“Okay, lunch then. Afternoon baths are fun too.”

Dang it, she was really close to laughing. “No. And don’t you dare suggest breakfast or dessert. Or brunch!”

“Well then we have a problem. Call me old fashioned but I’d really like to feed you before we take a bath together.”

Somehow, she managed to smother the life out of a burgeoning giggle. “That was a blanket no. To the bath also.”

“Fine. But you don’t know what you’re missing. I’ll have you know, I give a pretty mean underwater massage.”

Ooh, that was low. Her achy muscles wanted in. But her common sense knew better. “Oh, I believe you. I’d be more surprised if you told me you gave a nice one.”

“Ouch. Okay, okay, I deserved that. Well, since you’ve now clearly moved on to the brutally honest portion of our phone call, why don’t you explain why you told me to leave earlier?”

“Brian already covered all that,” she skirted.

“So that was the only reason? Honoring that favor?”

God save her from insightful men. “Not exactly,” she confessed. “It was just…easier to let you believe it.”

“Easier than…”

“Saying no to you.” She stared at the water, admitting quietly to herself as well as to him, “When all I wanted was to say yes.”

“Abby.”

It came out as a groan.

And sounded like pure sin.

She couldn’t help it, in the thick quiet that followed, her hands began drifting over her skin without any preauthorization from her brain whatsoever.

Eyes closed, she let her fingers roam. Until her broken breathing fractured the silence.

“Invite me over, Abby,” Connor rasped. “Let me see you. Help you.”

Her eyes shot open and she yanked her hands back to safer territory.

What the heck was she thinking?

“What? No.”

“Why not?” His voice sounded strained.

“Because we just met!”

“No, we met well over a decade ago. And as you so delicately reminded me the other night,” he added almost teasingly, “we’ve kept in fairly regular contact since.”

She tried to keep her smile from showing in her voice. Why was it so easy to like this man? “You can’t come over.”

“Then at least agree to dinner, Abby. Just one night.”

“Coming from you, Connor, that sounds less like a reassurance and more like a mandate.”

Crap. She hadn't intended for that to sound so bitchy. She had no right to judge him. “Errr...not that that's a bad thing.”

He was silent for a second. “Are you saying you’ve never had a one-night stand? Ever?” All their earlier playfulness was wiped clean from his voice.

“Nope.”

But for once, she was tempted. Boy, was she tempted. “Besides, even if I were that kind of girl, I couldn’t have one with you. Our lives are too connected. There’s Brian and Skylar to think about.”

Not to mention, you’d utterly break my heart.

“We both know it wouldn’t be a good idea, Connor.”

A resigned grumble vibrated over the phone line. “You’re probably right.”

“Sheesh, you don't have to be so upset about it...don't worry, I'll let you be right next time,” she teased without thinking.

A big, surprised chuckle burst out of him. “If you want to take the sting out of this rejection you just handed out, you’re going to have to work on being a hell of a lot less cute. And smart. The snappy comebacks are becoming a major turn on for me.”

She bit her lip. That was just about the sweetest compliment she’d ever received. “You know, we can still be friends.”

This time his laughter sounded almost regretful. “What’d I say about cutting down on the cuteness?”

“Is that a no?”

He sighed. “That’s a maybe. Or at least an ‘I’ll try.’”

“I hate it when people say that,” she complained. “It’s such a copout.”

“Well, it’s the best you’re going to get. ‘I’ll try’ means I’m going to let you go finish your bath alone, and not hit on you again for at least another twenty-four hours.”

She’d never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Fine. You have a deal. For now. I’ll work on wearing you down later.”

“Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you.”

A strange thrill ran up her spine. “Goodbye, Connor.”

“Bye Abby…and have a good bath.”

“You too.” She frowned. “Wait. That came out weird. I meant a good one; have a good one.”

She paused again. Was it her or did that sound a little dirty?

Pinching her bridge of her nose, she tried again, “A good one as in a good time. Like I’m planning to have in the tub.”

Jesus.

A double-shot of oxygen hissed past her teeth.

Flustered, she attempted one more fix, “Not that I’m implying you’ll be doing what I’ll be doing—”

Oh. Good. Lord!

He growled. “Twenty-four hours, Abby. We’ll be ‘friends’ for twenty-four more hours and then you better believe we’ll be having this conversation again.”

She dunked her head under water as soon as he hung up, dazed at the prospect of resisting a man like Connor Sullivan.

Soon, she was the one spouting copouts.

CHAPTER FIVE

SHE WAS A COWARD. She’d spent the entire day working on her dissertation in the campus library instead of at home. Just in case Connor decided to call.

Not that she was under the fanciful impression that a big time lawyer like him had the time to be lounging around calling her all day.

Still, she liked to err on the side of caution.

And apparently, it was a good thing she did. Because when she finally threw in the towel and returned home at half past five, the shiny black Lexus awaiting her arrival confirmed yet again why cautious should’ve been her middle name.

“Busy day?” The question was casual, though Connor’s expression was anything but.

She decided to try for facetious. “As I’m sure you’re aware, stalking is a legally actionable offense in all fifty states.”

“God, don’t use legalese on me, Abby. Hearing it in your sexy teacher voice is just making it that much harder for me to stay your ‘friend’ for the next…” he checked his watch, “fifty-six minutes.”

Oh it was no use, she smiled a little over that.

“Have you been hiding from me?” he asked abruptly, visibly upset. “I called you twice today. Both times, it went straight to voicemail.”

“I was doing research. My cell phone doesn’t get good reception in certain parts of the library.”

“Oh.”

Seeing him look noticeably eased by that information stuck her with a needle of guilt. What she said was all true, but not the whole truth. She’d spent the majority of her time on the special collections floor and the rest reading on the third floor where she could also eat—two areas of the library where, incidentally, her phone caught just fine. At least, when it was switched on.

“…And maybe I was avoiding you a tiny bit.”

“I knew it.” His eyebrows snapped together. “Are you afraid of me? Do I make you uncomfortable or something?”

“I think it’s more a case of my being too comfortable with you.” She blew out a weary breath, knowing that only made sense to her. “Look, I’m not afraid of you. In fact, why don’t you come in and hang out? I can whip up some food and we can watch a DVD or some TV.”

The look on his face was how she imagined an alien would look upon arriving on a new planet. It would have been funny if it weren’t a bit sad.

She unlocked her door and went in, leaving him free to enter or leave. “You said we could be friends for another hour, right? So come on. I can tell you all about my day hiding out from my stalker.”

Finally, he broke out into a grin and followed her inside, making the temperature in the tiny foyer they were standing in even balmier when he removed his suit jacket.

Lord, the man had a broad chest.

Great arms, too.