“I’m flattered, but have you grown to love me too?”
The question made her breath stop, until she remembered they were on-air and realized he was only playing with her. The watchful look about him was nothing more than that. “I guess you could say you’re like a comfy pair of old sneakers.”
He made a strangled sound. “Old sneakers?”
“Yes.”
“Smelly old sneakers?”
“Yes.”
“Smelly, worn, old sneakers?”
“Yes.”
“Smelly, worn old sneakers you don’t bring out in polite company?”
She nodded. “That sounds about right.”
“Lady, you’ve wounded me deeply,” he said, pretending to hold his heart. “If I didn’t like being here so much, I’d grab my trusty, super-duper sex manual and take it back with me to Oz where they at least appreciate a fine pair of shoes.”
Her heart slammed into her ribs. Was this his way of reminding her that he planned on leaving soon?
Him and Erin.
Somehow she managed to find her voice. “But I did say they were comfy,” she pointed out, even as she pulled herself together. If he’d decided it was time to leave, she would at least keep her pride. “Oh, but you can’t go back home just yet, Zac,” she said, making sure she didn’t sound like this was personal. “We’ve still got to talk about a few more things from your book. Your fans will be disappointed if you don’t.”
A moment’s pause, then he said with a sharper look in his eyes that she tried to ignore, “So you only want me for my book?”
“Absolutely.”
“And nothing but my book?”
“Definitely.”
Something confused flared in his eyes, and then hardened as if he wasn’t finding this funny anymore. “O.k.a.y.” He picked up the book and flicked through it. “Hmm. Let’s see.” He stopped at a page then lifted his head. “How about we talk about jealousy?” he challenged.
And it was a challenge, she knew.
Something hit her then. Could the thoughtful look in his eyes this afternoon have been about her and not Erin? Surely he still didn’t think she was jealous of the other woman?
She smiled tightly. “Jealousy? Yes, that’s a good topic.” Perhaps she could remind him about people in glass houses. “What does the book say about jealousy, Zac?”
His eyes took on a knowing look that irked her. “It says a touch of jealousy makes for hot sex.”
Despite her annoyance, she could feel herself blush, remembering how fantastic their lovemaking had been after they’d talked about Erin. Then she swallowed hard. Would it be as fantastic for him with Erin? “Does the book also say why?” she asked, not giving away her thoughts.
“I think it’s pretty obvious,” he drawled. “If a woman thinks her man wants another woman then she’s going to do all she can to win him back.”
Not this woman. Not ever again. She’d been there, done that, owned the t-shirt. “Is that your experience, Zac?”
He gave a short laugh. “No! More likely the woman would tell me to go to hell.”
She snickered. “I can understand that.”
“I’m sure you can, Cassie,” he said pointedly, but she knew he was still thinking of her being jealous about Erin, not his own feelings of jealousy over Erin with Adam. God, her head was spinning.
“Pity you missed out on the hot sex then,” she said with false sweetness. “Bet your super-duper book didn’t tell you that could happen?”
His smile dimmed a little. “Um… no.” All at once, he broke into a grin. “But then, this book is about sex. It isn’t about not having sex.” He held up the back page that had nothing written on it. “Hey, perhaps that’s what this blank page is for? For those who don’t have sex.”
It was so silly she had to laugh. “And perhaps the preface is like foreplay?”
His grin widened. “I like that.”
“The preface or the foreplay?”
“Both.”
She gave another chuckle, glad to be back on easy street with him, if only temporarily and for the sake of the show. “And perhaps the reader can smoke a cigarette during the epilogue?”
“Very good,” he said, his eyes lighting with appreciation for her. Then he held the book up and fanned it open to the middle pages. “Hmm, I wonder if…”
She lifted a brow. “What?”
“Whether there’s a pop-up section.”
She chuckled. “It doesn’t appear so.”
“Maybe it’s impotent?”
“Or maybe it just needs the right touch.”
