He loomed over her. "I touched your breast. That's all. Your nipples were hard and I saw that and-"

She gasped loudly at his audacity, feeling her face pulse with heat. "It's cold out here, you a.s.s! My... my..."

"Nipples," he supplied, smirking at her.

His att.i.tude infuriated her. "It's because of the cold, certainly not because of you."

"I know that. I'm not stupid to women's bodies. But the sight made me lose my head a little." He suddenly looked solemn, and a little confused himself. "You have very nice b.r.e.a.s.t.s, Carlie."

Her heart raced in her chest. "My...my..."

"b.r.e.a.s.t.s!" He stared at her irritably. "They're called b.r.e.a.s.t.s, dammit."

"Well, they're none of your business! Keep your opinions to yourself."

"You're repressed," he accused, sounding disgusted with her. "It was no big deal. Forget about it."

No big deal. The words crushed her. And to call her repressed...that was the same label her husband had applied, though she now knew it wasn't true. She had the same feelings as any other woman, but right now, she wished she didn't. Maybe it wouldn't hurt so bad if the accusation was true. She swallowed, staring at Tyler and his dark expression of irritation. "I'd sooner forget you, Tyler Ramsey." And she meant it. "Go home and leave me alone."

Carlie turned, finally unlocking her door. She tried to enter, but Tyler stopped her. "You invited me in."

"I changed my mind."

"We need to talk, Carlie. This isn't going to go away."

"Of course it is. Just as soon as you do."

"No, it's not." He took her arm and forced his way into her house.

Carlie refused to close the door. She was trembling inside and felt ready to snap. She was furious, with herself, with Tyler, with the circ.u.mstances. "Get out."

"No. I want to talk to you."

She snorted. "You have a funny way of talking."

"Look, Carlie..." He tried to sound reasonable, but his eyes dropped to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s again, almost unintentionally, it seemed. "Let's get dried off. Then we can sort this out."

"There's nothing to sort out. You crossed the line and I don't want you to ever do that again."

"Well, I'm d.a.m.n well going to do it again, and real soon if you don't get your b.u.t.t in the other room and find something dry to wear that isn't showing off your..."

She fled the room, and purposely slammed her bedroom door. Hard.

Odious man! Carlie yanked off her sodden clothing, repeatedly shoving her gla.s.ses up on the bridge of her nose. And all the while she rained silent curses on Tyler's head. Talk about fickle! First, he claims to be depressed because he's without a date; then, he wants to see the mystery woman again and can't; and then, he makes a move on her, Carlie. She stopped in the process of pulling a thick terry-cloth, floor-length shift over her head.

He'd actually done that-made a pa.s.s at her. And he couldn't have been completely toying with her. He'd been affected also, she could see that. Slowly, she sat on the edge of her bed.

Tyler Ramsey wanted Carlie McDaniels? Good grief.

But, her thinking continued, he also wanted her alter ego, the mystery woman, and had already slept with her. She knew they were one and the same, but Tyler didn't. Was he only biding his time with her until he could discover the ident.i.ty of the masked harem girl?

It was equal parts ridiculous and unreasonable, but she was feeling jealous of herself.

She finished dressing, then left the bedroom. Tyler was pacing the living room, his shirt discarded, a towel in his hands as he tried to dry himself off. He'd removed his shoes and socks and had left them by the front door. His jeans were dark, soaked from rain and molded to his thighs and b.u.t.tocks. Carlie cleared her throat.

Turning, Tyler stared at her. She was nervous, she couldn't help that. Everything had suddenly shifted again, so many changes converging on her all at once. She was at a loss as to how to deal with it all.

His eyes swept over her, from her still-wet hair to her naked feet. He didn't say a word, but held her eyes, his hands hanging from his sides.

"I apologize if I overreacted," she said. "You took me by surprise. I never once suspected you might..."

A reluctant smile curved his mouth. "You acted as if I'd defiled you in some way. Was it really so bad, honey?"

"No." She shook her head, her heavy braid swinging behind her. "But I really don't think getting physical is a good idea. I like being friends with you too much to complicate things. And it wouldn't have the same effect on you-our being...involved-I mean, as it would on me."

He approached her slowly, then stopped in front of her. She lowered her eyes, unable to meet his probing gaze. He crouched slightly to look her in the face. "Carlie. Don't sell yourself short. You can't know how I might react to you."

But she could, because she knew how he'd reacted to the mysterious and provocative harem girl. She was simply Carlie. Plain and boring. "You're used to beautiful women. Tons of them."

