What a Man Needs by Patricia Thayer Page B

I’m staying clear of the man.” Cynthia had had her fill of his rejection. She didn’t need him telling her again that he didn’t want her.
    Why did love have to hurt so badly? Her heart tightened in her chest. Oh, God, no. She sucked in a gasp. She couldn’t be falling in love with the man. But it looked like it was too late. She was well on her way.

Seven
    T he following day, as usual, Cynthia had gotten up at six o’clock and was downstairs by six-thirty. For a change she decided to fix bacon-and-egg sandwiches for breakfast. She knew that she should be watching her diet, but with the amount of exercise she’d been doing and her NoWait oil, she could splurge a little.
    She had also increased her muscle tone, especially in her legs and rear end. She rubbed her tender bottom. All this was due to the fact that she’d been riding a horse. No wonder cowboys had such great-looking backsides.
    When Patrick came through the back door she tried not to be affected by his overwhelming presence, but it didn’t work. Her pulse pounded in her veins as she gave his well-toned body the once-over. She’d worked with a lot of the leading men in Hollywood, but it was Patrick Tanner who made her lose control. Lord, he had her hormones doing a jig.
    â€œGood morning,” she managed.
    â€œGood morning,” he greeted her and took off his hat, causing his blond-streaked hair to fall across his forehead. Cynthia had trouble drawing air into her lungs when he ambled over to the coffeemaker. She quickly took the bread from the toaster and slapped together the makings of a sandwich. Just a few more days and she’d be gone. There would be an end to the temptation.
    â€œI made us egg sandwiches.”
    Patrick leaned a hip against the counter and took a sip of his coffee. “Sounds good,” he lied. It didn’t matter what she cooked, he hadn’t had any appetite lately. He eyed Cyndi’s shapely little backside in her jeans and his body stirred. Not for food. He went to the table and sat down. That wasn’t any better. She sat across from him, giving him a perfect view of those incredible brown eyes and that sexy mouth.
    Food. He needed to concentrate on food. He reached for his sandwich and took a huge bite, but his gaze was drawn back to her. His eyes lingered on her slender hands and long fingers as she held the bread. Her nails were short. His gaze returned to her face, scrubbed clean of any makeup, her red hair pulled into a no-nonsense braid. There was no sign of the pampered Hollywood starlet he’d once thought she was. Cyndi had worked hard, both at riding and ranch chores, and without complaint.
    Patrick identified the problem. He wanted her. Had done every day, every minute since that night at Morgan’s. Nothing he’d done had made it stop, either. For the past few days he’d tried to keep his distance. It wouldn’t have been so hard if he hadn’t had the memories of their one night together. But he’d already known what it was like to touch her, caress her flawless skin, then sink deep inside her. He groaned.
    She looked at him. “Something wrong?”
    He shook his head. “Just eating too fast.” He swallowed hard. “We’ve got a lot to do today. Are you up for a ride outside the corral?”
    Her chocolate eyes rounded. “You mean it?”
    Patrick found her excitement contagious. “Yeah. I think it’s time I broadened your horizon. So let’s go get saddled up.” He stood, took hisplate to the sink and she followed. When she started to rinse the dishes, he reached for her hand to stop her. The electrical shock nearly threw him backward.
    She frowned. “What?”
    Patrick released her. “Leave them. I’ll do ’em later.” She followed him to the door. He grabbed his hat, then handed one to her. “Come on, the sun’s up.”
    Twenty minutes later, Forest held open