“Or Viagra.”
This time she snorted with laughter, and he joined in. They giggled like a couple of school kids smoking cigarettes behind the classroom. God, she was going to miss him…
Her laughter slowed to a stop at the reminder of him leaving. “I think we’ve lost the plot.” In more ways than one. “Time to get back on topic, Zac.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
She forced a smile. “I said ‘back on topic’. Not ‘back on top’.” Then she realized she might give the wrong impression to their audience. “Not that I would ever invite you to get on top,” she said, not wanting to lie but knowing their affair wasn’t something she wanted to broadcast to the world. Especially if he was leaving soon. “I mean… well, you know what I mean.”
His eyes were sexily amused. “You’re blushing, Cassie.”
“It’s getting hot in here, that’s all.” She quickly looked down at the papers in front of her and tried to gather her thoughts. Dammit, she was losing it.
“Wanna know what I think?”
Oh God. She was half-afraid to find out.
She looked up. “No.”
“I think you’ve got the hots for me,” he said, winking at her, as if to say he was just playing along with the game.
“Yeah, right. I’m so infatuated I go to bed every night with your picture under my pillow.”
“Far out!”
She smiled at the old saying. Time to bring him back to earth. “Unfortunately it’s getting a bit ragged around the edges now.”
“From all your kisses?” he asked, his voice full of fake hope.
“No, from all the knife holes.”
“There goes another stab to my heart, folks. First I’m like a pair of old sneakers, now I’m target practice for a woman with a knife fetish.” He shook his head at her. “Yep, I think you’re a natural.”
The comment confused her. “A natural?”
“To be the jealous type.”
She briefly gritted her teeth. Did he think he was gaining something by bringing up the subject again? As far as she was concerned it merely reminded her of his jealousy with Adam, not her and Erin.
“Just as well I’m not the jealous type then,” she pointed out.
“How do you know you’re not? Have you taken the test?”
She let out a snort. “What test?”
“The Zac Ryan Jealousy Test.”
“And what does this test consist of?”
“Have dinner with me and find out. And this time we’ll go to a little secluded restaurant where none of our fans can find us.”
Her forehead creased again. “But how would dinner with you test my jealousy?”
“Who knows, but I think it’s a good idea anyway, don’t you?” he said with a smart-ass smile that made her heart beat faster.
“No,” she quipped. “And no to the dinner too.” Let her listeners think she was hard to get. It would put them off the scent.
He made a long face. “You’re a spoilsport, girl.”
“You already got one dinner out of me, Zac. And that was more than enough.”
He spoke into the mike. “There she goes again, folks. Breaking my heart and she don’t care.”
“Oh, but Zac I do care,” she said, putting on a sympathetic voice. “I’ve never broken a man’s heart before. I’ve broken a man’s arm, and another man’s fingers, a
nd I’ve knocked a guy’s teeth out, but never a man’s heart. What an honor!”
He pretended to be scared. “You’re kidding me, right? About the broken limbs.”
“Yes.”
“Because if you’re not --”
“Zac –-“
“Then I’m outta here, lady.”
“Zac, I said I’m teasing you.”
“Phew! You’d better be because if you’re not…”
“Zac, get a hold of yourself.”
That stopped him in his tracks.
He shot her a grin. “Perhaps this isn’t the best place for… holding oneself.”
Amused, she clicked her tongue. “No, but it’s the best place for advice. Now where we were?”
“I was about to ask you if you’ve ever been jealous,” he said, returning to the subject like it was the scene of a crime.
She held her smile firmly in place. “Not that I remember.”
“But you must have been jealous once in your life?”
She could see he was going to push until he got an answer out of her. “Oh yeah, I remember now. There was this one time when my dad gave my sister an extra dollar for washing the car. I was real jealous then,” she said with a smirk.
“So you do have some concept of how jealousy feels?” he said wryly.
