Chapter Four
Tate paused about twenty feet away from his office, then resumed his stride, his gaze skimming the figure of the woman blocking his office door. Damn it, Noelle really did have the sexy-librarian look down cold. Was it intentional? Her clothes were sexy, not because of the skin they showed, but because of the way they fit. Not tight, but accentuating all her curves. He stopped a few steps away from her. “You’re still here?”
Noelle lifted that stubborn chin of hers. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because our show ended two hours ago.”
Two hours since he’d last seen her, and yet he was only now regaining his mojo. During his show, he’d taken some ribbing from callers who wanted to know how he’d let Noelle sucker him into a bet about the viability of relationships. He’d done his best to steer the conversation back to sports, but hadn’t been entirely successful. It didn’t help that he kept imagining he could hear her smoky, disapproving voice in his headphones.
“We need to discuss the bet and do show prep for tomorrow,” Noelle said.
No, they didn’t. He still couldn’t believe he’d agreed to the ridiculous wager, but his competitive drive had kicked in when she’d issued the challenge and he’d said yes before he gave it any thought. So here they were. Committed to spending even more time together.
But he wouldn’t back down. She probably thought she had him right where she wanted him, but the joke would be on her soon enough. Happily ever after didn’t exist. It wouldn’t take much effort on his part to prove that fact. “Can’t that wait until tomorrow?”
She leaned against the door and crossed her arms. “No, it can’t. Not the show prep anyway. I use the morning hours to finish preparing for my show. Then I’m on air for two hours before you join me. That leaves now.”
“I don’t believe in formal show prep.”
She aimed a Why-am-I-not-surprised? look his way.
He shrugged. “I prefer my show to have a more natural flow. It leads to more spontaneous moments.”
Her lips pursed. “Hmm. I don’t work that way.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
Noelle’s eyes narrowed. “There’s nothing wrong with the way I run my show. Organization is the key to success. You might want to try it.”
He slapped his hand on the door and crowded closer. Very few things, or people, other than his parents, made him lose his patience, but that snooty attitude of hers sent his blood pressure through the roof every single time. “There’s nothing wrong with the way I…”
The rest of his reply deserted him when he caught a hint of her perfume, which had taunted him long after she left the studio and was again sending his pulse skyrocketing. His gaze dropped to the base of her throat, where her pulse drummed. Had she dabbed the lavender scent in that spot? Would the skin there taste as good as he imagined? Would it be soft? Acting on an instinct he couldn’t hope to explain, he leaned down to find out, but Noelle’s hitched breath diverted his attention. He dragged his eyes upward, halting at her parted lips. Succulent, full lips, especially the bottom one, covered in a light sheen of gloss. That’s what he wanted to taste. Now. She put a hand to his chest, but didn’t push him away, instead curling his shirt in her hand. She raised her eyes. Desire had pooled in the gray depths. Yes. His heartbeat pounding in his ears, he lowered his head again.
“Tate, are you still here?”
They leaped apart and turned toward Deb, who thankfully had just rounded the corner.
“Oh, good,” she said. “Noelle’s with you. Perfect. Let’s go to my office for a debriefing session.”
They silently followed the program director down the hall. Inside her office, Tate sat, his senses still rioting, his mind in turmoil. Had he and Noelle almost kissed? How? Why? Had he lost his mind? Had she? He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. She stared directly ahead at Deb, her posture ramrod straight. He drew in a deep breath and followed her example.
“I was very pleased by what I heard today,” Deb said. “You two have a natural chemistry that’s hard to fake.”
Not what he wanted to hear at the moment.
“Noelle, I loved how you came up with the bet on the fly.”
“Thanks,” Noelle said, sounding entirely too pleased with herself.
Deb turned to him. “To be perfectly honest, Tate, I haven’t heard you that engaged in a long time. I think the change in routine is good for you.”
He almost winced, but managed to control his facial muscles in time. He’d thought he’d been doing a good job of hiding the malaise he’d been stuck in. He loved his job—he got paid to talk about sports, after all—but he’d been doing it a long time. Sometimes, the days seemed to slip into one another with no distinction, and there was nothing he hated more than being bored. That was one thing about Dr. Noelle. She definitely didn’t bore him. Although given what had almost transpired, maybe that wasn’t a good thing. “I aim to please.”
“I know you do,” Deb said with a nod. “I want you and Noelle to keep doing what you’re doing. I love the passion. The initial response has been great. The phone lines stayed lit up. Fans continued your conversations, or maybe I should say arguments, on our Facebook page. They can’t wait to see how the bet plays out. Neither can I. I’ve been thinking about how best to capitalize on the buzz. I want you two to make a few promo appearances together.”
Tate pressed his lips together hard to keep a groan from escaping. Even more time spent with Dr. Noelle? That was the last thing he needed.
