"And h.o.r.n.y," Devine said, starting another round of female hilarity. "My favorite part is when they get so hot, they'll agree to anything. That's when the real fun begins."

Interesting, Lucius thought. Was he really more agreeable when turned on?

Probably.

Suddenly Hero lifted his head from the couch and stared right at Lucius. Excitement brightened the dark brown eyes, and the dog gave a bark of greeting, jumped to the floor, and trotted over to sit on Lucius's foot. Lucius put a hand to the dog's head.

Startled females turned. Arched eyebrows rose at the intrusion of a man. They all stared at him.

Marci said, "Lucius?"

And feeling like a devil among angels, he shrugged. "b.l.o.w. .j.o.bs."

He heard a gasp, a giggle. Amanda adjusted her flashy gla.s.ses. "What'd he say?"

"My favorite part." Lucius laughed when a towel hit him in the face. "You weren't asking me? I thought it was my turn."

Esther cackled out a laugh. "You are so naughty, Luscious."

"But it's interesting to know," Marci said, and she sent a sly grin in the direction from where Bethany's voice had emerged. "Don't you think, Bethany?"

Tyra giggled again. "Actually, it was Bethany's turn to share, not yours." And they all turned to peer in the same direction...at Bethany.

Lucius stepped farther inside so he could see around the wall. Sure enough, Bethany sat stock-still on his ottoman, her back ramrod straight, her face pinched and pink.

Unlike the others, she hadn't been working out. She was fully dressed and very displeased to be the center of attention.

"C'mon, Bethany," he teased softly. "Inquiring minds want to know. What's your favorite part?"

As he spoke, her attention drifted to his naked chest and thighs. Her interest was so hot, catastrophe almost struck. The last thing Lucius needed was a flagpole with a bunch of gaping women taking notes.

Don't get hard, Lucius thought with desperation. Donot get hard. Chanting that instruction to himself, he made a point of looking at Esther and Amanda and the utterly wicked way they antic.i.p.ated his reaction. He patted Hero, noted that the dog's fur was now clean and soft, and finally, when he was sure he had control of himself, he leaned against the wall, a man at his leisure.

He could actually see Bethany gathering her gumption. She stood, and her smile was mean. "I agree with Tyra-it's all overrated."

"All of it, huh? Even the cuddling?" he asked.

"What cuddling?" She snorted as if such a thing was unheard of. "Groping, yeah. s...o...b..ring, sure. But not cuddling."

Teasing slipped away, replaced by honest concern and indignation on her behalf. "I'd say you've been with the wrong guys."

Her look of disdain would have flattened a lesser man. "Too bad there aren't any right guys around."

Such a blatant challenge. Lucius took a hard step toward her. "Maybe you've been looking in the wrong places."

Her eyes narrowed. "Doesn't matter now, since I'm done looking." Raising her nose, she started forward and as she reached him, she said, "If you'll excuse me, I have other things to do," and, as if she lost her nerve, she sped up to dash past him.

Lucius turned his head to watch her race into his kitchen. Her clothes were...hideous. A short-sleeved white blouse that surely belonged on someone's aunt and super-funky, dirt-brown trousers that hid everything but her waist.

It was one of those outfits that piqued a man's interest, making him wonder just what it might hide. But after seeing her in her panties, he knew exactly what Bethany hid-and he almost did some of that s...o...b..ring she mentioned.

How difficult would it be to get her out of those ridiculous mannish trousers? And how long would it take him to prove to her that s.e.x with the right guy-him-would be as much fun as she could handle?

"Earth to Lucius? h.e.l.lo?"

Drawn from his ruminations, Lucius looked around the room and realized that the music was off and the aerobics ended. Hero and all five women watched him, waiting for his next move.

He couldn't really disappoint them by appearing disconcerted, now could he?

"Hero looks great." He patted the dog some more.

