way he used the opener to extract the cork. “Didn’t bring glasses, though.”
    “Water glasses are fine.” She ducked into the bathroom and came out with two. “In Europe they hardly ever use stemware the way we do over here.”
    “You’ve been there?” He poured them each a generous serving.
    “I have. You?”
    “A couple of times. Once with Harcourt. That was an experience.”
    “I can imagine. Where did you go?”
    “Where else? Paris. It’s where he really campaigned to educate my palate.”
    She couldn’t help wondering if Harcourt had educated Nolan in anything else while they were there. French women were legendary lovers and the Follies was supposed to be one of the sexiest shows on the planet.
    “He also taught me about wine.” Nolan lifted his glass in her direction. “So if you like this, you can thank him and not me.”
    “I choose to thank you.” She touched the rim of her glass to his. “He might have educated you about wine, but you were the one who brought me a bottle and offered to share. Here’s to you, Dr. Bradbury.”
    His gaze locked with hers. “Here’s to you for putting up with my asinine behavior.”
    “Well, there’s that.” She winked at him and took a sip of a lovely red wine. “Very nice. Thank you.”
    “You wouldn’t take money for your hours of work, so this seemed like the least I could do. And I’m buying dinner, which we should probably order now. I’m sure the kitchen is backed up with the conference going on.”
    She couldn’t help smiling. He was such a Virgo. “You’re right. Let’s order.” She wasn’t at all surprised that he’d already gone over the room service menu and was prepared with several suggestions. They ended up with a pasta dish for her and tilapia and veggies for him.
    “Now that’s done.” Still

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