Adam stepped closer. “Do you want to hold him?”
“He won’t go all raccoon-crazy on me and scratch my eyeballs out, will he?”
He chuckled, a sound she was beginning to enjoy. “No. The little guy’s nocturnal, this is his nap time. Plus, he’s on pain killers, so he’s extra lethargic.”
As he came closer, Megan became aware of Adam’s strong build and masculine scent. Maybe it was the fact that he had a cute baby animal in his arms, or that he was going to fix her car this afternoon, but her heart sped up, and she had trouble breathing. She shook it off. This was totally unacceptable. She could not be falling for Adam Warner, her pig of a co-host.
She gently took the raccoon in her arms and stroked his fur. “I had no idea they were this soft.”
Adam nodded. “We call this one Stumpy.”
Megan stepped back. “No, you can’t. You’ll hurt his little raccoon feelings.”
He let out another laugh that spread warmth through her. “You’re kidding me.”
She allowed a smile to show on her face. “Maybe. But I still think he’s too cute for an ugly name like that. How about Champ?”
He wrinkled his nose. “That sounds like the name of a Great Dane or a Greyhound.”
“You’re right.” She peered down at the coloring on his little face. “What about Bandit?”
“Perfect.” Adam’s smile was pleasant. Affectionate. Not like when they were on camera. It messed with her head.
She turned away. “How often do you take in animals?”
“It varies. Sometimes I have four or five at a time. Other times, just one.”
Another minute passed while she stroked the raccoon, then she handed him back to Adam. He laid him on the blanket in the cage and fastened the door.
He stood, and she smiled up at him. “Thanks for letting me hold him.” The goofy grin wouldn’t leave her face. He took a step closer, and invisible electricity tingled between them. Heat seared her cheeks.
What was she doing? Flirting with him? What was wrong with her? She mentally smacked herself. This was Adam, the same guy who made little digs at her every day on air. The same obnoxious brute who insinuated she was putting her all into her work because she couldn’t get a man.
She had to pull herself together. Adam was good looking, but not worth the heartache. She was sure of that. Another glance at him, and she melted inside like chocolate on a summer day.
Oh, heavens. She was falling for Adam Warner.
Chapter 2
Adam straightened his tie, shifting in his seat. They would be back from commercial break in less than two minutes, and introducing their guest. Leon seemed extra excited about today, sure it would be another hit. Their YouTube popularity was growing by leaps and bounds. It could get them into syndication. He and Megan might be household names by next year.
Megan flipped her hair off her shoulder. She was perfect for the show. Cute. Young. A petite blonde-haired and blue-eyed beauty. But it was her spunk that pushed the show up. Their little fights blew up on the Internet. Her comebacks were witty and funny. Leon had made it clear: keep needling Megan on-air, or your job is in the toilet.
Upsetting her had been kind of fun in the beginning. She could spar with the best of them. But lately he felt bad parroting Leon and causing her distress. He didn’t like the way she looked at him after each show. Distrust filled her eyes.
Yesterday had been good. He’d fixed her car, and she warmed up to him. They’d spent some time together. It was nice. They’d actually gotten along for once.
He studied her features. The way her nose turned up at the end was cute. And she was smiling at him.
Too bad she wouldn’t be in a minute.
He swallowed the guilt. Leon knew what he was doing. The show would go somewhere. A gut instinct told him so. And in order to give the show the push it needed, he had to get Megan to react to him on-air.
“And we’re live in five…four…three…” Dale made hand signals for the rest of the countdown and then the red ‘on-air’ light lit.
Adam flashed his smile. “Welcome back.” He turned to Megan. “I’m excited to speak to our guest today. What do you say, Megan? Think she can help you out a little? Give you some dating advice?”
Megan’s smile stiffened. “I’ll be sure to let you know if I need it, Adam.” Her lips pinched together, and with a twist of her head, she dismissed him. “Dr. Lemon, a clinical psychologist and licensed marriage and family therapist, has been working in the field for fifteen years. Her clinical work in relationship studies has national acclaim. I’m happy to introduce Dr. Shelby Lemon.”
