Page 41 of Hot to Trot

"Exactly."

''And about what I told you. About being in love with a man who dumped me-" She paused, looking away from him. Something about connecting with his eyes felt too raw. The man stripped her defenses. Obviously. Why else would she have told him about John? No one knew about their split. Maybe her roommate, Stefan, had an inkling, but even he didn't know Scarlet had been dumped. Heart-trampled. Abandoned. "I'd appreciate you not mentioning that information to anyone. I shouldn't have asked you to do... um... what you did. It wasn't fair of me."

She could feel his stare and forced herself to meet it.

"Who are you? And what have you done with Scarlet?"

"What?"

"That was... heartfelt." He crossed his arms over his chest, which caused his shirtsleeves to pull tight over his muscled arms. His skin was as golden as his hair. He was an all-over golden boy. No, not a boy. A man. She swallowed. Hard. "You weren't acting out a scene in your head, were you? Because when I first met you, I got the idea that you acted out stuff going on in your mind. It was as if you listened to an inner voice directing you."

Scarlet blinked. How in the hell had he known? It was a bad habit, seeing everything as a director might, carefully orchestrating responses as if she were in front of a camera. But she'd tried really hard since she'd been in Oak Stand to step out of acting mode and be more herself. "I'm not acting."

He arched an eyebrow.

"Seriously. I'm sorry. I can see how much your job and your reputation mean to you. I shouldn't have put you in an awkward position, especially knowing you want me."

His eyes widened slightly, but he regained composure quickly. ''That's pretty egotistical even for a soap star."

"My show is not a soap opera. It's a drama. And you do want me. I've been around men long enough to recognize the signs. You-" she pointed at him "-want me."

Something crackled as she pointed to herself. Static electricity built like an imminent storm.

"I don’t.”

"Yeah, you do.” She paused and allowed her mouth to curve. "Hey, it's okay. I want you, too. So we're attracted to each other? Big deal. We're young, single, and not ugly. It's natural. But don't worry. I won't act on it."

"You mean, I won't act on it. If I were a betting man, I'd say self-control is not one of your strong points. But itisone of mine. So I won't lose all sense just because you walk by in a tight pair of pants and don't bother to wear a bra." He glowered at her, uncrossing his arms and propping them on his lean hips.

"I'm wearing a bra today."

He frowned harder.

All Scarlet could think was how cute he looked when he was perturbed. He made being defensive look sexy. And she wanted to prove that he wasn’t in control as he thought.

But she knew better than to provoke him. No use in letting the spark of attraction go anywhere. She still loved John. Still dreamed about him. At least she wanted to dream about him even if he faded more each day.

Adam bristled like a dog guarding its turf. "Why would you tell me that? Nevermind. The important thing is what happened at the station isn't going to happen again. I don't make many lapses in judgment, and I damned sure don't repeat them."

Scarlet smiled inside, though she presented him with a calm demeanor. Shewasa good actress. "I'm sorry. Of course. And I've made you angry enough to curse. Sorry about that, too."

"I'm not angry."

"You sure? Because you look angry."

He spun on the heel of his perfectly polished boot and stalked up the flagstone path to the porch. "Report to me after this first session. I have your email address and will send you the time I expect you to come to the station. Behave yourself,” he called over his shoulder.

Then he disappeared into Phoenix.

"And goodbye to you, too," Scarlet said to the emptiness surrounding her. For a moment she felt lonely. Which was stupid. She wasn't any more alone than she'd been ten minutes ago. But something about Adam did things to her. Confused things. Things she'd rather not think about.

So she wouldn't.

She followed the path and prepared herself to meet the men she would be working with. Teaching acting to former gang members. Should be a piece of cake.

ADAM WAVED TO Rick,then stepped outside. Scarlet had gotten to him with her very honest and very true words.

Yes, he wanted her. But did she have to bring it out in the open? He didn't want to admit it to himself, much less say it out loud. Now it was out there. Floating. Waiting to fan the flames of need that burned inside him.

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