"Tons, huh? Well, that's not true." He wrapped the towel around his neck, holding the ends. "I haven't had an ounce of experience with any real relationships. In fact, the only relationship I've ever had that was worth a d.a.m.n was with my brother. And now Brenda. But that's not what we're talking about, is it? So give me a break here, okay?"

She stared up at him helplessly, and then he cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking her temple. "I like the way we are together, Carlie. We could have a good relationship."

She needed some s.p.a.ce. With Tyler standing so close, she could see the water drops still clinging to the dark swirls of hair on his chest. His body was moist from the rain, his muscles slick and smooth. Her nipples tightened again and she stepped away. s.p.a.ce. She definitely needed s.p.a.ce.

"Why don't you tell me what you really want, Tyler." She walked into the kitchen as casually as possible and pulled two mugs from the cabinet.

She was filling the gla.s.s coffeepot with water, when she felt Tyler behind her. His hands lifted to her upper arms and he pulled her back against his chest. He murmured against her temple, "I'm not sure. I know I like spending time with you. And I know I'm going to want to kiss you again."

Carlie closed her eyes. "What about other women?"

"What other women?"

"Your masked lady, for one. Are you only wanting to spend time with me until you can convince Bren to give you her name? And if your harem girl wants to see you again, what then?"

She could feel the added tension in the way Tyler's hands gripped her. "You're jumping the gun, Carlie. h.e.l.l, I didn't ask you to marry me. I'm not asking for a lifetime commitment."

She pulled away, embarra.s.sment vying with the anger rising within her. He made her sound desperate! "That isn't what I meant, Tyler. I certainly don't aspire to tie you down. I don't aspire to do anything with you. It's just that I know how you are about commitments, and I'm trying to point out that you would only be using me until something better came along. Right now, I like you as a friend. I'm grateful for the time you donate to helping the children. But if you...that is...if we..."

Tyler rolled his eyes in exasperation. "If I made love to you. That is what you're trying to say, isn't it?"

"Yes. If we... did that. I'm honest enough to admit my heart might get involved, and then my pride would suffer when you decided to toss me aside. I don't think I could forgive you, and our friendship, which I count more important than a bit of hanky-panky, would be ruined."

She couldn't look at him after that little speech. Instead, she went about setting out cookies and preparing some coffee. She felt like a fraud.

Tyler narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "You're amazing, you know that? I'm surprised you didn't carry your predictions through to the end of Time. And you forgot to cover a few scenarios. I mean, what if that jerk you told me you used to love suddenly reappeared? Or what if one of your teacher buddies caught your eye? You could ditch me!" He stormed around the kitchen, his hands on his hips, his dark eyebrows lowered in a fierce frown. "I wasn't talking about some time in the distant future, dammit. I was talking about now."

Carlie choked on the sip of coffee she'd just taken. Tyler grumbled and proceeded to pound on her back.

"All right, all right! Don't beat me to death." She sucked in several desperate breaths, then glowered at him incredulously. "You're wanting to...to..."

He rolled his eyes again, and sighed loud enough to rattle the windowpanes. "Make love. It's called making love, Carlie. People have been doing it since the beginning of Time. They'll continue doing it until the end of Time. It's a necessary and enjoyable part of life, you know."

She gave him her patented snort. "I'm not as cavalier as you, Tyler. I certainly haven't been doing it." She realized her slip immediately. Tyler was looking at her curiously, and she stammered an explanation. "It isn't necessary. Enjoyable, maybe. But not necessary."

"G.o.d save us from liberated women." He advanced on her, and Carlie held her coffee cup between them like an insubstantial shield. Tyler took it from her. "Do you care about me, Carlie?"

"I care about a lot of men. That doesn't mean I want to sleep with them."

He stiffened, and his eyes grew hard. "Who? Who do you care about?"

"Jason, for one."

"My brother?"

"Yes. And several teachers who I've been friends with since I started teaching here. I care about some of the parents I've gotten to know, and a few of my neighbors..."

"Carlie." Tyler laid his finger against her lips. "There's caring, and then there's caring."

She nodded. Tyler removed his hand from her mouth, then stroked her cheek. "Tell me you care about me."

"This sounds suspiciously like a seduction routine you've practiced to perfection."

Tyler stepped back, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Obviously, I haven't practiced it enough."

Carlie smiled, her first real smile since he'd kissed her. He looked every bit as confused as she felt. "Tyler, be reasonable. I'm not going to jump into bed with you, just because you suddenly find me strange and interesting."

"I never said-"

"I'm different from other women you know, and the main difference is that I'm not trying to wend my way into your bed. You're just stymied, not really aroused. Go home and take a warm bath and you'll feel better in the morning."

