7
SHARI PACED HER APARTMENTfeeling as jumpy as a claustrophobic tiger in acage.
This was ridiculous! It was justsex.
Well, no. It wasn’t just sex. In fact, it wasn’t sex at all and that was the source of her frustration. She wanted Luke. Mr. Clueless who halted the action more often than a shyvirgin.
She gasped and paused midpace. Washe…?
No. He must be thirty. Impossible he’d never hadsex.
And yet, while he was clearly turned on by her, he was so clueless, ambivalent or uninterested that he wasn’t taking any initiative at all. No wonder the man needed a how-tobook.
Ever since their hike yesterday she’d felt buzzy and strange, almost jumping out of her own skin with lust. It was crazy. Normally she left it to the men in her life to tamp down lust while her relationships took a predictable path. They wanted in her pants and, when she decided she liked them enough and the time was right, she letthem.
Never in all her life had she wanted in a man’s pants and he was keeping themzipped.
She paced again. Wondering if the ache in her womb was chronic. If there was a pill she could take to relieve it she would, but she knew damn well there was only one cure for her ailments. Hot, sweaty sex. The sooner thebetter.
Chapters schmapters, she wasn’t waiting until Friday. Luke wanted some lessons in how to please a woman? He was about to get the most important lesson of themall.
She was a fine teacher if she did say so herself. And he’d proven himself a fairly apt student. It was time to do what was often done with talented, advanced learners. He was about to beaccelerated.
She had to plan this carefully, though. Men were visual creatures. She needed to send him an unmistakable message that she wanted him in the most intimate way a woman could want aman.
She stopped pacing as a tiger’s smile curled herlips.
Stomping into the bathroom she turned on the faucets to pour herself a bath, taking her favorite scented bath salts off the shelf. She threw in a healthy handful and from her medicine cabinet pulled out ylang-ylang essential oil—a scent to inspire thelibido.
Luke was going to get a lesson he’d neverforget.
LUKE HADN’T BELIEVEDhe’d end up glad of the Hikus Interruptus interlude, but somehow the frustration had been rechanneled into creativity. He’d come home last night and, after Shari had issued a curt goodbye, stood wrestling with himself until sweat broke out on his brow. Twice he started for his door, intending to run upstairs and damn well pound on Shari’s door until she opened it, the hell with thebook.
Hadhe ever in his life turned away from a woman with Do Me Baby in her eyes, her body primed and ready forhim?
He groaned. Of course, he hadn’t. Only a man numb from the waist down could dothat.
And he was far from that. He could still feel her body pressed against him, her head thrown back to enjoy the sun. She’d lookedmagnificent.
He shook his head like a horse shaking off flies. If he spent the night in, he’d be knocking on Shari’s door within the hour. He’d made it this far, he’d reread chapters three and four and would try to fit them in this week. By Friday—maybe sooner if she decided to cut him some slack—he’d be getting into the serious stuff and by chapter six he’d be easing intoheaven.
After a quick shower, he changed into black jeans and a loud come-and-get-me Hawaiian-print shirt, and walked the few blocks to his favorite wateringhole.
The smell of beer mingled with the scents of the justly famous burgers. Laszlo’s was crowded with people having a good time. Bypassing the wooden booths, he headed for the U-shaped bar, already noting the number of women here. He nodded to a couple of people he knew, found a stool and ordered a beer. The bartender was a middle-aged Slavic guy and, since Luke was a lot more interested in women who were nowhere near middle age, he turned so he was facing the crowd. One of the reasons Laszlo’s worked was that patrons tended to stand around andmingle.
He’d socialize in a minute. For now he’d simply sit back and watch the action, the seduction game he’d played so often and written about in countless magazine articles. The beer was ice-cold and crackled on his tongue. Laszlo’s was hopping. He scanned the place for a woman to saunter over to and start up aconversation.
Near the door, a shapely female back caught his attention. Rich chestnut curls spilled down her long, slim back. She was tall, and exuded confidence even from this view. His shoulders jerked forward and his babe radar went on full-alert. That looked like…but even as the thought formed, the woman turned to say something to the guy standing beside her and he registered that it wasn’t Shari. And he knew in that moment that no one else would do for himtonight.
He ordered a burger, finished the beer, made some desultory conversation with a fellow beside him andleft.
He’d planned to render himself numb all over, but he didn’t feel like dealing with crowds and noise, and besides, if he stayed he was liable to go home with the first willing woman, which wouldn’t help atall.
He only wanted one woman. The one he’d already rejectedtoday.
As he entered his apartment the frustrated sexual energy still fizzed within him and he knew he wouldn’t sleep. He flipped on the TV, but nothing held his attention. He dropped to the carpet and did fifty push-ups, then groaned when he realized he was thinking about Shari and her daily sit-ups and push-ups and how much he wished she were under him rightnow.
It was too early to go to bed, and the only place he really wanted to be—one floor up and one apartment over—he had a strong feeling he wasn’twelcome.