Marci nodded agreement. "The vet says other than being a little malnourished, he's fit. I purchased the special food and vitamins he recommended."

"Great." Lucius didn't care if she purchased T-bones if it'd make the poor dog happy. "Let me know how much I owe you."

"It cost you a lot more than it would at the market," she warned.

"He's earned it."

"The vet had a tech dip him and shave off some of the matted fur so we could check out his skin. He's got a few bald patches now, but he's fine. Mostly he'd just had a few allergic reactions to the fleas."

"And now the fleas are gone?"

"Yes. I bought you a brush so you can keep up on his grooming."

"I'll make it a nightly routine." Right behind seducing Bethany.

Marci watched him petting Hero with a lot of interest. "You know, Bethany is probably in the kitchen stewing."

"I am not!" Bethany shouted.

Pretending she hadn't heard her sister, Marci said, "We tried to convince her that some guys are worth the trouble, but the more time you give her, the more stubborn she'll be."

Lucius looked toward the kitchen, anxious to be on his way. "You think?"

"I know my sister." And taking pity on him, she called the dog back to her. Hero trotted over, jumped up on the couch, and curled into a circle. "Don't mind us," Marci told him. "We can entertain ourselves."

"Oh G.o.d," they all heard Bethany groan.

Lucius saluted Marci and headed out of the room.

The second he turned his back toward the women, Divine said, "Nice drawers, Luscious."

The seat of his shorts read:Small piece of heaven. Lucius just laughed. "Glad you like them."

Standing at the counter, doing not much of anything while trying to look busy, Bethany felt her heart begin to race. It wasn't exactly dread, was in fact more like antic.i.p.ation. d.a.m.n it, when would she learn?

The second Lucius stepped into the kitchen, the air crackled around her. Good G.o.d, the man brought a lot of s.e.xual tension into a room.

She felt his presence a few feet behind her, unmoving, silent, probably waiting for her to do or say something. But she couldn't dredge up a single clear thought or any type of polite conversation.

"What the h.e.l.l are you wearing?"

Somehow, he always knew exactly what to say to provoke her out of her stupor.

Bethany spun around to face him. It wasn't easy, but she kept her attention off his super-fine and blatantly exposed body and on his mocking expression instead. "Clothes?"

"Those pants don't fit you. They look like something my grandpa would wear." He tipped his head and put his hands on his hips. "Is this some sort of warped Annie Hall thing? Or man-aping?" He shook his head. "Whatever it is, I don't like it."

"Oh, my goodness." Bethany clasped her hands together beneath her chin. "Well then, let me just rush home and change as fast as I possibly can." She dropped her hands with a scowl. "Not."

Lucius chuckled. "They look two sizes too big."

"They're just comfortably loose through the seat and legs." She hooked her thumbs in the waistband, which hugged her middle. "See? And speaking of pants...where are yours?"

He glanced down, pretending he only then realized how little he wore. "I slept in shorts-which is more than what you slept in. I think I left my jeans on your floor."

She nodded at his waist. "You left the pants but took the phone and the pager? Are you expecting a call? Perhaps from your girlfriend?" The words no sooner left her mouth than she bit her lip in regret.

"I'm SWAT, honey, which means if I'm in town, I'm available." He patted the Nextel. "Neither rain nor shine nor s.e.xy broad-and that'd be you, by the way-can keep me from answering the call of duty."

"Lovely." Did he really consider her s.e.xy?

His teasing expression sobered. "In case it matters, I don't have a girlfriend."

"It doesn't." Liar, liar. "Why should it?"

Voice dropping low and intimate, he said, "You know why. You keep fighting it, honey, but it's still there."

What would happen if she stopped fighting?

Dangerous thoughts. To keep herself from landing in a verbal or emotional quagmire, Bethany sidled around him. "Why don't I just go get those jeans for you?" And while she did that, she could grab a little time to collect herself.

