Janet Evanovich - Full House

"Does it work on television?"

"Usually," she admitted.

"You think it'll work tonight?"

"Get real."

Nick grinned. "Mothers are pretty tough, but polo players are even tougher. I usually win."

Billie looked at him levelly, a hint of amusement in her large hazel eyes. "You don't scare me, Kaharchek. Nothing scares me. I teach sixth grade, remember?"

He continued to smile at her. It was an easy, affable smile, completely without guile and pleasantly intimate. His voice was soft and husky, a bedroom voice compatible with the smile. "You can cut a wrestler down to size with a look, and punch ornery horses, but you're not so brave about acknowledging the attraction between us."

Outwardly Billie struggled to seem calm, but the tension building between her shoulder blades was tight as a rubber band stretched to its limit. And Nick knew exactly what he was doing to her.

She willed her voice to be steady and spoke softly but distinctly. "My attitude toward you has nothing to do with bravery or acknowledgment. It has to do with common sense and a little self-discipline. Simply put, I refuse to be one of your little playthings." Having seen the way the beautiful Miss Flock had looked at him had convinced her to maintain a safe distance from the man.

His gaze slid the length of her. "Is that why you wore this prim white shirt? So you wouldn't turn me on?"

She didn't respond. He'd obviously broken his share of hearts and she wasn't about to become his next victim.

"You failed dismally because you look extraordinarily sexy in it. You have this don't-touch-me look that makes me want to touch you all the more." He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips, then, very calmly folded his arms, leaned back in the seat, and closed his eyes.

Billie stared at him, gaped at him actually, eyes wide with surprise. "That's it?"

"Hmmm?" He didn't open his eyes.

"You're not going to make a pass at me?"

He opened one eye. "You sound disappointed."

"Isn't that what this whole thing was about? I'll bet you talked Frankie into letting us use his limo so you could plan this big seduction scene."

"Frankly, I just wanted to spend some quiet time with you." He took her hand in his and held it. "Relax."

A very confused Billie leaned back in the plush seat. What was going on? she wondered. Here she was with Loudoun County's biggest stud, and he wasn't going to make a pass at her after all? Was it some kind of game meant to confuse her? She understood games about as much as she did her VCR. She simply sat there wearing a perplexed look.

Was she disappointed? she asked herself. Perhaps she wanted Nick to desire her, despite the flash of pain she'd seen in Sheridan Flock's eyes, despite knowing how quickly Nick went through women. As ridiculous as it sounded, even in her own head, she knew there was still some small part of her that would never fully recover from her ex-husband's rejection. The fact that Nicholas Kaharchek found her sexy had bolstered her self-confidence and made her feel like a woman again instead of a mother and a schoolteacher.

Nick noted the play of emotions on her face and wondered at them. He couldn't begin to decipher her feelings when he was clueless as to his own. He picked up a phone and gave the driver Billie's address. "And how about stopping by the Dairy Queen on the way home?" he said.

"We're going to the Dairy Queen?" she asked.

"I'm hungry. You ate part of my dinner."

She blushed. "I only had a few bites of your steak."

"You ate more than half of it. Heaven only knows where you put it."

"I've been wanting a good steak for a long time. All I eat is low-fat frozen dinners."

"Why?" His brow wrinkled. "Never mind, I think I know."

"Know what?"

"You don't feel comfortable with your body."

"Excuse me?"

"And we both know the reasons."

Billie stared at him, stunned. Was the man a mind reader? "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Your ex-husband wouldn't recognize quality if it slapped him in the face."

Billie's own face flamed. Nick had seen right through her insecurities, the nagging doubts that sometimes flared when she remembered what it had felt like being tossed aside for another woman. Was he backing off out of pity? The thought sent a hot flash of anger through her. "Don't bring my past into this. I feel perfectly comfortable with my body and who I am, thank you very much. You just can't handle the fact that I'm not the least bit interested in an affair with a man who uses women, and then walks away once the newness rubs off."

"You've certainly got me pegged." He looked amused.

"I, on the other hand, still believe in old-fashioned values. Love and marriage and family."

"Man, you really play hardball, don't you?"

"You don't believe in marriage?"

He shrugged. "I think it's great in theory but not at all realistic. Everyone I know has been divorced at least once, including my parents."

"Is that why you broke it off with Miss Flock?"

He looked at her. "What makes you think I broke it off?"

"Give me a break. I know your type. Mister Love-'em-and-leave-'em. I'm surprised you actually went as far as buying an engagement ring."

"Yep, you've got me all figured out," he said.

"Uh-huh. I've got your number, Kaharchek. You and a dozen other men just like you."

"What about you? Did you like being married?"

"No, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be good. That's why next time I'll be smarter when it comes to choosing a husband."

"Oh, yeah? What will you do differently?"

Billie saw the twinkle in his eyes and knew he was playing with her. She composed her face and tried to look deadly serious. "I'm going to marry an older gentleman."

"How old?"

"A man who is well past his midlife crises. And he's going to drive a Volvo station wagon instead of a sports car." She ticked the remaining qualifications off on her fingers. "He will not be into snakes, wrestling, sequins, nor will he have enlarged body parts."

"You know, enlarged body parts sometimes work in a lady's favor."

Her look would have shattered reinforced concrete. "He will absolutely, definitely not have a membership to a tanning salon. He will not own a hot tub, a gold chain necklace, or designer underwear." She pressed her lips together primly. "He'll wear plaid flannel boxer shorts. The big ugly baggy kind."

Nick smiled and raised his eyebrows, knowing there was an element of truth buried in the humor. "So, that's your ideal husband, huh?"

"Yup."

"I think you just described my Uncle Henry. He's in a nursing home in Falls Church. They let him have visitors on Sundays. I could fix you up with him."

"Very funny, but I'm almost serious. I'm not marrying another immature, insecure Romeo who'll only end up straying like the last one, without a care as to what it means to tear a family apart, including two young children."

Nick felt something tug at his gut as he remembered his own parents' divorce. They had been so caught up in their own anger and misery, they had given little notice to their son's feelings. Instead of allowing her to see how her words had affected him, he merely grinned.

"I don't suppose you'd want to have a wild fling with no strings attached before you meet Mr. Right?"

"When pigs fly, Kaharchek."

The limo had stopped moving. They'd arrived at the Dairy Queen. "Then allow me the pleasure of buying you a banana split with all the fixings while there's still a little life left in you."

Billie allowed him to help her out of the limo. She caught sight of the grim line of his lips and thought he looked disappointed. She had told him what she wanted out of life, and he'd accepted it, knowing that, while their paths had crossed and they'd enjoyed a few moments of sexual awareness and camaraderie, they had very little in common when it came to the important stuff.