A woman stepped onto the set dressed in a beige business suit, her dark hair pulled back into a bun at the base of her skull, and thick glasses perched on her nose. She shook hands with each of them, then sat in the third chair. Adam focused on her. “I hear you’ve just returned from England. Tell us about your work there.”
Dr. Lemon pushed her glasses up with one finger. Sitting next to her gave Adam a closer view, and he realized she looked a little young to have her credentials. Maybe she was one of those child prodigies. Graduated from college early or something.
“We’ve been studying physical response to visual stimuli as it pertains to non-romantic relationships.”
She spoke in a nasal tone, and it made him want to hand her a tissue. He tried to ignore it. “What does that mean in layman’s terms?”
“There are theories that men and women cannot have totally platonic friendships. Our studies have been quite interesting.”
Megan leaned forward. “Really? What have you found?”
“Well, our work suggests that quite often, single men and women who work closely together hide feelings of attraction for each other.” She smoothed her skirt and pushed up her glasses again. “Burying those feelings in some circumstances will actually make them grow stronger. That attraction can quickly become something more substantial.”
There it was. His opening. Swallowing the guilt, he poked Megan in the side. He didn’t mean to do it so hard, nor did he mean for her to squeal and jump. Her cheeks reddened, and her eyes shot daggers at him.
Oh, crud. He’d get it after the show. He grinned for the camera. “You want me. Admit it.”
A small, tight smile formed on her face. “The only feelings I have for you are the ones that would land me in jail—after they found your body, of course.”
Dale slapped a hand over his mouth and ducked his head, his shoulders shaking. Adam broke persona and laughed. He couldn’t help it. She was something else. He plastered on his camera smile and raised one eyebrow. “Come on. Don’t sugarcoat it. Tell me how you really feel.”
Dr. Lemon cleared her throat. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”
Adam turned to her. He’d almost forgotten she was sitting there. “Pardon?”
“I happen to have some of my equipment here. The theory is that we can tell the level of attraction by the physical responses. We can hook Megan up and—”
“No!” Megan’s face drained of color. “I mean…we probably don’t have enough time.” She plastered on a weak grin.
Dr. Lemon shook her head. “It would only take a second. But Adam might be the better test subject. I’ve noticed he reacts to you in non-verbal ways. I’d like to analyze the data from my machine.”
Megan nodded. “Good idea. Let’s analyze Adam.”
What was up with her? Was she afraid the audience would figure out she hated him? That was no secret.
“Well, then, it’s settled. Hook me up and we’ll see how I really feel about Megan.” He gave the camera a sexy smile. “We already know she’s got a thing for me.”
Someone brought in a small hand-held device that looked like an old battery tester with a needle that swung from side to side. Several cords hung off the end, which she taped to his arm, palm, stomach, and neck. “Megan will need to leave.”
He didn’t know what he expected, but when Dr. Lemon turned it on, n
othing happened except a slight jump in the needle.
She held up the device. “The machine will measure your heart rate, perspiration, and other physical responses. You can see on the display there’s a red area for no reaction. The yellow indicates a physical attraction, and the green suggests a deeper emotional pull.” Dale zoomed the camera in tight so the audience could see. “Now let’s start with some test subjects.”
A woman walked on the set. She appeared to be in her sixties, with silver hair and a bright leisure outfit. Dr. Lemon showed him the machine. “The needle is in the red area at this time. This indicates you do not feel attracted to Grace.”
The woman left the stage, and another came into view. She looked like a model, with high heels and tight jeans, her bangle bracelets clinking together as she strutted in range of the camera.
“The needle is definitely in the yellow area now.” Dr. Lemon held up the machine so the camera could focus on the display. “Adam is feeling some physical attraction.”
Adam decided to play it up for the camera. He grinned. “You betcha.”
