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something over his shoulder. Anywhere but at him.
    “I’m, uh, going to go and take a shower and change, and then we’ll go shopping.” She bolted from the room as if the devil himself were nipping at her heels.
    Once she was gone, Shane dropped his head against the back of the sofa, closed his eyes, and exhaled hard and deep. Who would have thought that he and Alyssa could generate such hot chemistry together? He could only imagine what would happen if it was ever fully ignited—spontaneous combustion was what came to his mind.
    With a touch, a look, he’d managed to prove that there was definitely something going on between him and Alyssa that neither one of them had been willing to acknowledge until this morning—even if
she
wouldn’t admit it, or face the attraction that was simmering beneath their friendship.
    But she would, soon.
    He’d crossed a few boundaries with her and had been rewarded with a glimpse of what could be. He grinned, fairly certain he was going to cross a few more lines with Alyssa before the week was through.
    #
    Alyssa stripped off her pajama’s and stepped beneath the shower head, praying that the hot water would dispel the crazy, wild fluttering in her stomach, and the tingling in her breasts. Butterflies, that’s what they were—and it had been forever since she’d experienced that light, tickling sensation in the pit of her belly that occurred when she connected on a physical, sexual level with a man.
    And today, that man had been Shane.
    She groaned in dismay and tilted her head back to douse her hair. What in the world had happened out there in the living room? They’d gone from having a teasing conversation about her grumpy morning mood, to a more serious discussion about Shane wanting to improve his appearance for some woman he was interested in, to her getting turned on when he’d accidentally touched her breast and nipple. From there, things had escalated into a far more sensual moment, taking her completely by surprise.
    Her body still trembled deep inside, her mind was spinning like a top, and she could hardly process all that had just transpired. She was confused and appalled and, if she was honest with herself, she was still bothered over the fact that Shane was interested in someone, but didn’t feel inclined to share who. At least not yet.
    She snorted at that as she washed her hair with shampoo, silently berating herself for having double standards where Shane was concerned. It wasn’t as though she’d come right out and told him about her secret admirer, either. So, in truth, she really didn’t have the right to be so upset with him.
    But, dammit, she was. Not to mention envious and jealous, too. And those were emotions she wasn’t used to dealing with.
    The thought of losing Shane, her best friend, to another woman sent a shaft of panic racing through her, because she feared if that happened, he’d no longer be there for
her
when she needed him the most. Or that possibly another woman wouldn’t understand, or tolerate, their close friendship.
    Maybe her fear of losing Shane was the reason why she’d allowed her deeper feelings for him to surface this morning—like the desire and attraction she’d managed to keep buried for so long. It
had
to be a subliminal thing that had coaxed those intimate yearnings out into the open now, but whatever the reason, she didn’t plan on letting it happen again!
    She finished up with her shower, and by the time she’d blow dried her hair and changed into jeans and a blouse, she was ready to face Shane and the day ahead with a new attitude and outlook. Even if that meant helping Shane to impress another woman.

CHAPTER THREE
    Shane stepped out of the dressing room and into the private viewing area where Alyssa was waiting for him to model one of the outfits she’d selected for him.
    “Well, what do you think?” he asked.
    “Wow, you clean up pretty well, Mr. Witmer.” She walked up behind him and smoothed her hands