Notorious

“Sure.” Suzanne raised her voice as the music’s volume increased. “About ten-thirty!”

Keely had to shout, too. “Are you planning to study during your break?”

“Nah! I’ll probably kick back! I only get about fifteen minutes!”

Blissfully, the music changed tempo and became softer. “If you’re willing, I could do the interview then.” Keely couldn’t get over how young Suzanne looked. Yet she was twenty-two, three years older than Keely had been when she’d posed for the centerfold.

“Tonight would be cool, but are you sure that’s enough time?”

“Maybe not, but we’ll get a start, anyway.”

Suzanne glanced over at the stage. “Joy, she’d like to be interviewed, too. She’s not going to college, like me, but she’s going to beauty school. Does that count?”

“Sure does. Anybody who’s dancing to earn tuition fits into the article.”

“Cool. That’s her on stage now.” Suzanne watched for a moment and unconsciously began to wiggle in time with the music. “She has some dynamite moves.”

“Yes, she does.”

“That guy over there in the black T-shirt is her boyfriend. I am, like, so jealous. He is totally hot.”

“He is?” Keely could only locate one person in a black T-shirt, and he didn’t look like anything special. For one thing, she was getting sick of shaved heads and multiple piercings. And baggy pants did nothing for her these days, either. Plus, he looked more like a kid than a man.

“Yeah, he’s awesome.” Suzanne gazed at him in rapture. “Totally.”

Keely glanced from Suzanne to the kid and reminded herself that this was her magazine’s target audience. She needed to do a better job of relating. “He is pretty cute,” she said. Cute was as far as she would go. And cute didn’t do it for her anymore, unfortunately.

But someone who did do it for her stood right outside, waiting. “Well, Suzanne, I’ll see you tonight, then,” she said.

“Maybe Joy can come by so you can talk to her, too.”

“That would be great. Thanks.” Keely shook hands with Suzanne and hurried outside.

Noah was lounging against the side of the building, but he looked wary, not relaxed. He straightened and walked toward her. “I was beginning to wonder if something happened.”

“Sorry. It took a while to find the person I needed.” She gazed at him with new appreciation. Now here was an example of hot. His clothes might not be trendy, but they were classic turn-ons, at least for her. She’d grown up admiring the way a pearl-buttoned western shirt defined a man’s broad shoulders and how smooth-fitting jeans defined even more interesting parts of his anatomy.

Noah looked mighty fine in that department. For years she’d dreamed of exploring the wonders so lovingly cradled by his Wranglers. From all indications he had a body built for serious sinning. Consequently he’d been a worthy challenge ever since she’d hit puberty.

But as luck would have it, when she’d gone for the gold that night in the barn, he’d turned her down. He hadn’t been particularly gentle about it, either. For three years she’d tried to get even with him for that rejection, taking every opportunity to taunt him with what he’d missed. He hadn’t cracked.

But she’d learned a few things since then, and they’d be sharing a hotel suite. It just might be Samson and Delilah time.

“You know, I’ve been thinking…” he said, his voice sounding tight.

Uh-oh. She lifted her gaze to his face and tried to look innocent. “About what?” He must have caught her ogling. She’d have to be more careful not to overplay her hand. Some men loved being checked out. Apparently it made this particular man nervous. She slipped on her sunglasses to give herself more leeway.

“Why don’t I see if I can get you a room on the same floor?” he said. “You’d probably be more comfortable with that.”

Oh, he’d definitely caught her ogling. She had to take quick action. “No way, baby doll! I feel like enough of a charity case as it is! Tell you what, let’s forget the whole thing.”

“No, no. We’re not going to forget the whole thing.” He sighed. “Come on. The hotel’s this way.”

So he had a place on the Strip. She would have liked that, too, but the magazine had booked her at one of the less expensive places downtown. Maybe when he was otherwise occupied, she’d head over there and pick up a few things.

She fell into step beside him. “You know what your problem is? You think too much.”

“Could be. But that’s better than not thinking enough.”

“Ah. That would be me you’re referring to, wouldn’t it?”

His mouth twitched with amusement. “I didn’t mean just you.”

“Oh, you probably did, but that’s okay. I won’t take offense. It you’re talking levels of caution, on a scale of one to ten I’d be a minus fifteen.”

He laughed.

“You, on the other hand, would be a plus thirty.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“No, I’m not!” She felt great walking down the street with Noah. Because she stood five-eight in her bare feet and had generous breasts, not many men could make her feel small and delicate. Noah had the height and breadth of shoulder to carry it off. Maybe it wasn’t politically correct to enjoy that, but she did. She always had. Always. Uh-oh. What if she wasn’t over him?

“If I’m so damn cautious,” he said, “then why did I take up bull riding?”

“I thought about that. And it does indicate a streak of daring hiding in there somewhere.” She had to be over him, she decided. After all, it had been years.

“See?” He looked pleased with himself. “I can be daring if I want.”

“Yes, but you only have to maintain that daring for eight seconds or less. That’s not a long time.” She kept up the banter, but inside she was scanning for evidence, trying to decide if she was still hooked on Noah.

“Oh, yes, it is a long time. When you’re in the heat of the action, eight seconds is an eternity. A lifetime.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Well, I sure hope that’s not your attitude when you make love. If so, your lady friends must be very frustrated.” There. If she could poke fun at him, then she was over him. Definitely.

He blushed. “We weren’t talking about that.”

“I was.” That blush of his was so cute. The people she hung out with in L.A. were all pretty jaded when it came to sexual innuendos. Finding a man who could blush when he talked about sex was refreshing. And arousing.

He tugged his hat down lower over his eyes. “Well, I wasn’t thinking about that particular subject, and you know it.”

But he was now, and that was her goal. If only she knew for certain she could pull off this caper without getting hurt herself. “The fact is, I have no idea what kind of lover you are, Noah. You’re a conservative guy, so when you talk about eight seconds being an eternity, I can’t help wondering if you think that’s plenty of time for—”

“Of course it’s not!” He was really red now.