After a sleepless morning spent imagining Lucius on the couch, knowing he was so close and that he was aroused, and that he wanted her-or so he kept saying-her resistance level had sunk pretty low. Seeing him dressed in nothing but shorts, with a lot of bare skin and firm muscle and s.e.xy hair showing, made it nigh on impossible to keep her attention on his face.

'Course, she'd already taken her time looking at him before leaving the apartment that morning. Luckily, he'd slept through her thorough and intense scrutiny of his body.

Only Lucius could look as powerful and imposing in sleep as he did awake. Sure, the lines of his face had relaxed in slumber, but his muscles remained defined, as did his strength and capability.

He'd sprawled out on his back, stretching his big body along the length of the couch. One arm rested above his head, the other hung off the side. His right leg was bent at the knee, and the sheet had barely draped his lap to preserve his near-nonexistent modesty.

His tousled blond hair contrasted with darker body hair; he was just hairy enough to make her mouth go dry. His relaxed hands, deep breathing, and unconscious state hadn't lessened his impact on her system, but at least he hadn't stared at her with those intense green eyes-as he did now.

Bethany shivered and dashed from his apartment, paying no mind to the catcalls and bawdy suggestions from the other women as she flew through the living room. She crossed the hall, stepped over the threshold into Marci's place, and turned to shut the door.

Lucius's hand flattened against it, keeping it open.

Heart shooting into her throat, Bethany yelped in surprise.

He stood right there, in the way, hulking over her, his expression hot and suggestive and determined.

He stared down at her.

She could do no more than stare back.

Taking one step in, he murmured, "I figured I might as well follow along and collect my things."

The words were innocuous enough, but oh, the way he said them, and the way he looked at her while saying them.

He hadn't even touched her yet, and she felt overwhelmed. "Oh boy."

"Deep breaths, honey." He didn't change expressions, except that something bright and hot lit his eyes. "It'll help."

She doubted that.

Releasing the door, he put his hands on her shoulders and eased her back so he could fully enter the apartment.

"Take your time," her sister called, and then she shut the door to Lucius's place, giving them a modic.u.m of privacy that Bethany hadn't requested.

Did Marci hope to play matchmaker? Did she approve of Lucius? Of course she did. Hadn't she been singing his praises for months?

Bethany had feared that, despite her protestations, Marci liked him for herself. But would she throw them together if that was the case? And what about Lucius? Did he hope to use her for a subst.i.tute because of Marci's disinterest?

Bethany didn't know what to do. Flee back across the hall-or brazen it out?

Lucius quietly shut the door while keeping all the bone-melting force of his attention on her. "There's definitely something between us."

"s.p.a.ce." She couldn't pull her gaze away from his. "Let's leave it there."

"All right." His agreement surprised her, until he added, "You have to know I won't ever push you."

What a joke. He pushed her all the time. His mere presence pushed her-almost over the edge-but he verbally baited her, too, and taunted her and hara.s.sed her. She couldn't help but laugh, and said, "Ha!" with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

His hand lifted, brushed against her cheek. "I admit, I enjoy teasing you, but if you ever flat-out tell me to get lost, I will. I won't want to. And it won't be easy, because I care about you. But no is no in my book."

He waited, but d.a.m.n it, she couldn't quite squeeze the denial out of her throat.

"You're not making this any easier, Bethany. Right now, I'm dying to kiss you. And I'm hard again."

She started to look but he caught her chin and kept her gaze on his.

His brows came down in seriousness. "My job is really tough."

What did his job have to do with this particular moment? "I'm sure it is."

"It's one of the reasons I have trouble with relationships." His shoulder rolled. "Not many women can handle it."

She said, "Wimps," before she thought better of it. Then, looking for some errant humor, she added, "You want tough, you should try being secretary of a middle school. You know, most detentions, suspensions, and expulsions happen during the early teen years. Boys sprout hair and horns at about the same time. The girls all become drama queens. The teachers start going crazy, and the parents-"