The Ladies' Man. Susan Mallery

      She sighed. “Are you ever going to let that go?”

      “Probably not until you answer the question.”

      She sank back against the sofa. “I couldn’t call you, Carter. I honestly didn’t know what to say. I’d never done anything like that in my life. I was afraid of what you’d think of me. And I was afraid of what I’d think of myself.”

      He dropped the paper in her lap and gave an exaggerated sigh. “I knew it. You were just using me for sex.”

      She groaned. “You’re impossible.”

      “Sometimes I’m even better than that.”

      “Give me those.”

      She reached across the sofa and grabbed the pen and paper from him. Suddenly they were very close, with her breasts pressing against his arm and one of her hands lightly touching his stomach.

      His reaction was instant and predictable. Blood rushed south, and his brain went blank, except for the burning need to pull her into his arms.

      Her gaze locked with his and he was gratified to see an answering fire there. Unfortunately, she had more self-control.

      “I’ll, ah, give you my number,” she murmured as she drew back and quickly wrote down the information. “We should plan to get together and talk some more.”

      “How about Saturday?” he asked.

      She handed him back the pad. “Okay. Do you want to go out or…” She shook her head. “No matter what I say, it’s going to sound like a date.”

      “It’s not a date,” he told her, suddenly wishing it was. “Let’s go casual. I’ll bring dinner to your place. That way we won’t be interrupted.”