The Heartbreaker by Vicki Lewis Thompson Page A

you different?” She pulled her hair back and grabbed the elasticized fabric from the worktable. The action caused her breasts to push against the thin material of her sleeveless shirt. “Or are you just acting true to form, going after the most available woman around?”
    The words stung, and he lashed back. “Ah, so that’s your other reason for shoving me away. You think I only kissed you because you’re the female who happens to be here. If Cindy Crawford was around, I’d be kissing her, or if she couldn’t make it and Demi Moore showed up, I’d try to seduce Demi. Is that the idea?”
    â€œMore or less.” She secured her hair on top of her head with the hairpins, lifting her arms in a graceful motion as she finished the task.
    Despite his anger, he ached to press his mouth against the creamy underside of her arm, to hold her hands above her head and kiss the hollow of her throat, the angle of her collarbone, the shadowed cleft between her breasts.
    â€œYou happen to like women, Mike,” she continued. “And they like you, obviously. You’re a man of the world, now, one who’s probably experienced some... unusual sexual customs in your travels.”
    In reality he’d discovered more similarities than differences in sexual practices, but he decided to foster the image she held. “I suppose you picture me cavorting with bare-breasted native women.”
    â€œWell, have you?”
    â€œI’m a man, Beth. I didn’t live like a monk while I was in Brazil.”
    â€œAnd were your experiences...different?”
    â€œYes.” He paused. “Does that excite you?” The question was unnecessary, he thought. Her quickened breathing and the fire in her eyes gave him the answer. “The women I made love to in the rain forest have a freedom about their behavior,” he added. “They don’t play games. Instead they’re interested in satisfying a basic human need.”
    â€œLife isn’t always that simple.”
    â€œApparently not.”
    She took a deep breath. “Knowing that Alana still cares for you, I couldn’t live with myself if you and I...”
    â€œThen you must also feel guilty for not telling her I’m here.”
    â€œI do, but I don’t want her to jeopardize her business.”
    His gaze was unrelenting. “Wouldn’t that be her move, not yours?”
    She hesitated, as if to argue, then nodded. “Yes. I should have told her.”
    â€œBut you didn’t And my guess is that your hidden reason, way in the back of your mind, was that you and I could let this attraction take its natural course, and she’d never have to know.”
    She blushed. “God, you force me to be honest with myself! Yes, okay, I probably did think that, and I’m not proud of it. And now that you’ve stated it so baldly, I realize I could never give into that kind of sneaky behavior, so just forget it, Mike.”
    He gazed at her with amusement “Highly unlikely that I can do that, Beth.”
    â€œWell, try!”
    â€œLook, I would never want to hurt you or Alana any more than I already have, but I don’t think we can just ignore whatever’s between us. Alana’s kiss hasn’t haunted me for eight years. Yours has.”
    The light that ignited in her eyes was soon doused, as if by a conscious act of will. “That’s pretty convenient, considering I’m the one in Bisbee and Alana’s in the Ozarks.”
    He gave her a weary grin. “There you are again, old prove-it-to-me Beth. You really haven’t changed, have you?”
    â€œI’ve changed a lot.”
    â€œBut you still want cold, hard evidence. Like when I had to jump my bike off the brewery steps. I can still picture you putting your fists on those skinny little hips and saying, Prove it , Mikey. So damned if I didn’t try to prove it to you.”
    â€œOh, I’m sure