Some Like It Charming (A Temporary Engagement) (14 page)

“But you had to ask?”

“I’m sorry.”

“How are you going to make it up to me?”

Mackenzie laughed. “A prepaid appointment to turn you Anna Nicole blond?”

“That would work. Or a picture of a certain someone naked.”

“I’m not sending you that.”

“Spoilsport.”

Mackenzie tried not to think about a certain someone naked. “I can’t send you what I haven’t seen.”

“Well, get cracking. You’ve already been there a week; what’s taking so long?”

“I need someone to cool me down, not incite me some more.”

“Some more? Is he
inciting
you?” Cassandra squealed. “Oh, please tell me he is.”

“He doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s just like that. I’m pretty sure it’s my job in this relationship to not take anything he says or does seriously.”

Oh, she knew he’d jump in the sack at the first hint she was willing. But it wouldn’t be serious.
He
wasn’t ever serious. She was constantly surprised that no one else could see that about him.

Cassandra breathed in deeply. “You have a relationship with Ethan Howell O’Connor. I swear to God, you had better take advantage of that before you come back.”

“I’m hanging up now. You are of absolutely no use to me.”

“You are going to have a hard time finding anyone to tell you not to jump on that while you have the chance.”

“I bet his mother would.”

Cassandra laughed. “I would love to hear that conversation. Record it for me, would you?”

“I’ll keep her in mind if it looks like I’m losing the use of my brain and need some shock therapy.”

She might need to put the woman’s number on speed dial soon.

Mackenzie hung up and walked around the apartment, making sure Ethan was still gone. Then made a second lap with the Hershey bar from her purse, searching for a good hiding place. She was going to have to buy some more next time she was out. One candy bar did not a stash make, and if the tabloids were going to keep ganging up on Ethan he was going to need the distraction.

Ethan passed three convenience stores before he decided he should go in to get a Snickers. Chocolate was not exactly what he wanted right then, but it looked like it was as close as he was going to get.

When this thing with Mackenzie had first started, he hadn’t really planned on sleeping with her. She was going to be his buffer from other women, give him a break. But sometime after signing the pre-nup, it had become all he thought about. Since that kiss in the limo, hell, since the softball game, chasing Mackenzie Wyatt had become the only game he was interested in.

Her objections were getting weaker, her pauses were getting longer. Instead of tightening up when he got near, she got looser. Instead of cutting him down when he crossed the line, she was getting flustered. Flustered, but still fighting.

The thought of Mackenzie flustered and fighting, naked beneath him, was driving him crazy.

He grabbed the first candy bar, ripped open the wrapper, and took a big bite. The woman behind the counter watched him and fanned her shirt.

He smiled at her. “I’ll pay for it. I’m just not sure how many I’m going to need.”

She nodded slowly, and when he licked caramel off his lips, her eyes widened and her mouth opened.

Ethan took another bite and remembered Mackenzie’s pulse pounding against his lips.

Bad idea?

He didn’t think so. He was pretty sure she didn’t really think so either. But not entirely.

He was going to have fun getting her to yes. If it didn’t kill him first.

He grabbed a second bar, decided he didn’t need to give the shop girl any more of a show, and paid.

He walked back outside and couldn’t think of anywhere he wanted to be except back home with Mackenzie. Or out with Mackenzie, if they weren’t going to get naked.

But he couldn’t go back home yet, if they weren’t going to get naked. A man had limits.

He needed to burn some energy, get rid of some of this sexual frustration, because chocolate just wasn’t working.

He thought about heading to the gym, wondering if Mackenzie would go with him. Then he grinned.

He’d take Mackenzie to the batting cages. Get rid of his frustration, and maybe talk her into wearing some short shorts while they knocked some balls around.

He couldn’t think of any better of a day.

If they weren’t going to get naked.

A few days later, Mackenzie handed him a typed piece of paper when he came home at lunch.

“What’s this?”

“A bill for all the balls jokes. You reminded me.”

He glanced at it, then looked up at her. “You’re kidding.”

“I don’t think I am.”

“I just paid you a million dollars!”

“And a half.”

“We’re quibbling over half a million dollars and you give me a bill for $57,000?”

“You’re the one who keeps opening your mouth without thinking it through. Just because it’s costing more each time doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have to pay for the earlier blunders.”

He snapped his mouth shut. “I’m not paying this.”

“Why not? You agreed to it.”

“Circumstances have changed.”

“You mean instead of making embarrassing sexual comments in front of my co-workers, you are now making sure the world believes that I am sleeping with you. Somehow I don’t think the circumstances have changed in my favor.”

He muttered, “You are really hung up on that.”

He looked down at the paper again and she said, “It’s itemized.”

He read through it slowly. “So it is. Good thing we didn’t have to go through all the balls every time we walked you. Cheaper to just send you to your base.”

She showed him her teeth and he grinned. “Fine. I guess the memory is worth $57,000.”

She waited.

He said, “Do you want me to whip out my checkbook right this minute?”

“Maybe we should wait. You’ll probably do something else soon.” She tapped her chin. “I wonder if I can get that half mil out of you next time.”

He shook his head. “I usually just buy jewelry. I’ve never actually had to write a check before.” He glanced down at her empty hand. “Where is your ring? Don’t tell me you’ve lost it.”

“I haven’t lost it. I just don’t like wearing it.”

He narrowed his eyes, unreasonably unhappy she didn’t like wearing it. “Go get it.”

She stared at his expression. “I didn’t lose it.”

“Go get it.”

She sighed, then grabbed a stool from the kitchen and headed for her bedroom.

He followed and said, “You need to wear it every time you go outside.”

“It’s too big. I keep catching it on things.”