The girl giggled and exited the set. Next, Megan walked out. He hadn’t realized it before now, but when he looked at Megan he knew the machine would register something. His chest tightened, and his heart sped up. He was attracted to her.
Dr. Lemon raised an eyebrow. “Just as I suspected. Adam, you have deep feelings for Megan.” She showed him the display. The needle had swung into the greenest portion. “In fact, I’ve never seen a reaction quite as pronounced as this.”
Adam’s mouth went dry. Was that accurate? Did he harbor deep feelings for Megan? He didn’t know what to say, so he stared at Dr. Lemon like an idiot.
Megan’s cheeks flushed. “What?”
“Adam has real feelings for you. Deeper than attraction. It’s quite possible these feelings haven’t been explored or even noticed by Adam.” Dr. Lemon unhooked the machine, her cold fingers prying off the electrodes or whatever was stuck to him.
Megan looked about as stunned as he felt. Sure, he liked Megan, but deep feelings? He’d never thought about her that way. Was it possible?
An assistant took away the equipment while the doctor got settled on her seat again. Megan slipped into her own chair, her face unreadable.
“I recommend a small experiment. Adam, would you be willing to spend some time with Megan outside of the work environment?”
Way to put him on the spot. He shifted uncomfortably. Then he remembered his on-air persona. He flashed a grin to the camera. “I’m all in.”
“Megan, would you be willing to go along with this experiment?”
Wide eyed and pale, Megan looked like she would rather get all her teeth pulled than go on a few dates with him. She cleared her throat and seemed to choose her words carefully. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Dr. Lemon smiled. “I understand your hesitancy.” She lowered her voice. “I can see how you distrust Adam. You think he’s a player, right?”
Megan’s knuckles were white as she clutched the sides of her chair. She nodded, almost imperceptibly.
A player? Was she serious? He hadn’t been on a date for a couple of months. She was insane. How many times had he told her he was simply acting out a part for the camera?
“Quite often, members of the male gender will try to impress a co-worker by pretending they are desired by many women. This is usually just posturing.” She glanced at Adam. “Again, it’s probably subconscious. He feels inadequate around you.”
The set grew warm under the bright lights, and Adam adjusted his tie. Megan blushed but didn’t say anything, her eyes wide and staring at Dr. Lemon.
“Adam has buried his feelings for you, and thus they’ve grown into something he hadn’t realized.”
He pushed down the urge to refute her. What did he know? He was attracted to Megan. That was for sure. Maybe he did feel something deeper for her, but because of his desire to popularize the show, he’d pushed it aside.
“How about one date?” Dr. Lemon leaned forward, and the tension in the room was almost tangible. “In a public place. You can pick the activity.”
Leon emerged from the back room and stood behind Dale, waving his arms and nodding his head, obviously wanting her to say yes. Everyone else seemed to hold a collective breath.
Megan stared at Leon, indecision playing across her features. After a second, Adam started to feel annoyed. Was he that terrible? Couldn’t she go on one date with him? Leon’s cheeks grew red, and he waved his arms more frantically. She looked at the floor. “All right.”
Dr. Lemon stood and embraced Megan. “I think we’ve had a breakthrough today.”
Leon held up a cue card, the words ‘live streaming of date online’ written in black marker. Adam understood. Dale focused the camera on him. “I’ve just received word from the producer. We will be streaming my date with Megan live, on our website. Tune in to KLKXlive.com for more details.”
It was Megan’s turn to sign off, but she just sat there with her mouth slightly open, so Adam jumped in. “And we’re out of time for today. Tune in on Monday, when we’ll have local author and poet Penny Harris on the show.”
The on-air light went out, and Leon rushed onto the set. “You blew up the Internet! A hundred thousand hits!”
Dale ripped off his headphones. “Did that just happen?”
Everyone started talking at once except for Megan, who sat on her chair, the same bewildered expression on her face.
Adam squeezed her hand. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I guess I feel kind of blindsided.”
