When Stars Collide (Chicago Stars #9) - Susan Elizabeth Phillips Page 0,37
men, and I know you understand why. For the foreseeable future, all my good times are going to be onstage.”
He groaned. “That’s the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard you say.”
She smiled despite the bone-deep sadness that had become part of her. “You think it’s depressing for you? What about me?”
“So you admit you want to.”
She let her eyes enjoy every bit of what she couldn’t let herself have. “Oh, yes . . . You’re a female fantasy.”
His brows drew together. “I’m not sure I like being reduced to a stereotype.”
“Own it.” She shuddered, this time not from the cold. “Stay away, Thad Owens. This is a terrible time for me, and you’re almost too tempting for a mortal female to resist.”
“Why am I not flattered?”
“Because you’re not used to being rejected.” She gave him a deliberately insincere smile, determined to keep things light. “It’s not you, it’s me.”
“Damned right it’s you!” He whipped off his boxers and turned back into the water, giving her a fine view of his very firm, very untouchable ass.
* * *
He was still grouchy the next morning. “You can make your own damned breakfast.”
She reached for the box of Wheaties he’d left on the counter and spilled it into a bowl. She suspected she wasn’t the only one who’d practiced a little self-gratification last night before she’d gone to sleep. Not that it had helped.
The only way to deal with her attraction to Thad Owens was to give him a hard time. She splashed milk on her cereal and regarded him with fake concern. “Rejection is hard for you, isn’t it? Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I don’t want to talk about it. If we can’t f— If we can’t get naked, I don’t want anything to do with you.”
She plopped down across from him. “You’re cute when you’re petulant.”
“And you’re sexy as hell, and I’ve seen you naked, and I want to see more.”
“No one could ever accuse you of being indirect.”
He abandoned his petulant act, which she’d suspected he’d specifically adopted to annoy her, and kicked back in his chair. “I don’t get it. We like each other. We have a great time together. You look at me like I’m an ice cream sundae, and I look at you the same way. So what’s the big deal?”
The big deal was she’d never again let anything—especially not the temporary temptation of Thad Owens—derail her. Her career was her life, and unless a man like Dennis Cullen came along—a man with no personal ego who devoted himself to his wife’s career—she was keeping her focus where it needed to be, on her work.
She knew the perfect way to deal with Thad. “I have a rule. No hookups, no flings, no affairs. Not without a commitment.”
“Commitment!” Those green eyes shot open. “We’ve only known each other a little over a week!”
She arranged her face in her most earnest expression. “Is commitment a problem for you?”
“Damn right, it’s a problem. I can barely commit to what I want to eat for dinner, let alone to a woman.”
A long, theatrical sigh. “Sorry. Unless you’re thinking about the possibility of marriage, we’re a nonstarter.”
He dropped his spoon, splashing milk on the tabletop. “Did you say ‘marriage’?”
She was an actress, and she had no trouble keeping a straight face. “If you want it, put a ring on it.”
She couldn’t have come up with a more efficient way of defusing the geomagnetic storm of sexual heat that sizzled around them. He shot up from the table. “I’m going out.”
“I thought you might want to.”
It wouldn’t take him long to realize she was baiting him, but for now, she’d enjoy the solitude. Or at least try to.
The piano in the great room was out of tune, but she played it anyway. Tested her voice. Bent her arms over the keyboard and tried not to cry.
* * *
Light snow fell on the windshield early the next morning as they drove back toward Denver. They’d taken a hike yesterday and listened to good jazz over dinner. Thad had grilled steaks and sidestepped her questions about his secretive computer habits. Her attempt at making mashed potatoes had ended up in the trash, but she’d made a killer salad. She wished they could have stayed longer.
He eased up on the accelerator. “That was some bullshit you were dishing out yesterday morning. Congratulations.”
She cradled her cup of the coffee they’d brought along. “I do like to take my entertainment where I can find it.”