Hot for Him. Sarah Mayberry

no doubt,” she said.

      “You’re not going to steal our viewers, Claudia. Just like we’re not going to win over yours. Our core fans are loyal, obsessive even. But I’m going to fight you for the floaters, tooth and nail.”

      She realized she was grinning. “Give it your best shot, big boy.”

      “Big boy? I’m going to take that as a compliment,” he said, matching her grin.

      “Size isn’t everything,” she said archly.

      “You’ll have to let me know.”

      “I beg your pardon?”

      “You heard me.”

      She glared at him. “That’s it—you are officially the most arrogant man I know.”

      “Yeah? I’m going to take that as a compliment, too,” he said.

      “It wasn’t meant as one,” she said repressively.

      He leaned close so that only she could hear him.

      “If we can get this hot with just words, imagine what it’ll be like once we’re both naked,” he said.

      She ought to feel outraged at his absolute self-assurance, the way he was taking it for granted that they’d sleep with each other. She ought to ice him down and send him home with a flea in his ear.

      But she didn’t. She didn’t do anything except lock eyes with him. She saw a million sensual promises in his dark gaze. Her breathing increased, almost became a pant. She leaned toward him, completely forgetting where they were.

      “Ms. Dostis?”

      She started in her chair and jerked away from Leandro as though she’d been busted with her hand in the cookie jar.

      A middle-aged man in faded jeans and a nondescript T-shirt was standing in front of her. He held out his hand.

      “Detective Arnold. This is my partner, Detective Wilkes,” he said, indicating a tall woman in her mid-thirties standing beyond his shoulder.

      Right. They were at the police station. Here to report the very serious extortion attempt by Rat Man.

      She felt a dull flush warm her chest and face as she clued into how unprofessional she was being. She never mixed business and pleasure. She always put work first. But somehow, whenever she was with Leandro, other things seemed to get in the way.

      “Pleased to meet you. This is Leandro Mandalor, producer of Heartlands,” she said. At least her voice sounded relatively normal, even if her body was still burning with embarrassment.

      “Hey, I love that show,” Detective Wilkes said, smiling broadly and stepping forward to shake Leandro’s hand. Claudia frowned as the other woman tossed her long red hair over her shoulder and smiled in a distinctly friendly way.