“No kidding.”
Leon tugged on his arm. “Adam. A word with you in my office.” Then he gave Megan two thumbs up and spun around, exiting the set.
He jerked his head toward Leon. “I’ve been summoned.”
Megan seemed to snap out of her daze. “Okay. See you later.” She stood and unhooked her mic.
“Wait a couple minutes for me? I need to talk to you.” His stomach flipped, and grade school awkwardness flooded him.
“Sure.”
He followed Leon to his tiny office down the hall. A couple of two-bit awards sat on a dusty shelf behind his paper-cluttered desk. Leon shut the door behind him and rubbed his hands together. “That. Was. Perfect!” He slapped Adam on his back. “You were excellent! I’m so glad you followed my advice.”
Confusion clouded his brain. “What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t you get my email?”
“No.” Adam frowned and folded his arms across his chest.
A tinge of pink touched Leon’s cheeks. “Sorry, man. I thought you’d check it this morning. But no matter. You were awesome.” He slapped him on the back again. “Just don’t tell Megan, okay? I need her real reactions on film.”
Adam narrowed his eyes. “Tell her what?”
“The whole thing was made up. There is no Dr. Lemon. I hired an actress. It was a setup.”
Chapter 3
Nerves tumbled inside Megan as she waited for Adam to come down the dim hallway. What exactly happened today? One minute, he was acting like his normal pig-headed self. The next, she was thrown into some bizarre world where he had real feelings for her. If she hadn’t seen it herself, she’d never have believed it.
She clenched and unclenched her fists as she paced. Adam was a womanizer. At least, that was how he’d always acted around her. Yesterday had been different. Nice. He’d dropped the attitude and acted like a gentleman.
He’d always said he was playing a part for television. She’d never believed it. But maybe she should. What their guest said made some sense. If he was insecure, he might be putting on a mask to shield himself. When Dr. Lemon announced he had deep feelings for her, his face flushed, the TV persona dropped away, and she had seen his vulnerable side. For the moment, she believed he did care for her.
Adam rounded the corner and smiled when his gaze met hers. A tingle spread through her stomach. His dimples a
nd piercing blue eyes gave him the kind of looks envied by models and movie stars. Usually, she deflected this by reminding herself how much of a jerk he was.
Now she wasn’t sure what to think.
Adam approached her. “Hey. Sorry about that. Leon wanted to…uh, talk to me.” He fidgeted and wouldn’t look her in the eye. What was up with him?
“I know.”
Adam cringed and touched his forehead. “That’s right. You were there.”
Megan held in a laugh. Adam, cool and confident, was actually nervous around her. It was endearing. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Oh. Yeah.” He loosened his tie. “I guess we need to set up our date. Leon wants to know where we’re going so he can get things ready.”
“I thought we could do something simple. Go to dinner. A normal date.” The idea of going out with Adam was becoming more appealing to her, and the tingles in her stomach intensified. Who would have guessed?
He started toward the back door that led to the parking lot, and Megan fell into step beside him. “Sure.” He nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Do you like Italian?”
“Yes. Italian is good.” He seemed to relax a little. “We can drive into Omaha. Which restaurant?”
“Why don’t you decide? Just tell me what to wear.”
A smile lifted his lips. “Dress nice. Leon wants it up on the website as soon as possible. How about I pick you up tomorrow? Six o’clock?”
“That works.”
They exited the building, and he placed his hand on the small of her back. She liked the touch. It wasn’t overly intimate, yet it reinforced the feeling that Adam cared about her.
“How’s the car? Any more trouble?”
She shook her head, gratitude building in her. “No. It’s been great.”
His smile widened. “I’m glad.”
They stood by her car, staring at each other for what seemed to be a long time before Adam broke eye contact. “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Her cheeks grew hot as he walked away, and she realized she was admiring his physique from behind. She hopped in her car, not sure what she was feeling. Was she excited to go out with Adam? She needed to get a grip.
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