Page 30 of 7 Days and 7 Nights

“Why, thank you. I do pride myself on knowing how to treat a man.” The caller’s voice was close to a purr. If he wasn’t mistaken, Olivia looked ready to roar.

“I bet you wouldn’t have to be forced into cooking a meal or pampering a guy a bit, either.”

“You’re right about that. I think men deserve all kinds of attention. And if you make it out of that apartment in one piece, I’d like to give you some. Um, attention, that is.”

Olivia snatched the kettle off the stove and the whistling stopped abruptly.

Matt kept a watchful eye on Olivia—and the boiling water—as he ended the call with, “Now there’s an offer no man in his right mind would refuse. You check in with me anytime you feel like it.”

He could read the anger in Olivia’s eyes as he rose from his chair at the audio console and leaned down toward the microphone. “This isGuy Talk, where a guy can be a guy. Call me.”

Matt flipped his microphone off and stepped around the console. “You look ready to deck someone... again. I hope you’re not expecting me to turn the other cheek?”

“I can’t bear to hear women talk as if their entire mission in life is to make some man happy. And you, of course, lapped it up as if it were your due.”

“It was a harmless flirtation, Livvy. Men and women have been talking to each other that way since Eve tempted Adam. I don’t think she meant any more by it than I did. It was just a little wordplay.”

“Hmmph. Foreplay is more like it.”

He moved closer, starting to invade her space.

"Jealous, Livvy? I have plenty of wordplay to go around. Hell, we could kill a little time looking up new definitions in the dictionary.”

“Are you ever serious?”

“Are you always?”

They stared at each other for a long moment, neither budging. Olivia’s eyes still sparked with anger; they’d deepened to a verdant green that made him think of primeval forests.

“You need to lighten up, Olivia. I happen to know firsthand that life is way too short to waste it sweating the small stuff. And in the end, it’s all small stuff.”

“Now there’s a convenient philosophy for a man who refuses to grow up. I assume you’ll forgive me if I don’t considermyshow ormycareer small stuff.”

She folded her arms in front of her chest and tilted her chin up another notch. “If this is all so insignificant to you, why don’t you just concede right now, Matt? Call a halt to this whole charade and move your show someplace else. You were pretty hot in Chicago, as I recall.”

“I’m not conceding a damn thing. But I’d be happy to teach you how to enjoy yourself. Without the ability to relax and enjoy, all the success in the world isn’t going to do a thing for you.”

“Thank you so much, Professor Ransom, for that introduction to Fun and Frolic 101. I’m sure you’re qualified to teach at the graduate level.”

Matt looked down into Olivia’s face. Her eyes glittered in challenge, and her tone dripped scorn. He kept his own tone light because he knew just how much it would piss her off. “I’ve never met anyone who needed tutoring in the subject as much as you do, Olivia.” He let a small smile play around the corners of his mouth and gave her an impudent wink for good measure. “I’m thinking I may have to design some sort of crash course.”

Chapter Eleven

Olivia didn’t see Matt again until the next afternoon. She was staring out the French doors at the tiny park across the apartment parking lot when she heard a noise behind her.

His jaw looked slightly puffy, but otherwise he seemed none the worse for his encounter with her foot. He tipped a Coke can at her in greeting. “Morning.”

“It’s way past morning.”

“So it is.” Matt seemed unconcerned with the distinction.

“How's your jaw?”

He ran a hand down the smoothly-shaven side of his face, pausing momentarily over the point of impact. “I’ll survive as long as you keep your feet to yourself.”

Matt’s gaze strayed to the jar of peanut butter sitting on the counter. “I see you’ve dined.”

“Do you have something against peanut butter and jelly?”

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