Hot Buttered Yum (4 page)

He’d bought all of her CDs after that night and then
attended a solo concert two years later when he’d been living in Houston. He
hadn’t realized at the time that it would be one of her last.

Which made him wonder what had caused her to walk away from
it all.

She probably didn’t need the money, but still … a person
does something their whole life, gets accolades and recognition—it was hard to
imagine they’d just up and walk away without a look back.

Though he shouldn’t be surprised. He’d witnessed firsthand
how a woman could up and walk away. He pushed the irritating thought from his
mind and returned to the present. To Roni.

To the fact that she was looking at him as she had that day
at lunch. As if she could be his for the taking.

If he wanted.

And he was no idiot. He wanted.

He studied the gentle features of her face before admitting,
“I’m definitely a fan.”

Her lips curved. The color on them made him want to lean in
and taste her. “Maybe I’ll play for you while you’re here, then.”

“So you still play?” The idea of a private show just for him
made standing in the middle of a crowd difficult. He wanted to drag her off and
be alone with her right then.

She gave a small shrug. “You can take the girl out of the performing
…”

But she was still a pianist. That was very good to know. He
closed his other hand over where their two remained joined. He wanted to close
the distance between them completely.

“You’re accent isn’t as heavy tonight,” he remarked. The
very attractive pink color that had touched her cheeks at lunch was back. He
liked that she blushed so easily around him.

“I was laying it on a little thick earlier,” she admitted.
“Some men like the accent.”

“Ah,” he murmured. “And some men like the whole package.”
Lord knows he did.

She blushed a deeper pink.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was yet, but she
drew him to her. Instantly and hard. This would be a couple of fun weeks if he
had anything to say about it.

Someone bumped into them and they both shuffled a couple
steps over but didn’t look around, neither wanting to let anyone else into
their private conversation just yet.

“Please tell me you don’t have anyone waiting for you back
home,” she whispered.

Hot damn
. And no. Not in the way she meant. “Not a
soul.”

“Good.”

That’s all. Just “good” and then a soft smile.

It was a done deal. He was going to see this woman naked.

His mother’s voice chose that minute to pop into his head.
If
it seems too good to be true, Lucas Eugene, then likely it’s going to come with
trouble.

But he couldn’t see where trouble would show up with Roni.
Two weeks of casual, easy fun and then he’d head home. The thought of having only
two weeks poked at a spot behind his rib cage, but he didn’t let himself explore
it. That’s the way it would be. No need to play the what-if game.

“Maybe we could talk more later?” she suggested. She cast
her gaze around quickly, seeming reluctant to pull away, but they both knew
they couldn’t stand there alone in the middle of the room for the remainder of
the night.  “After I’m finished here.”

“Absolutely.”

A small horizontal line formed across her brow. “I’m
confused, though,” she said. “Other than ‘Lucas,’ I’m not sure who you are. I
don’t recognize you.”

“Alexander,” he said. He squeezed her hand between his. “Lucas
Alexander.”

She nodded but the line didn’t disappear. “And why are you …” She lifted her shoulders slightly before finishing with, “here?”

Ah, she didn’t know he was a contestant. He really needed to
find that button.

“I’m—”

“Not at all good at following directions.” Clipboard lady
was now standing at his elbow, eyeing his and Roni’s hands clasped together. He
let go, feeling like he’d been caught touching a body part other than her hand.

The newcomer stuck out a slim, white plastic bag with a logo
for a local bakery on it. “Kayla Morgan,” she said. “You were supposed to be on
the one-thirty ferry this afternoon, and then subsequently, in the lobby to be
greeted appropriately at two o’clock.”

Lucas took the bag. “Sorry about that,” he mumbled. He
glanced at Roni as if she might offer him some help, but instead, she stood
there with a look of shock on her face. Mixed with the shock seemed to be
disappointment.

“We’re putting on a highly organized event here, Mr.
Alexander. I’d like to welcome you to the island, and let you know that if you
should need anything at all throughout the next two weeks—” she nodded at the
bag in his hand “—my number can be found on my card. But I do ask you to
please, follow directions from here on out. I need that cooperation from each
of you to ensure that everything runs smoothly and as planned.”

Silence filled the space when she quit talking.

Lucas didn’t know whether to go sit in the corner as punishment
or to laugh at the woman, who seemed strung way too tight.

“Your button is in your bag,” Kayla tacked on when he said
nothing.

He looked at Roni again. She’d lost the look of shock, to
have it now replaced by a bland, polite expression. Her loss of animation made
the area between his shoulder blades itch.

When he continued not speaking, and Kayla continued standing
there staring at him, Roni finally nudged her chin in his direction. “She’s
waiting for you to agree to follow the schedule.”

