Rock My World

“I don’t want any trouble.”

Adam resented the implication that he was a troublemaker. “You’re the one who came up with this crazy stunt.”

“And you’re the one being paid to do a good job.”

“Don’t worry.” He threw back the covers and sat up on the side of the bed. “I know how to do my job.”

“Good. You’re on in forty-five minutes.”

Forty-five minutes. Right. Forty-five minutes before he climbed back into this bed with Ms. Irresistible. Erica better hurry up and let him have his turn in the shower. He needed it—with the water turned on cold.

Carl left and Adam grabbed the clipboard and pretended to study the morning’s play list. But the song titles scarcely registered. Why had he groped Erica in his sleep? Sure, any breathing, straight man would be attracted to her, but he’d thought he had better self-control than that. After all, he’d been in tougher spots before.

All the years he’d spent avoiding trouble ought to come in handy now. Erica was just a challenge of a different kind.

ERICA COMBED through her freshly washed hair and stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. How was she ever going to go back out there and not let on to everyone how she was feeling?

She couldn’t keep back a grin. Laughing out loud, she hugged herself and did a victory dance around the small room. Yes! Adam might treat her like his little sister in public, but last night—or rather, this morning—had proved his true feelings were anything but brotherly.

If only Carl hadn’t come along and interrupted what could have been a really amazing moment. If they’d been alone and Adam had awakened to find her in his arms, would he have been so quick to pull away?

She opened her duffel and pulled out a KROK T-shirt and a pair of baggy blue boxers. Her smile faded as she studied the outfit she’d intended to throw Naughty Nick off the track. Not exactly come-hither couture.

She slumped onto the toilet and considered her options. If she wanted to build on the attraction Adam had revealed during sleep, she needed something that would catch him off guard again.

Everybody knew that men were visual creatures, turned on by what they saw. She needed to give Adam a real eyeful. Make herself irresistible.

She frowned at the clothing wadded in her hand. Boxers and a T-shirt weren’t going to cut it.

She looked around the bathroom, hoping for inspiration, but short of fashioning a toga out of the bath towel, she didn’t have any ideas.

Time to call for reinforcements. She dug in her bag for her cell phone and punched in a number.

“Hello?” The voice on the other end of the line was groggy.

“Tanisha, this is Erica. I need your help.”

“Isn’t it a little early in the morning to sound so desperate?” Tanisha yawned. “I wouldn’t have thought laying around in bed with the Handsome Hawk would be that difficult.”

“Oh, that’s not the problem. Not really.”

“So how is it? Did the two of you get to know each other better when the lights went out?”

She blushed. As far as she was concerned, she and Adam hadn’t gotten to know each other nearly well enough yet. “That’s what I need a little help with.”

“Thanks, but I’m not into threesomes.”

“Very funny. I’m serious here. I thought I was going to be doing this gig with Nick, not Adam. I didn’t exactly come prepared.”

“You want me to bring you a box of condoms or something?”

“Tanisha!” She almost dropped the phone.

“Well, what am I supposed to think when you say you’re not prepared?”

“I meant I don’t have the right clothes. All I brought to wear was flannel pajamas, boxer shorts and T-shirts.”

“Yeah, not exactly clothes that say seduction is on the menu. Fortunately today is your lucky day.”

“Oh?”

“You look like you wear the same size as me. And I happen to have a dresser full of killer lingerie. Guaranteed to have any man worshipping at your feet.”

Heat curled through her at the image of Adam on his knees before her. “Help me out and I’ll buy you the biggest box of Godiva chocolates you ever saw,” she said.

Tanisha laughed. “It’s a deal. I’ll see you after the morning show.”

“Thanks. I owe you.”

“I want all the details later.”

“You bet.” She hung up the phone and replaced it in her bag, then turned to the mirror once more. Right now she looked like a refugee from a teen slumber party, but in a few hours she’d be dressed for battle.

Adam didn’t stand a chance.

BY THE END of the morning show, Adam was feeling better about the situation with Erica. Yes, she was an attractive young woman. Yes, he liked her personality as well as her looks. But a man had to have priorities. If he screwed up this job at KROK, his career might never recover. So he and Erica couldn’t let lust get the better of them on this gig. Adam’s employment history was spotty enough, and it wouldn’t be fair for Erica, just starting out, to be saddled with that kind of bad mark on her record.

As their final song of the morning began playing, Erica removed her headphones and grinned at him. “How much money have we raised so far?”

He checked the note Mason had handed him earlier. “Looks like twenty-one-thousand dollars and counting. That’s including Max’s ten thousand.”

“That’s fantastic. I bet this is the biggest fund-raiser the Salvation Army has had all year. The audience must love us.”

Part of him felt old and jaded next to her enthusiasm. But she definitely made this gig less of a bore. “They love you. They can hear me anytime.”

“You’re so sweet to say that. I was terrified I’d screw this up, like I did the last time.”

He winced, remembering that fiasco. After mixing up the ads for competing car dealers, she’d compounded the error by swearing like a sailor on air. Within minutes the phone banks had lit up with complaints from listeners, both car dealers and the FCC. Carl’s face had turned purple, he’d been so enraged. He’d finally locked himself in his office and refused to talk to anyone, while Erica was sent home to contemplate her sins. Fortunately, by the next day, Carl had agreed to let her stay. “You were nervous,” Adam said. “Everybody makes mistakes, especially when they’re new. You just got yours all out of the way at once.”

She laughed, and absently twirled a lock of her hair around one finger, a gesture he found incredibly alluring. He looked away. “I think we’re supposed to tape some more promo spots this morning.”

“Sure. I just want to take a break first.” She was looking over the crowd, then spotted someone and waved.

Tanisha emerged from a clot of people by the door. “I brought you some goodies,” she said, holding aloft a pink shopping bag.

“Great.” Erica turned to Adam. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

He watched the two women head toward the rest room. Now that the initial shock of being thrown together in bed was over, maybe the next two days wouldn’t be so bad. He and Erica could be friends. No reason they couldn’t keep things on that level.