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"Can I quote you on that?" she asked, licking her lips as his hand herty," he said, pulling her against hi as he stared down at her What was it that put hie to smooth that away so easily? She could do both within seconds, and both sides of hi down closer "Are we done discussing politics? You knolectured"

"I would say so," she responded, pushing her hands up his chest and around his neck

Kissing his lips set off a fireworks display in her sto his back with the extre He responded with fervor, walking her back against the wall and kissing her as if it had been years rather than teeks His hands ran up and down her body,her reh, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think There was just Brady She felt as if she was lost in a world of hi could feelthan this moment

If she had ever been kissed like this before, then her h with every grasp of her body, with every heavy breath froainst her own It wasn’t even the first time they had kissed, but it was laced so heavily with the absence

She had thought it was hot before, but she was practically perspiring with the heat rushing to the surface of her skin He ran his hands down her body and between her thighs, sending chill buainst her roaned into his lips

"Brady," she whi back to the hotel rooain

She are as he swirled his fingers that she wanted him pretty damn badly as well How had he cast such a spell? She just wanted to go home and let him have his ith her She didn’t care that she had promised herself it would only happen once She couldn’t be satisfied, couldn’t be satiated

She wanted Brady Maxwell

"Come back to my place?" she asked boldly

"I have a dinner I have to attend," he said as if it was the hardest thing he had ever done

"Come after Whenever," she nearly pleaded

"I want to, but I can’t," he said, shaking his head He pulled her against hi their tiether was over for now She felt a sudden loss "Meet me tomorrow?"

Liz nodded She would meet him anywhere

He bent down and kissed her lips one ood-bye with promise for more

Chapter 11

EQUALIZER

Liz yawned as she walked into the diner where she had agreed toplace that she had overlooked a hundred times before She had heard that it had superb breakfast, but she was never awake in ti to wake up early Her sleeping schedule was precious

She hoped she looked okay She wasn’t aperson, and her earliest class last semester had been noon She had left her heels at hoold sandals She had on short, cuffed white shorts and a long, see-through teal blouse At least she had taken the time to do her hair, and it fell down to her shoulders in soft waves

Tossing her Ray-Bans into her purse, she made her way to the back of the restaurant If Brady wasn’t here yet, she would rather take the farthest booth in the back and wait for him to arrive That way she wouldn’tin

She broke past the sentlemen sat with coffee in hand as they mulled over their newspapers The back roo in the front holding hands Brady was already there, sitting with a cup of coffee in front of hi," he said with a cheery sht as she stared down at hi It actually hurt to look at hi a blue polo with dark jeans and a black Arc’teryx shell jacket She was surprised to see that he wasn’t in his typical attire She wasn’t sure if it was because theirwas informal or because he didn’t want to draw attention to himself Either way it was nice to see him out of a suit She blushed when she remembered the last time she had seen him out of one

"Hey," Liz whispered She took the seat across fro her in

"Thanks," she said, thinking the cootten backstage yesterday, she didn’t really knohat he wanted fro to be letting her down easy? It hadn’t seemed like that yesterday He had initiated and pushed it further She had just suggestedit to a more private location

And as this dinner he had mentioned? Who had that been with? She didn’t know, and she knew that it could have been any nu one up yet) to his cary?" he asked with a sry She had too many questions to ask The reporter in her was about ready to burst

"They have great waffles Do you like waffles?" he said

"Yes," she responded So, he was going for normal then

"Coffee?"

"Definitely It’s early," she said, stifling a yawn

A waiter came and took their orders She see at the place all four years he was in college, and went to church with his parents Liz shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was She soot that everyone knew hio ahead and say that if anyone asks, ere finishing our interview," he offered

Liz nodded, pulling out her recorder and setting it on the counter "All right"

"You came prepared"

"Always Should I turn it on?" she asked, raising an eyebrow

Brady shrugged "Not if you want to keep it"