“Yes. And it wasn’t a very nice feeling at all. I wanted to beat her up real bad.” Just like she wanted to do with Zac right now if he didn’t change the subject. Better yet… “What about you, Zac? Ever get jealous?”
He blinked, clearly not expecting her to ask, though why she wasn’t sure. “Me?”
“Yes you, ace.”
He shrugged. “I guess I can be as jealous as the next man. Like I had this girlfriend in high school, and this one mate kept chatting her up, so I took him aside and showed him the old one-two.” He mimed the action, his tone joking, but she could imagine him doing just that. Unfortunately his reply told her he had no idea he was the jealous type.
“So you haven’t been jealous more recently?” she asked, wondering if he’d take the hint.
“No.”
He didn’t. “Sure?”
“I’m sure,” he said, but his smile had dimmed a little as if he were thinking about it. A second later he’d obviously dismissed the thought. The confidence returned to his smile. “Anyway, these days I’d use my brains instead of my brawn to bring the other bloke down a peg or two.”
“Seems like you’re in touch with your feminine side then, Zac.”
“My what!”
She laughed. “You’re feminine side. I read somewhere that everyone has both a feminine and a masculine side to them. Using your mind rather than your body to solve the problem is more a feminine thing to do. It means you’re using the feminine side of your personality.”
“Thank you, Doctor Seuss. But do me a favor and put that particularly cat back in the hat.” He glanced over his shoulder then quickly over the other in an exaggerated way. “I don’t want any of my mates from Down Under hearing you talk about me turning into a sissy,” he said, lowering his voice.
She smiled. Zac a sissy? Never! “I doubt this program will reach the ears of your friends in Australia.”
“You never know. Stranger things have happened. I never expected to come to the States for a holiday only to end up talking on a radio show.”
“Life’s funny like that.”
He leaned back in his chair, looking back to normal. “Yeah, it’s a riot.”
“Okay, on that rather sarcastic note… let’s go to a commercial. Here’s a word from our sponsor.”
“Will he be showing his feminine side too?”
“It’s for sanitary napkins, so yes, I think that’s guaranteed.” She grinned at the look on his face. “We’ll be back in a moment, folks, with more words of wisdom from our sexpert, Zac-I-Am-Woman-Ryan.”
* * *
“Dammit-all-to-hell!” Steve muttered, as he switched off the radio. He’d given Cassie more than enough time to get the Aussie off her show, but the pair were going as strong as ever. Stronger. It seemed like nothing could tear them down.
Damn her. Despite all her sex talk on-air, she was such a goody-two-shoes. All that going to the hospital and visiting those sick kids, if only their parents realized what she did in the evening, then they might --
Holy hell! He had his answer. He’d finally found a way to stop her. He just wished he’d thought of this before now. She might like her radio program, but she loved those sick kids. If she had to make a choice, he had no doubt what she would choose.
* * *
Cassie thought her question about jealousy had gone over Zac’s head, but he took her by surprise once they were alone after the show finished.
“What was all that about back there?” he said as they reached her car in the parking lot.
She stopped and looked up at him, the spotlight attached to the building giving her a clear view of his face. So, he had taken notice of her comments. “You tell me,” she said, wanting to make sure they were talking about the same thing.
“You made a quip about me being jealous.”
“And you weren’t?”
“Of what?” he said with a frown. “If anyone is jealous it’s you over Erin.”
She sighed. Just as she thought. “Zac, I wasn’t talking about me and Erin. I was talking about you being jealous of Erin. With Adam.”
He looked startled. “What! That’s ridiculous.”
“So you didn’t want to go sightseeing with them just so you could stop Erin spending time with Adam? Admit it, Zac. You’re jealous.”
“You’re wrong,” he said brusquely. “This isn’t about jealousy. It’s about protecting Erin from Adam’s clutches.” Discomfort crossed his face. “He’s like a brother to me but that doesn’t mean I don’t see his faults. He likes women. Lots of them. I don’t want Erin to get caught up in that. I feel responsible for her, especially while she’s over here.”
