Her eyes darkened even more. “Don’t talk in that voice.”

“What voice?”

“The one that makes my knees weak.”

“I thought me standing too close made your knees weak.”

“Be quiet.” She pulled open the door.

Her date smiled, showing teeth that did appear to be his own, Tanner noticed. And he definitely had hair. It was just a bad twist of karma that he looked like the Pillsbury dough boy.

Cami’s furtive glance over her shoulder at Tanner seemed to dare him to point that fact out, but he smiled innocently.

No need to point out the obvious.

Cami introduced the men, and while they sized each other up, she excused herself to go get her purse.

Tanner followed her into the kitchen because it pleased him to have the run of the place while Ted had to stand politely at the door where Cami left him.

“Don’t say a word,” she warned him, grabbing the strap of her purse, which promptly snapped, spilling everything to the floor.

One lipstick, a brush and a set of keys rolled out.

Oh, and a condom.

Tanner picked it up and wondered at the strange tightening of his stomach. “Thought you knew how to say no at the end of a date,” he said casually.

She snatched it out of his hand and shoved it into her purse. “These days a woman needs to be prepared.”

The thought of her having sex tonight, with that sloppy guy at her front door-hell, with any guy-made him want to lock her in her bathroom. But that didn’t make any sense at all. He didn’t care who she went out with. Didn’t care who she slept with. He only cared that she had a honey of a place he wanted to work on. “Prepared?”

“Yes, prepared. You might have heard of safe sex.”

“Prepared would be more than one condom, Cami.”

“That’s a man for you.”

He narrowed his gaze. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing, except for my sister was right. To men, having condoms in your wallet is a form of…bragging. To a woman, it’s smart.”

“It’s smart for me, too. But one condom…now, that just seems a little pessimistic.”

She snorted.

“Don’t you like multiple orgasms?” He had no idea why he asked her that, but her reaction duly sidetracked him.

Her jaw dropped. A blush worked its way over her face. She didn’t meet his gaze.

“Or didn’t your sister ever mention those?” he wondered.

“That’s quite personal,” she managed to say.

“Don’t you think?”

“I think you’re dodging the question. Sex is just a form of communication. You should be able to talk about it.”

“Not everyone is as blunt as you.”

“Nope. Nor as honest.”

“Fine, you want honest?” She licked her lower lip. Then spoke in a whisper. “I’ve never had multiple orgasms.”

Now he was the shocked one. She was beautiful. Really, earth-stoppingly beautiful. How was it she’d never-

“I’m not a virgin,” she said quickly. “I just-”

“Cami?” This came from the foyer. Clearly Ted had gotten antsy, probably wondering if she was escaping out the back door.

For a moment, she looked as if she might. “Look, I have no idea why I’m telling you all this,” she whispered to Tanner. “Just…just good night. Lock up when you go.”

And that quickly, she was gone, leaving him standing there dumbfounded in her wake.

“Mew.” Annabel butted her head against his leg and started to purr.

“Well, if it isn’t Ms. Cannibal,” he said, still distracted by that multiple orgasm thing. “Did you find another spider to torture?”

The cat licked her chops, and with a groan, Tanner squatted, peering into the cat’s face. “Dammit, you have leather in your whiskers!”

Swearing, he moved down the hallway, stopping short at the sight of his pouches, which he’d left on the floor.

Bad mistake. Annabel had gotten yet another one, chewing a hole that meant his stash of nails would fall out. “You,” he said, pointing to the cat who’d followed him, who was at this very moment studying him with a cavalier attitude. “You are one very rude cat.”

She merely lifted her chin.

And reminded him so much of Cami that he had to laugh. “Stick to your own food, would you?”

She didn’t even blink, which reminded him that he was speaking to a cat for God’s sake. “I’m outta here,” he mumbled. And purposely not thinking about Cami, the woman who couldn’t say no, and what she might be not saying no to at this very moment, he started to clean up.

When his cell phone rang, his heart stopped out of habit. There was only one reason he’d get a call so long after hours.

When he read the digital screen of the incoming phone number, he didn’t relax. “What’s wrong?” he demanded instead of a normal greeting.

“Some hello.”

“Dad.” Tanner let out a careful breath. His father sounded…fine. “You okay?”

“Scared you, did I?” He gave a craggy laugh. “Good. Maybe you’ll come by and bring me something.”

“I’m not bringing you cigarettes or booze.”

“Hey, I raised you better than that.”