Oh. He nodded quickly. “Yes. I’m sorry. I’ll absolutely
follow the schedule. I apologize again. I ended up catching an earlier flight
out and got busy working and simply forgot the time.”

The pinch on Kayla’s face implied she didn’t care. “Just let
me know if anything else needs to change. In advance, please.”

And then she was gone and Lucas was left standing alone once
more with Roni.

“Wow,” he said. “She’s intense.” He had the thought that her
idea of fun was probably sitting at home at night in flannel pj’s, dreaming up
ways to scare people into order.

“She’s stressed, is all. She’s a good person. She wants to
do a good job.” The flirty lift to Roni’s tone was gone and a heaviness crept inside
Lucas’s chest at the loss.

“Think it would help if I sent her flowers or something?” he
teased. He wanted to see Roni smile again.

Instead, she locked her brown eyes on his, nothing but cool politeness
remaining, and said, “I apologize, Lucas. I didn’t realize you were a
contestant. I shouldn’t have come over at lunch today.”

“Wait.” He reached out to stop her though she hadn’t yet
turned away. Her words seemed to impact his ability to pull in a deep breath.
“What do you mean?”

She cocked her head at him and gave him a dry look. “There’s
no need to beat around the bush. We’re attracted to each other, we’re doing the
dance, trying to decide if we want a fling or not.”

She shook her head and opened her mouth to say more, but he
jumped in and stopped her.

“I’ve already decided,” he said.

“We can’t.”

“I do,” he insisted. “We can.” He grabbed her hand. “We
should
.”

She raised an eyebrow, then disentangled her hand. “We
can’t
.”

“Well, why not?” Nothing about the last few minutes had
indicated this was the way their conversation would end. He would have sworn
she was just as receptive to the idea as he.

A sigh slipped past her lips, her shoulders sinking at the
same time. “I’m the face of this contest, Lucas. That’s why not. I can’t be …” She glanced around, then leaned slightly in and whispered, “Sleeping with a
contestant.”

“Then how about I promise to keep you up all night?” He
couldn’t help but try. He gave her his best smile. She was right, there was attraction
there. A lot. The chemistry between them sizzled. He put one hand over his
heart. “I solemnly swear
not
to let you sleep for one single minute
while we’re together.”

A hint of a smile played around her lips. It even made it to
her eyes. But she still shook her head. “Sorry. Not gonna happen.”

Damn
.

It wasn’t merely the loss of the chance of exercising a few
muscles that had been dormant for too long. It was her. He liked her. She was
straightforward, she was gorgeous, she was fun to be around. And from what he’d
seen here tonight, she was nice. She’d been going from person to person, drawing
them into conversations. Making sure no one stood alone.

She’d wowed and charmed. She’d been real.

He liked real.

And now he had to walk away from that.

Or so
she
said.

But that didn’t mean he had to play by her rules.

“Ladies and …” Roni
began. She stood in front of the packed convention center Monday morning, her
shaking hands hiding behind the lectern, and wasn’t sure how to end the
sentence. “Gentlemen?” she finally said, making the word a question.

Laughter swept
through the crowd like a wave in an arena.

“Welcome to
Turtle Island and the Turtle Island Convention Center.” Cheers erupted. “We’re
thrilled to see so many out-of-towners joining us here today and we hope your
stay is a very pleasant one.”

More clapping,
and now screams were added in. These women were ready to see some men.

Roni said a few more
words in greeting, but soon gave up. They hadn’t come to hear her talk. She
glanced at Kayla standing in the wings. Kayla nodded, then gave the sign to
someone Roni couldn’t see. The curtains swung open
behind her, and Coyote Creek, the country band hired for opening-day activities,
began playing.

They played a brief
version of “Here Comes Santa Claus,” then backed off the volume and settled into
background music. The crowd got louder, and Roni
smiled broadly. It was nothing but a loud buzz of energy in the room. With any
luck, the excitement running through the auditorium would help tamp down her ongoing
nerves.

Though why she
was so nervous, she had no idea. It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d
been in front of a large crowd before.

It would be the
first time she’d sat at the piano in front of one in a long while, though.

Her stomach did
a flip-flop, and with an exaggerated motion, she turned to the side and swept
an arm across the festively decorated stage. She shouted to be heard.
“I give you this year’s contenders for Mr.
Yummy Santa.”

The place went
crazy.

A line of men appeared
on either side of the stage, and on cue, one by one, they headed to the center mark,
where they waved, preened, and jokingly flexed their muscles before heading off
the other side of the stage. They were dressed in alternating red and green low-slung
swim trunks, no shirts, no shoes, and all wore a Santa hat with the white ball
on the end flopped to the side of their heads.

The whole thing
looked like a badly done Miss America contest, but it was a blast.

