“Very impressive.” A taunting smile spread Darius’s well-formed lips. “Instead of giving in to the impulse to punch me in the nose, you formulated that very proper and professional question. Did you develop your patience from teaching or did you go into teaching because you have patience?”
Peyton took her time studying the reporter’s impossibly good-looking face: his classic sepia features; broad forehead; almond-shaped, midnight eyes; long nose; high cheekbones; full, well-shaped lips; and stubborn, squared chin. He was the most attractive man she’d ever met, and at this moment, she wanted to strike him.
“You’re right.” Peyton clung to the patience that so impressed the reporter. “I do want to punch you in the nose.”
Darius threw back his handsome head and laughed. The sound—deep, full, and free—was infectious. Peyton struggled against her own smile.
His laughter quieted to a grin. Even his teeth were perfect. “What do I have to do to get you to trust me?”
“You can start by giving me a straight answer to my question.”
“All right.” Darius sat up on his chair and became very serious. “Dr. Harris, I’d like to interview you today for the article I’m writing on Dr. Hartford’s retirement.”
“Now, was that so hard?” Peyton folded her hands on her desk and leaned forward.
“No, it wasn’t.” Darius’s penetrating stare caught and held Peyton’s eyes.
She grew warm and flustered beneath his fixed regard. Her pulse beat too fast. She struggled with her breathing. Her thighs quivered. Peyton dropped her gaze. She never felt this way when Bruce looked at her. But everything about Darius—his looks, his voice, his scent—made her want to throw caution—as well as her underwear—to the wind.
Good heavens, why was she thinking about flinging her underwear at a virtual stranger? A blush scalded Peyton’s cheeks. Her fiancé considered her cold. But if Darius could make her feel this way, the problem wasn’t with her. No wonder most of the women in Trinity Falls were chasing after him.
“What questions do you want to ask me?” Was that husky voice hers?
“You’ve done a really great job with this office.” Darius looked around. “It’s much nicer than when Quincy had it.”
“Oh?” Peyton kept her eyes on the reporter. It wasn’t a hardship.
“Quincy’s a slob, at least at work.” Darius’s eyes roamed her office. “His house is clean. But when he had this office, it was cluttered, covered in dust, and reeked of burned coffee.”
Peyton frowned. “He must have worked really hard on it before he left. It was very clean when I arrived.”
“It even smells better in here.” He caught her gaze again. “It smells like you.”
Heat rose in Peyton’s cheeks. “What do I smell like?”
“Talcum powder and lilies.”
She swallowed hard. “It’s important to me that students feel comfortable and welcome in my office. They won’t feel that way if they have to climb over books to reach my desk or move stacks of papers before they sit.”
“That didn’t seem to bother Quincy.” Darius gave her an admiring look.
Was he flirting with her? “What questions did you want to ask me about Dr. Hartford?”
Darius’s lips curved in a slight smile. He pulled a mini audio recorder from his inside jacket pocket, pressed a button, then put the recorder on Peyton’s desk.
Peyton eyed the technology suspiciously. “You’re going to record the interview?”
“I thought you’d be happy about that. This way, you don’t have to worry that I might misquote you.”
She nodded toward his notebook. “Why are you taking notes if you have a recorder?”
“It’s in case the recorder fails. I like to be prepared.”
Peyton gave him a skeptical look. She wasn’t comfortable with the recorder, but he did have a point. There was less of a chance he’d misquote her if he recorded their interview. “OK. I’m ready.”
Darius sat back in his seat. “Dr. Hartford is an institution, not only at the university but also in Trinity Falls. As a new faculty member and a new resident to our town, what are your impressions of his many contributions to the university?”
Peyton’s eyebrows rose. He’d impressed her with his first question. She felt challenged to give him an equally impressive answer. And that’s how it went for the next thirty minutes. Darius tossed her thought-provoking questions for which she had to focus to provide intelligent answers. At the end of the half hour, she was ready for a nap. She’d settle for a beverage.