Page 7 of 7 Days and 7 Nights

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With her Monday morning show behind her, Olivia went in search of Matt. Braced for confrontation, she strode toward the production studio where Matt was recording commercials, determined to establish ground rules for the remainder of their time together at WTLK.

She’d been wrong not to acknowledge what had happened between them in Chicago. While she had no intention of making their past common knowledge, letting it simmer in silence between them had proven a bad idea. She hadn’t realized how hard it would be to work with Matt again, but now that she knew, well, she’d just have to find a way to set things straight.

The glowing red light above the studio door indicated Matt’s microphone was open, so she stopped outside and studied her nemesis through the rectangle of glass.

As she watched, he leaned forward into the microphone, his attention split between the page of ad copy and the digital timer beside it, and read the script aloud. His body language declared him both focused and relaxed. Olivia was neither because even through the wall of a sealed room, Matt Ransom still had the power to unnerve her.

She’d been a twenty-one-year-old intern when WZNA’s sexy afternoon DJ had singled her out. He’d been worldly; she’d been painfully inexperienced. He’d offered a good time; she’d fallen completely and embarrassingly in love. And if she’d been ill-prepared for the advent of their relationship, she’d been even less equipped to handle its sudden end.

Her experience with Matt had marked and changed her. Never again did she give herself so freely or trust so blindly. Even her choice of husband could be traced to the

lessons she’d learned from Matt.

Now, eight years later, it was hard to fathom how she could have fallen so deeply for a man she’d barely known. It was even harder to understand why a part of her still

wanted to believe there was more to Matt Ransom than a sexy smile and easy charm.

Watching him work, she told herself that she felt only disdain for a man who plowed through women like a farmer did a field, but she could still remember every detail of his lovemaking. Just as she remembered what it felt like to have the full force of his personality focused solely on her.

The red light flashed off, and Olivia reached for the doorknob. Quickly, before she could lose her nerve, she turned it and opened the door.

Matt looked up from the audio board and stood, his face reflecting his surprise. “Hello, Livvy.”

The use of his old nickname for her stopped her cold. It took several long seconds to recover and an enormous amount of will not to drop her gaze. Stepping forward, she pulled the door shut behind her, trying not to notice how small the space was and how completely he filled it. “I want to talk about what’s going on between us.”

“Between us? Have I missed something?” He smiled, and his brown eyes went warm. “No, I’d definitely know if there was something between us.”

She felt the heat steal up her neck to warm her cheeks and fought the urge to fall back a step.

“Given what you do for a living, Olivia, it’s amazing that talking about sex still makes you blush.” He didn’t wait for a reply. “We were talking about sex, weren’t we?”

The smug amusement in his voice straightened her spine. “Youmay have been, but then, that’s standard operating procedure for you, isn’t it? I’m not here to trade double entendres, Matt, and I have no interest in wasting time on sexual innuendo.”

“No, let’s not ever waste time. And let’s not enjoy ourselves too much, either. Wouldn’t want to appeartoohuman.”

She felt a fine, hot flash of anger.

Raising her chin, she said, “We’re working together again and in case you hadn’t noticed we are currentlyat work, so you need to be professional. You do know how to do that, don’t you?”

“Know how? I taught you. Along with quite a few other things.”

Olivia flushed at the blatant reminder while annoyed at the fine line he was walking. She opened her mouth to respond, but had to swallow her retort when a knock sounded on the door. She turned as the door swung outward to reveal a very young, very beautiful female.

“Hope I’m not interrupting.” The girl’s gaze swept over Olivia. “You promised me lunch, Matt. Are you almost done?"

“Olivia, this is Cherie. She just started in the sales department. Cherie, Dr. Olivia Moore.”

Cherie’s face glowed with obvious adoration. For Matt. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. O. I’m a big fan.” The girl’s respectful tone placed Olivia squarely in the ancient-crone-not-to-be-considered-competition category—not a place a woman approaching thirty wanted to be. Olivia forced a smile. “Thank you, Cherie, it’s a pleasure to meet you, too. But I’m not quite finished with Matt yet.” Assuring herself she had not just made a Freudian slip, Olivia waited for the young woman to duck back out the door. Then she turned to face Matt again, fortified by the knowledge that he, like her father, would always be surrounded by Cheries.

She straightened to her full height. Matt Ransom was nothing more than a colleague—and according to T.J., a temporary one. All she required from him was professional courtesy and a modicum of respect. “I expect you to stop making fun of me on the air. And I also expect you to keep your callers in line. I don’t appreciate being held up to ridicule, even on that free-for-all you call a radio show.”

The glint of amusement disappeared from Matt’s eyes. “Well, you’d be a less tempting target if you didn’t take yourself so damned seriously.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“It’s just radio, Olivia. Not brain surgery. And no matter what you want to tell yourself, it’s about entertainment and ratings.”

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