The women in the
crowd were having fun, as were the men onstage. The men were yukking it up for attention. And the women were giving it
to them. It bode well for the money to be raised for local charities throughout
the upcoming days.

Roni even caught
herself smiling in pure pleasure instead of the polite charm she’d been going
for. She had to admit, she was impressed with the quality. She supposed that’s
what fifty grand would get you. It brought out the big guns.

Her smile
vanished the instant contestant number seven made his appearance. As Lucas
crossed the stage, she caught herself holding her breath. The man had about
driven her crazy the night before. Even after she’d said no to the unspoken
question they’d both been toying with, he’d constantly shown up in her line of
sight throughout the remainder of the evening, directing a charm so compelling it
should be bottled and sold. If it were, she’d certainly buy some.

The guy could
flat out make a girl forget her name. Probably make her shed her panties if he
got her alone long enough.

As she watched
now, she confirmed what she’d only before suspected. Lucas sans shirt was a
sight to behold.

A fine brushing of
hair across the middle of his chest. Abs that really
needed to be explored in detail by her fingers. And a sexy, thin trail
leading from his navel down until it disappeared under his swim trunks. Kind of
like an arrow, pointing the way to the pot of gold.

She swallowed
against her dry throat.

Darn the man for
being a contestant.

She’d been
knocked for a loop when Kayla had shown up and thrust the welcome bag at him.
He hadn’t been wearing the oversize contestant button either time she’d seen
him, and it had honestly never crossed her mind that he might be in town for
any reason other than work.

Possibly because
she so desperately wanted him not to be part of the competition.

Since leaving
her career and moving to Turtle Island, she’d made the decision to live her
life by going with her impulses. If it felt right, she did it.

And flirting
with Lucas Alexander had felt right.

Too bad her
impulsiveness had burned her this time.

She continued to
watch the remaining men stride across the stage as part of the opening to the
upcoming two weeks of activities, and while the crowd clapped with wild
abandon, she agreed with her prior assessment. This event would be a success.

The committee, who
had worked tirelessly over the last six months, was to be commended. As well as
the business owners who’d contributed the prize and Kayla for the highly professional
job she’d done. Roni only wished that Andie was here
to see it. She would not only be proud of Kayla and Seaglass
Celebrations, but she would enjoy the display of hot, hunky men as much as
every other woman in the room.

When contestant twenty-four
disappeared off the stage, a whoosh went out of the crowd. They still tittered
in their seats with smiles on their faces—because they knew more was heading
their way—but it felt almost as if the air had been let out of all of them
simultaneously.

The air
disappeared from Roni’s lungs too, but for an
altogether different reason.

Within minutes,
she would be sitting at the piano onstage with the band. Playing with them.

It was silly
that this bothered her so much, but there it was. She was a ball of nerves. But
she had to focus and move on through the next few minutes before she could
worry about what came next.

Clapping along
with the crowd, she turned back to the podium and leaned forward to speak
directly into the microphone.

“Now wasn’t that
a nice way to start off the week?” she said. Laughter once again bounced
through the room. “Rarely have I had a more entertaining Monday morning.”

Each day of the
competition would start off like today. At eleven in the morning they would gather
to greet the remaining contestants and learn of the day’s challenge, then she
would draw the names of the lucky audience members who would be assigned their
very own contestant for the day. The selected women would then spend the
afternoon helping with the day’s challenge, and they’d all return to the
convention center in the evening for the wrap-up and reveal of the day’s winner.
At the same time, two contenders would be kicked out of the competition.

Day twelve would
crown the winner, and on day thirteen there would be a parade showcasing every
contestant and all the businesses who’d sponsored any part of the competition,
and highlighting this year’s Mr. Yummy Santa. Roni
would lead the parade as part of her master of ceremonies duties.

“Now for the
really juicy part,” she said into the microphone again, waggling her eyebrows
as she spoke. “Let’s bring these guys back and take a closer look. Maybe learn
a thing or two about them.”

The cheers
started again as the men returned to the stage one by one.

Roni announced each
man’s name, reading their information off the provided index cards as they made
their way to the middle of the stage. This time, they barely had to do anything
for the encouraging cheers, but that didn’t stop them. Muscles bunched,
six-packs rolled. It was every girl’s fantasy come to life.

When she got to
Lucas, her body began a slow burn from the toes up as she watched him move
across the space. She didn’t understand how he got her so turned on with
nothing more than a smile and a glance when any number of these men should be
able to do the same. But facts were facts. He lit her fuse.

He stopped at
the designated spot in the middle of the stage, and when he shot her a look,
she shot him one back. “Look at the crowd, not me,” she silently told him. But
when she caught sight of Kayla scowling at her from the shadows, she realized
that the looks heading her way were because she’d quit talking.

