"Open up." When he got no immediate response, Zee yelled. "Dammit, Mac, I lost my key."

"The old man knows we're shorthanded. Probably thinks he's here to help."

Her face had turned a deep shade of red, and she pulled his shirt back down. Zee's distinctive cackle didn't help the situation. "Well he could have called first," she muttered.

He shot her an amused glance. "We're open in a few minutes," he reminded her.

"I'm going upstairs to wash up," she said. "I'll be back."

He gave Samantha time to disappear up the backstairs before calling out to Zee. "Hang on, I'm coming," Mac yelled. He pulled on his T-shirt and tucked it back into the waistband of his jeans. The insistent pounding continued even as Mac flipped the dead bolt and yanked open the door.

"We're still closed even for you."

Zee ignored him and walked inside. "I've known you all your life, Mackenzie. Don't pull any of that high-and-mighty crap on me."

Mac rolled his eyes. So the old man had been his father's best friend and a part of Mac's life for as long as he could remember. That didn't give him the right to interrupt his sex life and drive him generally insane. This place belonged to Bear, though, which gave the old man more right to be here than Mac. And he did love the codger like a father.

He followed Zee to a bar stool and sat down.

"Where's your lady friend?" Zee asked.

"You scared her off."

"Hah. Maybe she got smart and went to a hotel."

Mac leaned on an elbow. "If you want to know something, just ask."

"I did. Where's your lady friend?"

He groaned. "Upstairs."

"That's what I thought." Zee smacked Mac in the shoulder. "Didn't your daddy and I teach you boys anything? First my dumb son lets a woman give him the runaround, and then there's you."

"What the hell did I do?"

"In my day, a man married a woman before he took her to bed. I understand those rules don't apply today, but dammit boy, how about a little romance before you sleep with her?"

"I didn't sleep with her." Yet. He'd slept next to her, though, and Zee wouldn't approve of that, either. Mac let out another groan. He was thirty-five. His own father had died twelve years ago, and Zee had stepped in without asking, guiding him through every rough patch in his life. He always seemed to pop up whenever Mac needed a father's advice.

He didn't recall asking for that right now, but he respected Zee enough to listen and think about what the old man said.

"I don't want any of the gory details," Zee muttered. "I can see enough without 'em." His probing blue gaze settled on Mac's face. "Wipe the damn makeup off your lips. You look like a pansy."

Mac muttered a succinct curse and rubbed his lips with a paper napkin.

Zee shook his head. "I just want you to think with your brain and not your… Well, you know what I mean."

"You made your point."

"So is she any good?"

Mac let out a hearty chuckle. "Now, that's the Zee I expected."

The old man reached for one of the bowls Samantha had filled earlier. "She must be if you haven't given her the boot yet." A loud crunching sounded in Mac's ear.

"Gentlemen don't kiss and tell. Your rule."

"No, that one belonged to your daddy. I revealed plenty. The only way to corner Bear's mama into marrying me was by ruining her reputation." He grinned. "So you tell Sammy Jo the truth yet?"

"No." The answer earned Mac another swat in the shoulder. "She's from New Jersey," Mac said. As if that explained anything.

For the first time, he let himself think about the fact that not only would Samantha leave in a few days for her conference, but she had a life and a father who needed her back East. A strange emptiness accompanied the admission, one he knew he'd have to deal with, and soon.

Zee shrugged. "Heck, I thought the Wright boys invented the airplane."

"You're hilarious," Mac said. He wasn't ready to deal with a long-distance relationship any more than he was ready to reveal his feelings for Samantha to Zee. "I met the woman less than forty-eight hours ago." Funny, but it felt as if he'd known her much longer. "I barely know her." Yet he'd been more intimate with her without the benefit of sex than with any other woman he'd known.

"So why not level with her? Afraid she'll run the other way if she knows you're too wealthy for us mere mortals?"

"Actually, I'm more afraid she won't."

"Aah." Zee placed an understanding arm on Mac's shoulder. "I figured that was why you never picked up one of them spa bunnies. That's no excuse for not introducing me to one of 'em, but I'll forgive you."

Mac grinned. "And now I feel much better."

"When's she going back?" Zee asked.

Mac felt his smile turned to a frown. "Soon enough." Unless he changed her mind. He rose from his seat. "Just forget about it," he said to the well-meaning older man.

"I will… if you can do the same once she's gone."

He was about to respond, when the sound of footsteps running down the stairs stopped him. Unwilling to embarrass Samantha further, Mac crumpled the napkin and tossed it into the trash beneath the bar. Zee's knowing cackle followed his movement.

She cleared her throat, and Mac turned to see her standing beside him, dressed in a soft pink T-shirt, tight jeans and a matching bandanna threaded through the belt loops. Her hair fell over her shoulder, a soft smile touched her lips, and Mac knew he was in deep.

Things between them had shifted, and he wondered if he'd ever reclaim level ground.


* * *

Sam clasped her hands together in front of her. The ring shone on her finger, a reminder of how close she and Mac had become. Their trip hadn't given her time to think. Neither had his absence today. She hadn't learned how to handle him, just the opposite. She'd grown to care for this man who was supposed to be passing through her life. A life that until now had been dull in the extreme. She was approaching thirty, had lived an ordinary life, held an ordinary job and had dated ordinary men who she'd had little interest in becoming intimate with. She'd done the obligatory thing, seeing co-workers and allowing friends to set her up. She'd even slept with one man who had lasted beyond the awkward dating stage, one she'd hoped she could care for, but things had fizzled fast. Even then, she had never, ever contemplated the intimacy she craved with Mac.