He shook his head, being very precise. "I won't."

Carlie chuckled. "Don't pout, Tyler. Surely some woman somewhere has told you no before."

"Not that I would admit to. And just because you're not interested right now, doesn't mean I'll stop being interested. When you get used to the idea and accept it as a fact, you'll see that I was right."

She looked at him suspiciously. "About what?"

Quickly, before she could move away, Tyler bent down and kissed her, hard and fast. "We'll be good together. I'm sure of it. Very good."

That was an already proven fact, but Tyler couldn't know it. She mustered a shaky smile. "Bragging, Mr. Ramsey?"

"No." He stared intently into her eyes. "Making a promise."

Carlie felt the heat building in her stomach. But then Tyler pulled out a seat at the table and sprawled in it. "In the meantime..." He raised his arms and clasped his hands behind his head. "No pressure. You're the best friend I ever recall having. I suppose I can be content with that. For a time."

Carlie felt relief, and quelling disappointment. "Good. Then we can stop all this nonsense and play some cards." She pulled a deck from a drawer and sat across from Tyler.

"What would you like to play?" She looked at Tyler.

"Strip poker?"

Carlie started to rise, her mouth drawn in annoyance, but Tyler stopped her. He was laughing. "Okay, okay. Bad jest. Sorry."

She nodded grudgingly. "So. What should we play?"

With a twinkle in his eyes, he asked innocently, "Old maid?"

She threw the cards at him, then sat there glaring.

"Well, I suppose that decides it." He grinned wryly, a card sitting on top of his head, the rest scattered in his lap and on the floor. "Fifty-two pickup it is."

Tyler tried to keep his mind on the basketball game they were playing, but he couldn't keep his eyes off Carlie. She was trying to treat him the same as always, but he wasn't going to let her get away with it. Everything was different now, the way he felt when he was around her, the effect her smile had on him. She was doing her best to ignore his attention, but there was only ten more minutes before practice was over. Then he'd be going home with her again. That fact had his stomach in knots.

When was the last time he'd so antic.i.p.ated spending time with a woman?

But Carlie wasn't just any woman. She wasn't impressed by monetary things. In fact, she almost seemed disdainful of them. And she wanted nothing from him, other than companionship and help with a group of children who deserved someone better than him.

He'd thought about that, too, about ways he could help. He'd never given much of himself-money didn't count, because that wasn't him. But for Carlie, for the kids...for himself, he was going to try to make a difference. And he had a plan he hoped would work.

Practice ended, and Tyler found the little boy whose family's phone had been disconnected. He walked him out to his mother's car. After discreetly questioning the woman, Tyler discovered that she used to be a secretary. He casually mentioned that he always had papers that had to be transcribed, and would be glad to have her a.s.sistance. When he mentioned what he was willing to pay, and that she could do the work at home, she readily accepted. He arranged to start sending her doc.u.ments next week.

And in the meantime, he explained a scholarship of sorts he was setting up that would enable her to enroll her children in the extracurricular activities that they'd been forced to drop out of due to lack of funds.

By the time Tyler finished convincing her to take advantage of his offer, he was feeling pretty good. It was a d.a.m.ned nice thing to know you'd been some small help. But when he came back into the gym, he realized instantly that Carlie was disgruntled with him for having excluded her.

Well, that was just too bad. He intended to surprise her when things were settled, and not a moment sooner.

She was ready to leave, her keys in her hand. He realized he hadn't even changed out of his sweaty shirt yet.

"I'll just be a minute," he said, and started toward the change-room door. She didn't answer, just stood there, tapping her foot. He chuckled. "I know what you're thinking. Curiosity is written all over your face."

She gave him a haughty look, and he prepared himself, knowing he was going to get an earful. "Actually," she said, a slight blush on her cheeks, "I was thinking how...s.e.xy you look right now."

That stopped him. "Is that so?" He advanced slowly, seeing her struggle to stand her ground. "Enough to warrant a kiss?"

She leaned toward him, her expression smug. "Nope."

Tyler reached for her, but she ducked away. "You're a terrible tease, McDaniels!" Then he grinned. "I think I like it."

She was waiting for him to tell her why he'd been outside so long. He knew, and deliberately kept silent. Her mouth pursed, then she asked, "Are you still coming over?"

"Only if you'll give me a kiss. You can't tell a man he's s.e.xy, then just walk away."

She shrugged. "Sure I can."

He grabbed her arm, grinning. "No. You can't. Besides, you want to kiss me. You know you do. What are you afraid of?"