“Like what?”

“Like my jeans. I try to put something in my pocket and it gets caught. It’s irritating.”

“What you’re telling me is the ring is
too big
.”

She nodded.

He shook his head at her back. “How can a diamond engagement ring be too big? Too small, sure. Too big? Absurd.”

She walked into her closet, placing the stool right in the middle of the room.

He said, “What are you doing?”

“Getting the ring.”

She climbed up on the stool, unscrewed the frosty dome on the ceiling light, and took out a small white envelope.

He shook his head and took the envelope from her. “I have a safe.”

“Then you should keep it in there.”

He laughed silently, watching her screw the dome back on, then helped her down from the stool. “Seriously. In a light fixture?”

“I didn’t want the housekeeper to accidentally find it.”

He snorted. “You didn’t want me finding it while I was looking for your stash. Do you have valuables hidden all over your house?”

“Of course not. I have a safe deposit box.”

“I don’t know whether to believe you or not. You hid things in your office; you’re hiding things here.”

He opened up the envelope, dumping out the ring. He grabbed her hand and slid it on to her finger. “Wear it.”

She looked down at her hand, wiggling her finger and watching the ring sparkle, then took it back off and handed it to him. “You try it. Put it on your finger and put your hand in your pocket.”

“It can’t be so big of a deal that you have to hide it in a light to keep from wearing it.”

She crossed her arms and nodded towards his hand. “Just try it.”

He laughed, sliding the ring as far up his finger as it would go. He slid his hand into his pocket, the ring catching.

She nodded. “Now do it twenty more times and you’ll start to understand.”

“That’s. . .”

“Annoying.”

He tried it again, reluctant to agree with her. “A little. But this is the first complaint I’ve ever heard about it.”

“Do the women you date not have pockets?”

He shrugged, thinking back. Mackenzie was quite a bit more fond of jeans and pants than any of his previous girlfriends. He hadn’t seen a glimpse of her legs since the limo.

He said, “Maybe it’s like high heels. Worth the pain.”

“It’s not to me.”

He smiled at her. “Okay. We’ll go get something else.”

She shook her head. “We’ve only got a few weeks left. I don’t really need a ring.”

“An engagement’s not real unless there’s a ring on your finger.”

“Show me where that’s written.”

“I’ll have my grandma bring over a copy.”

She pouted. “I don’t want a ring.”

“Too bad. It shows the world that you’re taken.”

She gave him a look. “That’s just lovely. Where’s your ‘private property’ stamp?”

“A man doesn’t get one until he’s actually married.”

“I like where this conversation is going. I’m starting to smell a half million dollars.”

He laughed again, taking the ring off his finger. He held it up to the light. “You’re really not going to wear this?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“I guess it was just supposed to be a temporary one, anyway. Let’s go get you the real one.”

He took her hand in his and began pulling her out of the closet. She dug in her heels.

He said, “You really don’t want me picking it out, do you? I believe in the ‘bigger is better’ mantra.”

“I’ll just find somewhere else to hide it.”

“Or you could come with me and pick one you’ll actually wear.”

“I’m not sure we’re ever going to meet on this issue. I’ll pick small ones and you’ll pick big ones. This engagement will be over before we can agree.”

“What else are we going to do today?”

“You should really go back to work.”

“Hey, I haven’t taken a vacation in years either. And I get the feeling shopping with you is going to be a new and entertaining experience.” He tugged gently. “Didn’t we have fun going to the zoo?”

“I feel like I should say no.”

“You can say it as many times as you want, I’m not going to believe it.”

She shrugged. “It was fun imagining feeding you to the lions.”

“That’s why we spent so much time watching the polar bear cub.”

“She was pretty cute. And in a year or two, I could feed you to
her
.”

He nodded, finally understanding. “Oh, you were taking notes.”

She snickered.

He took a deep breath, inhaling her laugh. He took a step toward her. “Or we could stay in.”

She blew out a breath, looked around as if just realizing they were in her bedroom, and started pushing him out of the closet.

She said, “We’ll take the subway,” and he nodded. “Of course we will.”

The subway was crowded and they remained standing when they got in the car. Ethan wrapped his arm around her waist. She glared at him and he grinned at her. And kept his arm around her.

She leaned into him and said, “You’re just nervous about riding the subway.”

He nodded. “Absolutely. That guy over there is staring at me.”

She glanced where he was looking and saw three guys in suits. All of them reading.

She shook her head, but didn’t say anything else. They watched people getting on and off, and Ethan tried not to think about how he could feel her heat through her shirt and how she smelled like a mix of laundry soap and warm female. And really didn’t think about why the smell of laundry soap was messing with his libido.

He grabbed her hand when they exited and joined the mob climbing the stairs.

When they stepped into daylight, she tried to tug her hand free. He held tight and she looked down at their hands intertwined. “What are you doing?”

“Holding your hand.”

She looked back up, the alarm clear on her face. “Out here? Why?”

“Because you don’t have a ring wrapped around your finger and I’m feeling the need to lay my claim.”

She tried to pull her fingers away and he held on.

She said, “Lay your claim. You’re just trying to get me mad.”

“Actually, I’m just trying to distract you long enough to get you into a clothes store.”

She shook her head. “I will go shopping. But not with you.”

“Why not? I have fashion sense. And dressing you in short skirts and high heels sounds like fun.”

“That’s only one of the reasons why I’m not going shopping with you.”

“But we need to get rid of that muumuu. Maybe today.”

Honestly, a muumuu. She couldn’t broadcast any clearer that she was planning on getting through their six weeks together without getting naked. It would piss him off if he wasn’t enjoying the challenge so much.