True, she'd come out here seeking excitement, but her emotions were never supposed to come into play. He'd broken many barriers, she thought, fingering the token of his… what? Friendship, certainly. Affection? She met his gaze, and he treated her to a wink before continuing his conversation with Zee. The flutters in her stomach increased until she thought she might jump out of her skin. She didn't dare name anything else.

Each time she even looked at Mac, another emotional wall fell. She'd come to Arizona seeking passion, and she'd found it without even sleeping with him. Heaven help her when his body eventually did fuse with hers.

The churning in her stomach gave her a clue. How was that possible? How could her body crave him with such intensity, as if it knew what awaited her in Mac's arms?

"Hey, you okay?" Mac's warm hand touched her arm as he walked up to her.

She met his concerned gaze and forced a smile. "Couldn't be better. The bar opens in less than five minutes. I've got my sneakers on and I'm ready to work."

"That wasn't what I meant."

"I know what you meant." Reaching over, she touched a trembling hand to his still damp lips. Surely passion that burned so strong would douse itself soon.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder how she'd live the rest of her life without him if it didn't.

5

He'd taken his time stacking the stools onto the tables. The glass top of the long bar now sparkled and shone. If he washed the bar glasses any slower, he'd collapse from the sheer boredom of the task. Mac glanced at his watch. Surely Samantha had fallen asleep by now.

The only way he could trust himself to strip down to his briefs and climb into that small double bed beside her, was to make sure she was out for the night. His patience was near to breaking, but he drew the line at taking advantage of a comatose woman.

He'd like nothing better than to rouse Samantha from sleep with erotic whisperings in her ear and sensual strokes of his hand. Unfortunately, she wasn't ready. She might be free with her touches… and her tongue, he thought wryly. His body was on fire just thinking about her dainty licks against his chest. But the hesitancy wasn't gone from her gaze, the tremors still evident in her touch.

Mac might have been selective over the past couple of years, but he knew women. An experienced female who knew what she desired didn't hesitate to take what she wanted. Samantha did. He still believed she saw sex as the answer to… whatever she'd left behind at home. Mac didn't. Hanging out in the bar was the only way he could guarantee that he kept his hands to himself.

He leaned down to put a rag beneath the bar and found an envelope with Theresa's name and the word tips scrawled beneath. Mac drew in a deep breath. Just when he thought he knew Samantha, she stunned him even more. Caring was as much a part of her as her innate sensuality.

He exhaled hard. Oh, yeah. Hanging out in the bar was definitely his safest bet.


* * *

Sam sat up in bed. For the third morning in a row, she awoke to the sun forcing its way through the blinds, the sound of the shower in her ears, and country music reverberating throughout the room. For the third morning in a row, she woke up alone.

It was ironic, really. She'd come west intent on seducing a man, and here she'd had Mac to herself for three whole days and he hadn't made one move to take her to bed.

Oh, he'd slept with her, all right. But that's all he did. He worked so hard after hours, she couldn't manage to stay awake until he walked up the stairs… and she'd tried. To add insult to injury, he beat her out of bed every morning, and it didn't matter that she'd woken up earlier each day.

She didn't doubt his interest. She couldn't. Between his sultry looks and his heated touch, she knew he wanted her. She glanced toward the closed bathroom door and bit down on her lower lip. Her body couldn't stand another second of deprivation. But that wasn't the only reason she had to approach Mac, and she had to do it now. Before she lost her nerve.

She'd come here to have a steamy sexual encounter. Instead she'd found Mac. A sensitive, caring man. One who'd made her feel special and treasured in ways she'd only dreamed of before. It was an illusion, one that would pass once they put a stop to the sexual dance and satisfied their desires. Surely things between them would fizzle fast once the afterglow faded.

She was counting on it. Because she had to go home as planned and secure her father's future. But first she had to face Mac and all he had to offer. For a woman whose primary reason for being in Arizona was to attend a series of seminars on the benefits of risk management and investment portfolios, her nervousness now was ridiculous.

She forced herself out of bed and glanced in the mirror, pausing to brush her tangled hair. Then she drew on her reserve of courage and headed for the closed bathroom door. The worst thing he could do was throw her out, and what man in his right mind would toss a willing woman out of his bed or, in this case, his shower. Turning the handle, she walked inside.

A heavy beige curtain blocked her view. She didn't appreciate the obstruction until she realized it blocked his view as well. Silently, she stripped off her clothes, all the while pushing away every ounce of doubt that tried to creep in and stop her. Samantha Reed had always been a good girl. And good girls didn't seduce complete strangers.

Steam had filled the bathroom, accompanied by the fragrant scent she'd come to associate with Mac. The scent that wrapped itself around her heart and wouldn't let go. After she'd spent the past few nights cocooned in his arms, the smell was familiar and welcoming, giving her courage. Maybe Samantha Reed wouldn't seduce a man she'd just met, but Sam would. And Mac was no stranger, he was a part of her.

She paused only to brush her teeth quickly and grab a drink to ease her dry throat. "Would you mind some company?" she asked as she pushed aside the shower curtain a fraction of an inch and stuck her head inside.

She meant to meet his gaze. Instead, she focused on other parts of his anatomy and swallowed hard. Any adjective she chose would fall short, so she settled on magnificent… and large. Fully aroused and…