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Authors: Lisa Plumley
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trail, downright saintly about his plans to show
Jayne the goodness of mankind. But as he lifted the pack he'd
chosen, another, less welcome emotion pushed its way into his
consciousness.
Uneasiness.
Along with it came the sensation that he'd
forgotten something. Riley tried to tamp it down, but it refused to
budge. He tried to ignore it, along with the uneasiness, but still
it niggled at him. For some reason, he felt unsure about what was
happening. And then it hit him—the realization of what was behind
these feelings.
In the past, getting close to Jayne had only
tempted him to change his ways, he remembered. Had only encouraged
him to give up the vagabond life he'd chosen and
stay— stay —with her. Would spending time with her now have
the same effect?
Riley looked at her, considering. Jayne was
laughing, swiveled in her chair in a classic bombshell's pose, legs
crossed seductively and dress clinging in all the right places. She
looked fabulous. Warm, affectionate, funny. Exactly the way a
change-your-whole-life temptress ought to look.
He waited for that old urge to strike...the
urge that had whispered how nice it would be to wake up in the same
place, with the same woman, day after day.
It didn't strike.
Whew . For a second there, he'd been
afraid he didn't even have the fortitude to get through a single
day—much less a whole week—with Jayne, and still keep his
traveling-adventuring-exploring goals intact.
To see, to do, to conquer, to
enjoy .
If he couldn't stick to his intentions,
Riley told himself, then he wasn't the man he thought he was. And
that was...unthinkable.
Boundlessly relieved, he called an end to
the chatty discussion. With the ladies' attention secured, Riley
accepted a sample backpacker's pack from Alexis and held it in his
arms as he addressed the group again.
"I'll need a volunteer to help demonstrate
proper fitting of a trail pack," he said. He grinned and delivered
his standard joke. "Someone who won't mind getting close, and won't
mind having a strange man's hands all over her."
Five hands shot into the air. The women
waved their arms, eager to join in. As Riley had expected, Jayne
wasn't one of the volunteers.
Time for the "two could play that game"
portion of our show .
Sweeping the group with a speculative look,
he finally settled his gaze on...Jayne. He took his time
considering her, and was forced to admire the way she sat straight
beneath his scrutiny. Obviously, she refused to be intimidated—or
to admit the sense of challenge playing between them.
"Jayne, how about you?"
Chapter Five
How about her? Jayne thought
as Riley's I-dare-you gaze settled on her. How about having her
sense of self-preservation examined, for instance?
It looked as though she'd checked it at the
doors of the Hideaway Lodge, along with her sense of normalcy and
her usual city-bred certainty. Staying here where Riley could tease
her with those warm hazel eyes, that devastating smile, that
alert-yet-relaxed stance of his was absolutely nuts. Any sensible
woman would have taken herself far away from him. Far, far, far,
far— yikes. He was coming closer .
At his approach, she straightened in her
chair, desperate to continue projecting a confident,
you-don't-bug-me demeanor. During Riley's presentation, it had been
hard not to fidget. She'd caught herself at it a few
times—nervously crossing and uncrossing her legs, playing with her
pendant, wiggling in her chair—and had put a stop to it every
time...but not before Riley had noticed, in a couple of
instances.
She didn't want him to know he could still
get to her. That way lay madness—and the certain failure of her Heartbreak 101 workshop. Her techniques had never faced a
challenge quite like this—more than six feet of rugged male, coming
nearer with every second and likely to come even closer over the
next few days. Good-natured Riley, with his easy ways and drifter's
heart, probably didn't even realize how his
Jayne the goodness of mankind. But as he lifted the pack he'd
chosen, another, less welcome emotion pushed its way into his
consciousness.
Uneasiness.
Along with it came the sensation that he'd
forgotten something. Riley tried to tamp it down, but it refused to
budge. He tried to ignore it, along with the uneasiness, but still
it niggled at him. For some reason, he felt unsure about what was
happening. And then it hit him—the realization of what was behind
these feelings.
In the past, getting close to Jayne had only
tempted him to change his ways, he remembered. Had only encouraged
him to give up the vagabond life he'd chosen and
stay— stay —with her. Would spending time with her now have
the same effect?
Riley looked at her, considering. Jayne was
laughing, swiveled in her chair in a classic bombshell's pose, legs
crossed seductively and dress clinging in all the right places. She
looked fabulous. Warm, affectionate, funny. Exactly the way a
change-your-whole-life temptress ought to look.
He waited for that old urge to strike...the
urge that had whispered how nice it would be to wake up in the same
place, with the same woman, day after day.
It didn't strike.
Whew . For a second there, he'd been
afraid he didn't even have the fortitude to get through a single
day—much less a whole week—with Jayne, and still keep his
traveling-adventuring-exploring goals intact.
To see, to do, to conquer, to
enjoy .
If he couldn't stick to his intentions,
Riley told himself, then he wasn't the man he thought he was. And
that was...unthinkable.
Boundlessly relieved, he called an end to
the chatty discussion. With the ladies' attention secured, Riley
accepted a sample backpacker's pack from Alexis and held it in his
arms as he addressed the group again.
"I'll need a volunteer to help demonstrate
proper fitting of a trail pack," he said. He grinned and delivered
his standard joke. "Someone who won't mind getting close, and won't
mind having a strange man's hands all over her."
Five hands shot into the air. The women
waved their arms, eager to join in. As Riley had expected, Jayne
wasn't one of the volunteers.
Time for the "two could play that game"
portion of our show .
Sweeping the group with a speculative look,
he finally settled his gaze on...Jayne. He took his time
considering her, and was forced to admire the way she sat straight
beneath his scrutiny. Obviously, she refused to be intimidated—or
to admit the sense of challenge playing between them.
"Jayne, how about you?"
Chapter Five
How about her? Jayne thought
as Riley's I-dare-you gaze settled on her. How about having her
sense of self-preservation examined, for instance?
It looked as though she'd checked it at the
doors of the Hideaway Lodge, along with her sense of normalcy and
her usual city-bred certainty. Staying here where Riley could tease
her with those warm hazel eyes, that devastating smile, that
alert-yet-relaxed stance of his was absolutely nuts. Any sensible
woman would have taken herself far away from him. Far, far, far,
far— yikes. He was coming closer .
At his approach, she straightened in her
chair, desperate to continue projecting a confident,
you-don't-bug-me demeanor. During Riley's presentation, it had been
hard not to fidget. She'd caught herself at it a few
times—nervously crossing and uncrossing her legs, playing with her
pendant, wiggling in her chair—and had put a stop to it every
time...but not before Riley had noticed, in a couple of
instances.
She didn't want him to know he could still
get to her. That way lay madness—and the certain failure of her Heartbreak 101 workshop. Her techniques had never faced a
challenge quite like this—more than six feet of rugged male, coming
nearer with every second and likely to come even closer over the
next few days. Good-natured Riley, with his easy ways and drifter's
heart, probably didn't even realize how his
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