Relief filled Tanner. “You’re ornery. That’s a good sign. I’ll bring you dinner.”

“I’d rather have the cigarettes.”

“Too bad.”

“Tacos then, extra spicy sauce.”

“Soup,” Tanner said finally. “Take it or leave it.”

“Double chocolate cake for dessert?”

“Pudding. Vanilla.”

“Dammit, boy, you’re the meanest son of a bitch I know.”

Tanner laughed. How long had it been since he’d sparred with his father? Heard that joy of life in his voice? Too long, and more than relief filled him, along with a burst of warm affection.

Tanner didn’t have much, materially speaking, at this point, not after a year of spending every penny he had to get his father well. But he had this, and it was everything. “Love you, too, Dad.

See you in an hour.”

“Are you sure? Because if you had a hot date, I wouldn’t want to interfere.”

He thought of Cami. And multiple orgasms.

He could give her multiple orgasms. At the mere thought, his body leaped to attention.

“Tanner?”

“No date,” he said, rolling his eyes at himself and his juvenile reaction.

“Why not?”

“Dad.”

“Look, all I’m saying is, if you come across a chance to get some instead of seeing me, well then, go get some.”

“Some what?” Tanner asked warily.

“Sex, boy. Stay on the same page now.”

Tanner groaned. “I’m hanging up.”

“Okay, but just remember. Sex first. Then me.”


THEY WENT all the way to Reno for dinner because Ted wanted to go to Denny’s. In hindsight, that should have been Cami’s first hint things weren’t going to get better.

“They’ve got a great buffet,” Ted said, huffing a little as he escorted her across the parking lot. They got to the front door at exactly the same moment, and Cami hesitated, thinking Ted might open it for her.

He opened the door, all right, and in his haste for food, pushed ahead of her.

And stomped on her toe.

“I love buffets,” he said in lieu of an apology.

Cami grimaced at her throbbing toe and smudged sandal. “Gee, I hope there isn’t a crowd.”

“That’s the beauty of this place,” Ted answered earnestly. “It’s never crowded.”

Goodie.

“Dessert is included.”

“Even better.” This couldn’t be happening to her, she decided, watching her date rush toward the buffet table. Her mother couldn’t have really done this to her own daughter. Determined to believe it wasn’t as bad as she thought, Cami pasted a smile on her face and tried really hard. “I heard you build Web sites.”

“Look at that,” he whispered reverently, pointing to a platter of biscuits, giving her a little nudge when she didn’t move. “Take as many as you want.”

“Great.”

After dinner, during which Ted refused to talk because talking interrupted the eating process, which was apparently close to a religious experience for him, he offered to let her pay. Then offered to take her to the movies.

Dutch treat.

“It’s not that I can’t pay for you,” he said quickly, walking with her to his car. “It’s just that in today’s day and age, I know how important it is for a woman to assert her independence. Plus, I find a lot of women take advantage, you know, and agree to go out with me just for a free night of entertainment.”

“In the name of not taking advantage, let’s just call it a night,” she suggested.

“Oh, no.” He looked scandalized. “That wouldn’t be giving this thing between us a fair chance. Hey, I have an idea. We can do the drive-in theater.”

“No, that’s not necessary-”

“Shh,” he said very politely, cranking up the radio and filling the car with what sounded like elevator music. “I love this song.”

Cami clamped her mouth shut and actually wished for Tanner’s far too loud rock music.


TED’S CAR DIED at precisely midnight, painfully reminding Cami that she was in no way, shape or form related to Cinderella, who’d at least had those cute little mice for company when it all went bad.

They were on a relatively untraveled stretch of road, because Ted had gotten off Highway 80 at least five miles from nowhere to see if he could locate the Big Dipper for her.

Now the car was dead and her cell phone had no signal.

Didn’t get much better than this.

Thanks, Mom.

“Here comes a car,” Ted said. “I’ll see if I can flag it down.”

Cami waited while he hopped out and wildly waved his hand, illuminated in the approaching headlights like a bouncing…dough boy. In the dark, Cami couldn’t see what transpired, but a moment later, Ted came back.

“It’s a woman,” he said. “She’s in a Porsche two-seater on her way to Auburn. She said she could take me into Truckee.”

“Me?”

“No. Me.”

Cami frowned because Ted seemed…excited. Breathless, almost. Definitely more animated than she’d seen him all night. “You mean you’re going to leave me here?”