if this was what you wanted, if youwere sure. You did me. And I have to wonder why. Because I was here, you said. That’s very flattering.”
Hal shrugged into his jacket and jammed his feet into his shoes. “Tell you what. Next time you’ve got an itch that needs scratching, I’ll drop you off at the local Wal-Mart and you can pick up the greeter.”
She opened and closed her mouth.
He fully expected her to throw something at him. Maybe beat the crap out of him. Knock him down and put one of those spike heels through his eye socket.
The last thing he expected was for the goddess’s lip to tremble, her nose to turn bright pink or her face to crumple. The very last thing he had anticipated was for Shannon Shane, Queen of L.A. Cool, to burst into tears.
But she did. She wept as she tried to put her thong back on, realized it was ripped to hell, and shoved it into the pocket of her black leather pants. She dotted those with tears as she slid them up her long legs and over her delectable bottom. She cried on her blouse, which she had to tie together since he’d eviscerated all the buttons. And she snarled through tear-filled eyes as he tried to hold her jacket out for her. “Go away!”
“Shannon—”
“No.”
“I’m sorry. I take that last comment back.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I do. I said it in anger, basically. It came straightfrom my ego. I—” He cracked his neck. “Shit. I figure, a beautiful girl decides to have her way with me, she must be using me because I’m not much to look at.”
“I wasn’t using you,” she sobbed. “I was using…the sex. To feel better.”
“Oh,” said Hal. Then he laughed mirthlessly. “That’s even better. I could have been a damned dildo.”
“What? No! Oh, God…” Shannon couldn’t speak for a few moments. When she recovered, she gripped his arm. “That’s not what I meant. Hal, first of all I don’t sleep with people very often. Second, I only sleep with people I’m very attracted to. And third, I’m feeling very emotionally screwed up right now and…and…I was looking for whatever comfort I could find.”
He found a box of tissue on the windowsill and handed it to her. Christ. So I’ve gone from dildo to teddy bear. Which is worse?
Shannon blew her nose and Hal stared at her, wondering why he found her even more appealing with the swollen red nose and puffy pink eyes. He took a couple of steps closer to her and zipped up her jacket, since she was utterly indecent in the buttonless blouse. Then he tipped up her chin. “Why are you feeling screwed up?”
She sniffled and shrugged.
“’Cause it seems to me that you should be feeling scrumptiously screwed, but not screwed up. ”
He received a glimmer of a smile for this attemptat lightness. He pressed on. “I think I’ve figured out that you don’t mean to be breathtakingly rude. So you didn’t mean to call me a dildo or a pacifier, right?
“I figure this takes great perception and tolerance on my part. Or stupidity. Anyway, I’m still talking to you. So why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
Can anything be wrong in the life of a woman who looks like you do? Or honestly, have you just broken a nail?
8
S HANNON WAS TEMPTED . How nice it would be to pour out all of her insecurities and confusion onto this unexpectedly broad, masculine shoulder. Where had the geek gone hiding? She looked into Hal’s deep blue eyes and saw kindness and compassion there, in spite of the fact that he was annoyed with her.
But no way was she going to talk to this guy. She hadn’t even known him twenty-four hours! She looked at her watch to see that it was 7:00 p.m. She’d known him for only six hours.
Basically, she’d shaken the man’s hand, chopped off his hair and stuck plastic into his eyes. Then she’d jumped his bones. Smooth, Shan. Real smooth.
She hadn’t even had a meal with him….
“Talk to me,” Hal prompted. “You’re obviously upset and there has to be a
Hal shrugged into his jacket and jammed his feet into his shoes. “Tell you what. Next time you’ve got an itch that needs scratching, I’ll drop you off at the local Wal-Mart and you can pick up the greeter.”
She opened and closed her mouth.
He fully expected her to throw something at him. Maybe beat the crap out of him. Knock him down and put one of those spike heels through his eye socket.
The last thing he expected was for the goddess’s lip to tremble, her nose to turn bright pink or her face to crumple. The very last thing he had anticipated was for Shannon Shane, Queen of L.A. Cool, to burst into tears.
But she did. She wept as she tried to put her thong back on, realized it was ripped to hell, and shoved it into the pocket of her black leather pants. She dotted those with tears as she slid them up her long legs and over her delectable bottom. She cried on her blouse, which she had to tie together since he’d eviscerated all the buttons. And she snarled through tear-filled eyes as he tried to hold her jacket out for her. “Go away!”
“Shannon—”
“No.”
“I’m sorry. I take that last comment back.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I do. I said it in anger, basically. It came straightfrom my ego. I—” He cracked his neck. “Shit. I figure, a beautiful girl decides to have her way with me, she must be using me because I’m not much to look at.”
“I wasn’t using you,” she sobbed. “I was using…the sex. To feel better.”
“Oh,” said Hal. Then he laughed mirthlessly. “That’s even better. I could have been a damned dildo.”
“What? No! Oh, God…” Shannon couldn’t speak for a few moments. When she recovered, she gripped his arm. “That’s not what I meant. Hal, first of all I don’t sleep with people very often. Second, I only sleep with people I’m very attracted to. And third, I’m feeling very emotionally screwed up right now and…and…I was looking for whatever comfort I could find.”
He found a box of tissue on the windowsill and handed it to her. Christ. So I’ve gone from dildo to teddy bear. Which is worse?
Shannon blew her nose and Hal stared at her, wondering why he found her even more appealing with the swollen red nose and puffy pink eyes. He took a couple of steps closer to her and zipped up her jacket, since she was utterly indecent in the buttonless blouse. Then he tipped up her chin. “Why are you feeling screwed up?”
She sniffled and shrugged.
“’Cause it seems to me that you should be feeling scrumptiously screwed, but not screwed up. ”
He received a glimmer of a smile for this attemptat lightness. He pressed on. “I think I’ve figured out that you don’t mean to be breathtakingly rude. So you didn’t mean to call me a dildo or a pacifier, right?
“I figure this takes great perception and tolerance on my part. Or stupidity. Anyway, I’m still talking to you. So why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
Can anything be wrong in the life of a woman who looks like you do? Or honestly, have you just broken a nail?
8
S HANNON WAS TEMPTED . How nice it would be to pour out all of her insecurities and confusion onto this unexpectedly broad, masculine shoulder. Where had the geek gone hiding? She looked into Hal’s deep blue eyes and saw kindness and compassion there, in spite of the fact that he was annoyed with her.
But no way was she going to talk to this guy. She hadn’t even known him twenty-four hours! She looked at her watch to see that it was 7:00 p.m. She’d known him for only six hours.
Basically, she’d shaken the man’s hand, chopped off his hair and stuck plastic into his eyes. Then she’d jumped his bones. Smooth, Shan. Real smooth.
She hadn’t even had a meal with him….
“Talk to me,” Hal prompted. “You’re obviously upset and there has to be a
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