“Tomorrow, you’ll be broadcasting from Win or Go Home Sports Bar.”
Tate relaxed. Okay, not too bad. He’d done shows from the restaurant before and liked to hang out there during his downtime.
“A sports bar? That’s not really my thing,” Noelle said.
Tate bit back a sigh.
“I know, but it’ll be good for you to get out of your comfort zone,” Deb said. “It’s not like you can’t offer relationship advice from a bar. The words are still the same. Tate, I want you to join Noelle at the bridal show Sunday.”
Bridal show? “Come on, Deb. What am I supposed to do at a bridal show?”
“Be a good sport. Charm the ladies, which you’ve done every blessed day of your life. You’ll survive. It’s only three hours.”
He shifted his attention to Noelle, positive she would back him up, but her head was bent down. Wait. Were her shoulders shaking? Great. She was laughing at him. “But I have a baseball game,” he said to Deb.
“I know. You’ll be at the show in the morning, leaving plenty of time for you to get to the game.” Deb’s eyes lit up. “Why don’t you go with him, Noelle? It’ll be good for you two to spend some time together outside an official work environment. A bonding experience, if you will.”
Noelle’s head jerked up. “What am I supposed to do at a baseball game?”
“Follow Tate’s lead.”
Since he intended to pretend the almost kiss never happened, he was sure Noelle would have no problem following Deb’s order.
…
Tate spotted Noelle as soon as he walked into Win or Go Home. He halted. Damn.
Jeans. She was wearing jeans.
Or maybe it was more accurate to say the jeans were wearing her. Sure, the skirts she usually wore hinted at her curves, but the jeans she now sported fit like denim was supposed to fit—molded to mouthwatering hips and thighs. When Caitlin called out her name, Noelle shifted, giving him a glimpse of her backside.
Tate swallowed. Yeah, the jeans fit like they were supposed to. She had a world-class ass, no doubt about it. The sexy librarian could do casual. Interesting. Unsettling.
She turned his way. He pulled his eyes upward. She put her hands on her hips and raised one imperious eyebrow.
He gave a moment’s thought to detouring to the left, but there was no way he was going to run away from a woman who couldn’t be taller than five-four. Instead, he made his way to her side.
“Hey,” she said. “What are you doing here so early?”
“I came to check out the show setup and grab lunch.”
She nodded and glanced at her watch. “Commercial break is almost over. I’ll see you in a bit.” She took a few steps toward the stage set up at the front of the bar, stopped, and spun around. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then shook her head and resumed walking to the platform. Was she going to ask if he’d been looking at her butt? Tate grinned and settled into a booth that gave him a direct view of the doctor.
Although she should’ve looked out of place amid all the sports jerseys, pendants, photos, and plentiful TVs turned to sports networks adorning the walls, she didn’t. Nor did she seem to care. He was used to hearing her on the radio, but this situation was different. In the studio, he had to concentrate on her words, or she’d run roughshod over him. But here, he could concentrate on her. She talked with her hands. Her passion for her subject matter rang clear throughout the restaurant, along with her humor. She joked and offered advice to her callers, then signed autographs and took photos with fans during the commercial breaks.
Even crazier, he didn’t disagree with everything she said. She actually made a few valid points, telling one caller that his wife had a right to be unhappy. Although shiny, expensive toys made him happy, that didn’t mean he should disregard the fact that his spendthrift ways were crippling his family’s finances.
“Obviously, buying all that stuff hasn’t made you happy because you keep buying more and more,” she said. “You need to find the root cause of your unhappiness and deal with that first. Then, and only then, will you be in a position to make decisions about your fifteen-year marriage. If you’ve been married that long, something is keeping you there, probably something positive.”
What must it be like to have such conviction and belief in love? What would Noelle say if he told her he’d had breakfast with his giddy parents, who’d asked him to give his mother away and act as his father’s best man at their wedding? Would she be disappointed that he’d been noncommittal, unable to pretend he believed they really meant it when they said their love would last forever this time? Would she tell him to support his parents, that love conquered all? Probably yes on all counts.
What had happened in her life for her to have the unwavering belief in love? What would his life be like if he embraced that way of thinking? Would he be happier? Maybe. A chill swept down his spine at that wayward thought. What the hell? Tate sucked in a lungful of air and forcefully corralled his thoughts. Why was he wasting his time with the self-pity? He liked his life the way it was. For the most part.
Damn it.
Thankfully, the waitress chose that moment to deliver his lunch. He pushed the maudlin thoughts out of his head and concentrated on his plate of hot wings.
“Are you Tate Grayson?” a woman with a breathy voice asked several minutes later.
