Page 13 of 7 Days and 7 Nights

Matt still lounged in her bedroom doorway, coffee cup in hand, watching her with interest. Everything about this place was too close and too intimate, including Matt

Ransom. Clearly, it would be up to her to maintain some distance between them.

“Testing. Testing. This is Olivia Moore broadcasting live from the smallest apartment on earth.” She dragged her thoughts from Matt. “How’s the dieting, Di?”

“Great. I just switched to the All-the-Sushi-All-the-Time Diet. It’s supposed to burn the fat right off you.”

“You know, I can help you with this food thing. These extreme diets are not—”

“Yeah, thanks, boss. But I really think this one will do it. Your levels are good. Do you need anything in there?”

“How about a new roommate and a couple thousand more square feet?”

Diane laughed. “Wish I could deliver on that.”

“I’d settle for a plate glass window with you on the other side.” She and Diane had been together since the firstLiv Livein Tampa, and her presence would have gone

a long way toward restoring Olivia’s equilibrium.

She glanced over at Matt, who still lounged in the bedroom doorway, and wondered who she was kidding. Real peace of mind would require more than Diane or additional square footage. A continent or two placed directly between her and Matt Ransom ought to do it.

???

Matt watched Olivia start her show, while his mind painted pictures of the no-nonsense woman before him clad in the no-holds-barred black satin. The good doctor could square her shoulders and march away from him all she pleased. In the end, the contest would be won by the person who managed to harness and control the raw current that surged between them. Olivia might choose to dabble in denial, but he preferred to acknowledge the truth: They were sitting on a powder keg of sexual attraction, and he was itching to light the fuse.

Wandering into the kitchen, he rifled through cabinets and listened as Olivia advised her callers. A peek in the pantry confirmed that Crankower had delivered on

their sponsors’ promises. The pots and pans came from Williams Sonoma, the produce from Diangelo’s, the imported foods from Gourmet to Go. A case of his favorite wines sat on the counter waiting to be unpacked, and a twelve-pack of Wild Heaven Brewery’s Emergency Drinking Beer was already chilling in the fridge. All in all, everything a man required for a civilized existence was on hand.

His roommate appeared to have simpler tastes. From what he could see, she intended to subsist on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with occasional infusions of chocolate chip cookies. Her refrigerated goods consisted of two large blocks of Vermont cheddar, a quart of skim milk, and a case of Diet Coke. If she’d requested anything remotely resembling a fruit or vegetable, he hadn’t stumbled across it. In fact, for a doctor, she seemed woefully unconcerned with the basic cornerstones of good nutrition.

Matt walked back through the living area to observe Olivia more closely. When she bent over to retrieve a slip of paper, he couldn’t help noticing how nicely she filled out her jeans. Her legs were long, her rear perfectly padded. As she settled back into her chair, his gaze traveled up the lean length of her to the high, full breasts that

strained against the cream-colored T-shirt. If she was undernourished, she was hiding it beneath some pretty impressive curves.

Crossing to the seating area, Matt plopped down on the sofa and put his feet up on the cocktail table. It didn’t take him long to decide that Olivia Moore was not deficient in vitamins or anything else that mattered. In fact, she was such fun to watch that he gave himself up to the pleasure of it.

Her white teeth tugged at her full bottom lip, and her green eyes radiated concern as she listened to a caller’s problem. When she leaned forward to make a note on the pad in front of her, a curtain of blonde silk swirled over one slim shoulder and hid her features from view.

His pleasure was short-lived. Olivia’s hands stilled and her voice sputtered out and died. Then she looked up and, for a full ten seconds, watched him watch her. When she finally spoke, it was to put her caller on hold for the commercial break. “What the hell are you doing?"

“Who, me?” He pointed a finger at his chest and checked the room as if looking for another culprit.

“Of course you. Why are you sitting there? I’m in the middle of a show.”

“Where else would I be, Olivia? I’ve had too much coffee to take a nap, and I’m not about to spend three hours in the bathroom.”

“Well, you can’t just sit there and watch me.”

“Because?”

“Because I don’t like it.”

“We have 850 square feet of living space. My options are limited. You’re going to have to do better than that.”

“Okay. You’re interfering with my concentration.”

“Then concentrate harder.” He glanced up at the TV monitor and saw them squared off against each other.

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