Blind Date Disasters & Eat Your Heart Out

how much sleep I got, you’ve been banging around for hours.”

“But I’ve been banging with consideration,” he said. A slight smile softened his features. Then his gaze dipped down and heated, leading her to believe he could see right through her blanket to the large T-shirt and men’s boxers she’d worn to bed.

“I’m not naked under here,” she said. “You know, just in case you were wondering.”

“A guy can hope,” he said huskily.

“What would you have said to Ted if he’d said that to me?”

Tanner had the good grace to laugh, and surged to his feet. “You still have that other stupid blind date tonight? With your client’s son?”

The thought made her want to groan and cover her head again. “I need that client.”

“Enough to go through another Ted?”

“There can’t be another Ted.”

“Honey, beneath our masks of civility, all of us males are Teds.”

“You mean all men like buffets?”

“Of different types,” he said cryptically.

“What does that mean?”

“Not all of us get excited over food, but we’re all reduced to basic stupidity when it comes to our weaknesses. Ted’s weakness just happened to be food.”

“What’s yours?”

“Ah, that would be telling.”

With that, he walked away, leaving her to watch his long, long legs, the way his hammer slapped against his hip with each step.

He has the most amazing tush, she thought ridiculously, then had to laugh at herself. Seems men weren’t the only ones wearing masks of civility.

The phone rang again, and before Tanner could come back and step on her blanket, she grabbed it. “Hello?”

“You sound breathless,” said Dimi.

Breathless? She was. It hadn’t been Ted to do that to her, and it certainly hadn’t been a sexy dream, not with all that banging going on, so it must have been Tanner. Oh, boy. “Yeah, well.

I’m recovering. Oh, and gee, thanks for calling me back in a timely fashion.”

“I was busy. Working. You might not know that concept.”

“Hey, I work. I work hard.”

Dimi sighed. “Sorry. I know you work hard.

And I know you’re trying to get your business going. But mine is the pits at the moment. Literally. I just screwed up today’s show. Somehow left a pit in one of the peaches we canned, so my guest host swallowed it and choked.”

“On the air? Live?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Ouch.”

“That’s not the worst of it. When I gave her the Heimlich maneuver, she coughed up the pit and it beaned the camera man right between the eyes. Gave him a concussion.”

“Holy smokes.”

“I might get a ratings boost out of it, though. If people think someone might do it again, they’ll tune in.”

There was Dimi. Positive to the end.

“Now tell me about this date from hell you were muttering about on my answering machine.”

“It’s old news.”

“Good. So you’re still going out tonight with Mrs. Brown’s dateless son, right?”

“I’d rather have my impacted wisdom teeth removed, without drugs.”

“You can’t back out now. Bring laughing gas.”

“Funny.”

“Mom told me your contractor rescued you.”

“Tanner.” From her position on the floor, Cami lifted her head. She could see him down the hallway, kneeling before a large tool chest, rifling around. He had two nails in his mouth, a baseball cap on backward, a T-shirt that said Bite Me across the chest, and he was humming to Led Zeppelin on the radio.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught her staring at him. He sent her a slow wink and a smile that could only be classified as bad-to-the-bone wicked.

Her heart fluttered. “Damn,” she whispered.

“Is that damn, yes, he rescued you?” Dimi wanted to know.

“Yes,” Cami whispered, her gaze locked with Tanner’s.

“Oh, man, that’s a loaded yes. Are you doing your contractor, Cami? Cami?”

No, but suddenly she wanted to be. “I’ve got to go now.”

“Remember, date tonight. Date means income. A good thing.”

“I know.”

“Take your eyes off your contractor.”

She couldn’t.

“Cami. Right now. He’s not your type. Yes, he’s a smartass like you, he’s darkly gorgeous, which I know is tempting, not to mention he’s right there beneath your nose, but listen to me.

He’s not your type.”

“How do you know?”

“Let’s just say I think he needs a woman who has more…needs than you.”

“You think I’m not sexual enough for him.”

“Now don’t be insulted. I wouldn’t be, either.

Face it, Cam, we’re not exactly sexual creatures.”

Cami thought maybe she could be, with a little practice.

“You’re thinking too much, I can hear it,”

Dimi said. “Listen, I can see it in those heated, intense eyes of his. He’ll want…things. Things you won’t want to do. You couldn’t keep a man like that happy.”

“Are we talking about oral sex?” Cami whispered.

“Cami!”

“Well, really. This is the twenty-first century.

I could certainly learn.” Wanted to learn.

“I’m not listening to this.”

“How hard could it be? I’m sure he’d be willing to teach me good…technique.”

“Oh, my God. Look, you don’t even know him all that well.”

“Sure I do.”

“Yeah? Have you told him about us? That you’re a twin?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You never tell any man about me.” Dimi gentled her voice because they both knew why, that Cami always held a part of herself back on purpose, a very important part. She didn’t trust love, didn’t believe in it. “I’m using that as my gauge. Someday you’re going to tell a man you’re a twin, and I’ll know you’re serious about him.”

“Not this man.” Cami’s heart hurt at that and she ignored it. “I don’t want to go tonight.” She wanted to stay home and think about the things Tanner would want from her, how maybe he’d coax them from her in that sexy voice of his.

“Think mortgage.”

Cami thought about Tanner instead, thought about how he’d said she went through mental hoops for everyone’s happiness but her own. She opened her mouth to say something of that nature to her sister, to maybe