He glanced up, only to get an eyeful of cleavage spilling out of a low-cut T-shirt. He raised his eyes higher. Pouty lips curved in a come-hither smile. Long, dark brown hair cascaded down her back. A little too much makeup, but an impressive package, overall.
“I am,” he answered with a flirtatious smile of his own.
“I’m Tammy. My friend Alicia and I love your show,” she cooed. She gestured toward another woman hovering at the bar. Alicia, he presumed. Alicia, who matched Tammy in looks and attire, wiggled her fingers at him and strolled over.
“Hello, ladies,” he said. “It’s always nice to meet fans.”
“We listen every day.” Tammy inched closer. “We feel like we know you. We’d love to get to know you better.” She leaned down and whispered in his ear, “Together.”
The proposition should have aroused his interest. But it didn’t. There was nothing unique about the request. Nothing unique about them. Nothing challenging. His gaze strayed to the stage, where the doctor held court.
As though feeling his eyes on her, Noelle looked his way. Her eyes shifted to his companions, then back to him. He winked. She rolled her eyes and turned away. Stifling a laugh, he swung his gaze back to the much more accommodating women at his table.
“So what do you say?” Tammy trailed fingers topped with blood red nails across his left shoulder.
What was his problem? So what if they were like all the women he’d dated before? All the women he’d inevitably gotten bored with. He wasn’t looking for unique. He was looking for a good time. He opened his mouth to accept their offer. “Ladies, as much as I’d love to, I can’t.”
Tate froze. What the hell?
“Aww.” Alicia’s pouty lips pouted even more. “Are you sure we can’t change your mind? We promise we’ll make it worth your while.”
He released a brief sigh of relief. Good. They were giving him another chance to correct his egregious error. “I’m sure you would, but I can’t.”
What in the living hell was wrong with him?
“That’s too bad.” Tammy reached into her purse and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. She leaned over the table, giving him another unobstructed view of her remarkable cleavage, and scribbled on the paper. “If you change your mind, here’s my number.” She grabbed his hand and curled his fingers around the paper. “We’ll be expecting your call.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, forcing a smile.
“You do that.” With a waggle of her fingers, she and Alicia tottered off, Alicia stopping once to blow a kiss over her shoulder.
Tate returned to his lunch, replaying the last few crazy minutes in his head. What was wrong with him? How could he be so dumb, so uninterested in an easy conquest?
A few more listeners stopped by, offering a welcome distraction. He engaged in a few light debates about the Rangers’ chances to make the World Series, something he was always happy to do.
Still, he found his attention continually drifting back to the stage and Noelle. At the end of her last segment, he sauntered to the stage. He nodded at Caitlin and Bobby, who were deep in discussion, and sat in the folding chair next to Noelle. He waited while she took off her headset. “Interesting show.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Do I want to know what that means?”
“Nothing bad.” He grinned. “This time anyway. I’ve never heard you give tough love to your listeners, telling them that they need to shape up if they expect their relationships to survive.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not always sunshine and daffodils like you believe.”
“Oh, I know. Every time you give me a disapproving frown, I know. Kind of like you’re doing right now.”
A pained smile instantly replaced the frown.
Tate held back a laugh. She wouldn’t be winning an Oscar any time soon. “You need to learn how to relax.”
The frown reappeared. “And you’re the one to teach me how, I take it.”
He leaned closer to her, catching a hint of the light, but alluring lavender fragrance she preferred. A preference he was beginning to share. “Oh, darlin’, you have no idea,” he drawled.
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t move away. Good. He liked a woman who held her ground.
“Don’t I?” The words were brassy, but the way she cleared her throat let him know she felt the heat, as unexpected as it was, throbbing between them.
“Imagine the best scenario you possibly can, and I guarantee I can make it ten times better.” The words spilled out without a thought. Yes, he liked to flirt, but what the hell was he doing flirting with Noelle, especially when he’d turned down Tammy and Alicia, women who were actually interested in him? Hadn’t he and Noelle tacitly agreed to never go there again after yesterday?
Her gaze slowly skimmed his body from head to toe, making him wish it was her pretty mouth making the tour with no clothes between her lips and his skin. “You sound awfully confident.”
“I never say anything I don’t mean.” Damn it. More unlicensed flirting.
“I’ll have to remember that. Now, let’s get to work.” She put on her headphones. “Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Tate and Noelle Show, better known as the TAN Show.”
Wait a second. Had he been dismissed? His body, which had hardened at her perusal, and was still clamoring for relief, refused to believe it. But it was true. She went straight into the show like she hadn’t felt the sparks flying between them. Sparks that threatened to burn the sports bar down. How could she ignore them? And why was he upset? He should be happy she wasn’t interested. No, forget should. He was happy. Because he definitely wasn’t interested in Noelle.
Yeah. That was it.