Cassie searched his face and could see his sincerity, but still she wondered if there was a streak of jealousy in there somewhere that he wouldn’t admit to himself. In any case, she doubted Zac had to worry too much about Adam. Adam was in love with Erin. He would never deliberately hurt her. Of course, Zac didn’t know that. To him, Adam was a womanizer who felled women like trees with his smooth lines and his good looks. Zac was convinced that Erin couldn’t resist Adam once the other man put his mind to it. And he might well be right.
Oh, she hoped so, Cassie mused, and not just because she wanted Zac to herself. When it came to love she was as much a romantic as the next person. For other people at least. She wanted to see Adam get his girl. And perhaps it wasn’t so far-fetched that Erin might fall in love with Adam.
“She’s a big girl, Zac,” she murmured in a sympathetic tone. “She can look after herself.”
“I know but… I feel guilty too. Like I’m throwing her to the wolves.” He grimaced. “Wolf.”
“I think you have to trust that Adam won’t hurt her. And if they do get together, who says there will be a problem?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
But he didn’t look too happy about it, and she still couldn’t help feel that some jealousy was involved. “Look, it’s getting late,” she said, deciding there was nothing more to say on the subject tonight. “Do you want to come back to my apartment?” She paused deliberately. “Or go to Adam’s?” She would leave it up to him. She didn’t want him being at her place if he didn’t want to be there.
He hesitated, looking torn, and she froze, expecting the worst. She could actually see him thinking whether he should leave Erin and Adam alone together tonight.
All at once he pulled her close. “Time’s too short, lady. Let’s get our butts out of here. Take me home to your place so I can make love to you.”
His words thrilled her. “I don’t remember offering my body as well as my apartment,” she teased.
“You didn’t.” His hands skimmed around to her b
ottom to knead the soft flesh through her slacks. “And speaking of butts, did I ever tell you that you have a nice one?”
The touch of his hands sent a ripple of anticipation through her. “I believe you did once before.”
“Then let me say it again. You have a nice arse.”
She loved his accent. “Ass is how we say it over here.”
“When you’re in my arms, sweetheart, you get the Australian version.”
* * *
Considering her jetlag, Erin should have fallen asleep straight away but she felt hyped up, like her mind had been infected with a thinking virus or something. And it was all centered on Adam when it should have been on Zac.
She’d had a wonderful afternoon with him today, loads of sightseeing, ending with cocktails high up in the John Hancock building while they enjoyed the sunset views of this magnificent city. Then he’d insisted on taking her to dinner. If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought she was being swept off her feet. Except that idea was crazy. He was just being kind. She was in love with Zac.
And Adam was in love with another woman.
Who’d have thought such a gorgeous-looking guy with a personality to match would be in love with a woman who didn’t want him? It didn’t seem fair.
But then, when was life fair?
Adam was still on her mind when she needed to go to the bathroom just before midnight - and caught him getting out of the shower. For a moment she just stood there in surprise, then it turned to shock when she realized he was naked. Unable to stop herself, her pulse began to race as her gaze skimmed down over a muscled chest and taut stomach, down further to where he was all male, increasingly so. He had a terrific body. One she suddenly wanted to reach out and touch.
“I think you’d better leave,” he growled in a manner that wasn’t like him, as he stood there, making no attempt to cover himself.
Her gaze slowly went back up to his face, and she saw a challenge in his dark brown eyes. As if he wanted her to come over and touch him. As if daring her to. It frightened her that challenge because she could actually see herself doing it.
Without a word, she stepped back and quickly shut the door, her knees shaking. Heavens! She’d thought when she’d broken off her engagement that she wouldn’t want a man again for a long time. She’d told herself she’d had too much to do with her life, and that sex was the last thing on her mind when she’d been looking for a new direction.
Talking Sex Page 17
