High-Stakes Playboy by Cindy Dees Page B

he was a little embarrassed by his burst of enthusiasm. Personally, she thought his passion was sexy as hell.
    “So you’re an adrenaline junkie?” Maybe that explained the wild way he’d flown.
    He gestured at her with his beer. “Like you aren’t? Job like yours has to have some pretty crazy moments.”
    Yeah. Like when frozen-up flight controls nearly got her smashed into the side of a mountain. “This is my first movie shoot. I’ll let you know how wild it gets.”
    “What did you do before this?”
    “I was the overnight camera operator at a local news station. If breaking news came in, the on-call anchor and I would come in and do a special report. And I filmed the early-morning news. You know, the stuff at 5:00 a.m. that nobody watches.”
    “Except for the occasional blooper that goes viral?”
    She grinned. “Exactly. And 5:00 a.m. weather girls in Podunksville aren’t exactly the cream of the meteorological crop.”
    “What’s your favorite part of your job?”
    That was a no-brainer. “Capturing real emotions in a way that makes viewers experience them, too.”
    He studied her speculatively. “Spoken like a true photographer.”
    “How about you? What’s your favorite thing about your job?”
    He answered promptly and with a broad grin. “The hot groupie chicks.”
    She rolled her eyes. “How do you ever get a date with an attitude like that?”
    Archer stared at her in what looked like genuine surprise. She supposed he didn’t often have to resort to sparkling conversation to get women into his bed. He merely had to turn those bedroom eyes and megawatt smile on them. “I got a date with you, didn’t I?”
    It was her turn to stare at him. “If this is a date, I have to warn you that your life is in grave danger. I’ve hospitalized no less than three guys on previous outings.”
    He looked startled. As well he should. But when he replied, his tone was light. “Honey, my mind boggles wondering what you did to put them in the hospital.”
    “I’m not kidding when I say I’m jinxed...” she started.
    “There’s no such thing as jinxes.”
    “Spend a little time around me. Stuff like today’s problem on the helicopter will happen over and over. I’m just saying...”
    “What kind of stuff?”
    She shrugged. “All kinds of things. Little stuff mostly. But sometimes it’s bigger stuff. Dangerous stuff. I used to think I was just a klutz. And I suppose that’s part of it. But over time, I’ve come to realize it’s more than that.” She lowered her voice, confessing reluctantly, “Sometimes I wonder if I’m never supposed to be happy, and if that’s why bad things keep happening around me.”
    “Stop talking like that,” he bit out.
    She blinked, shocked. “Like what?”
    “Stop putting yourself down. You’re beautiful. Smart. Funny. Gutsy. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be happy.” He added forcefully, “None at all.”
    He thought she was all of those things? “It’s okay, Archer. I know I’m not in your league. It’s really nice of you to spend time with me like this, but you don’t have to flatter me.”
    “What the hell are you talking about? I enjoy being with you. You surprise me. On top of all that, you’re hot and make me think about sex.”
    Well, okay, then. He made her think about sex, too. A lot. She drank more of her tepid beer in search of a little liquid courage. If she was not mistaken, he’d just announced that he was amenable to a relationship with her. They’d have to be careful. Keep it secret. But that wasn’t impossible. The little voice in the back of her head let out an excited
squee
.
    “So tell me, Marley. Why’d you jump in this afternoon to save my hide with Prescott?”
    “Why wouldn’t I? I work with you, and I could get you off the hook with a few words. Wouldn’t you do the same for your coworkers?”
    “Depends on who we’re talking about. Most guys, yeah. A guy like Gordon Trapowski...I might let him swing in the