Her eyes went
wide. She was gawking instead of reading off his stats.

Good
grief
.

She turned a
too-wide smile to the crowd and flipped to his card.

“Lucas Alexander
comes to us from Dallas.” A roar filled the room. Yep, he was going to be a fan
favorite. “He’s twenty-seven, a mild-mannered computer programmer by day”—which
explained the single-mindedness with the laptop the morning before—“and a cover
model by night. He loves to take women to the symphony …” She paused,
caught off guard at the thought of him watching her play. He’d admitted he was
a fan, but she’d assumed he’d heard her recorded music only. Had he actually
seen her perform in person?

Kayla shot her
another glare and Roni glanced back at the card in
her hand. “And he says his weakness is avocados,” she continued.

Funny.

“His charity is
the Dallas Leukemia Foundation,” she continued. “He’s six-two, one hundred and ninety
pounds, and eight percent body fat.”

Sheesh, didn’t
she feel all dumpy.

She waved the
card in front of her face to cool herself as the women squealed and Lucas did a
little turn and pose. He flexed the muscles in his back and the noise level
hitched up.

When he’d finished
taunting the females, Lucas headed in her direction and her heart seized. Oh
geez, she was going to have a really hard time ignoring him for the next two
weeks.

He winked as if
he’d read her mind, then swung around to land in the spot he’d been assigned.
She needed to get her head on straight and quit thinking about him like that or
playing the piano would be the last thing she’d be nervous about. She would
instead need to worry about not making a fool of herself fawning all over Lucas
Alexander in front of the whole darned island.

With
determination, she finished introducing the remainder of the men, then moved to
the large ball cage that had been positioned at the edge of the stage. The ball
held the names of every woman who’d donated ten dollars to be put into the
drawing. All the money collected today would go to the local sea turtle rescue.

“As you know,”
she began, “we’re counting down the twelve days of Christmas to find our Yummy
Santa.” More screaming. “We’re kicking things off today with a tree-decorating
contest. There are twenty-four Douglas firs positioned around town, each
currently bare. Every contestant will have the same selection of ornaments and
lights.”

She held up a
small hand-painted figure that went with the theme for the day. “In his box he’ll
find twelve drummers drumming, along with an assortment of other decorations.
It’ll be your job to help him turn the tree into something to marvel at. The
goal, of course, is to make it look better than anyone else’s.”

They would have
from noon until four to decorate the trees. At that point, judging would begin.
Each person could buy as many votes as they wanted. Each vote cost one dollar.
This was made to be fun, but it was also about charity.

“The two men who
come in last will be eliminated tonight.”

With a wide grin,
she grabbed the handle of the enclosed cage of names of donating women and
began cranking the arm. The crowd once again went wild. She drew out
twenty-four cards, one at a time, announcing the name on each. The winners jumped
up and down and threw their hands in the air as if they’d won a new car, then they
were directed to a waiting area.

“The contestant
with the most number of votes will be pronounced the day’s winner at this
evening’s ceremony,” she continued. “At that time, you will all be treated to a
concert by Coyote Creek.”

At which, she
would
not
have to participate. Thank
goodness.

Cheers went up
and the band once again broke into song. The men were directed offstage, and Roni slipped from the front and headed to her makeshift
dressing room. The band would play alone for several minutes while Kayla got
the women into T-shirts with their contestant’s number on it, and then prepared
everyone for one last parade across the stage. Then Roni
would be up.

At that point, she’d
have to face the crowd whether she was ready to or not.

Roni paced the twelve
feet of her dressing room, pivoted, then headed back. She focused on pulling in
breaths deep enough that they expanded her chest, held them for a count of five,
and then let them out again. She was trying to get into the routine she’d spent
years doing before concerts. The pacing was new, but the deep breathing had
always helped her focus.

She wiggled her
fingers at her sides, loosening up her hands.

The band continued
to play out front as she turned and took equal-distance steps back across the
room. Someone would be rolling the piano out toward the stage soon, getting
ready to push it to the center. Then it would be time for her.

Her fingers clenched
into her palms and her deep breaths stopped.

She’d like to
believe the nerves were something other than what they were, but she couldn’t
hide from the truth. She was experiencing pure terror at the idea of playing
for an audience. A large audience. A real one on a
real stage, not casually like at Gin’s. She played at Gin’s all the time
without any problem.

The bar could be
overflowing with customers and it didn’t faze her.

But the crowd
here at the convention center?

She pulled in
another lung-filling breath. Today reminded her of her years of being front and
center. Was it the size of the audience? The lights and
stage? She wasn’t sure. But either way, this felt more important. It
felt real.

If felt like she’d
gone back three years and was once again facing her demons.