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What had been a vague sense of discomfort morphed into an urgent need to touch her soft skin again.
“Dr. Layton?”
Sam glanced down at a student in the front row.
The girl's brow wrinkled with concern.
Pull it together, moron. “Yes, sorry about that. My notes seem to have, uh, disappeared, so let's call it a day, everyone. See you on Wednesday.”
He stayed glued to his spot behind the lectern while the students filed out of the lecture hall. Their chatter covered the tension stretching between him and Josie, but once they were gone there was nothing left to diffuse it. Need slammed into him even as he acknowledged she only wanted to use him because he had Rebecca's map. But unlike the bombshell goddess heading his way, who had probably never heard the word no, he knew the difference between needing, wanting and getting. She was about to learn. Then she'd leave him alone and he would stop thinking of her at odd moments of the day. And all through the night.
“Long time no chat, Sam.” She strutted down the stairs. “How've you been?”
“I'm not going to help you.” He dropped his eyes to his briefcase and shoved everything inside, forgetting his natural orderly process in his haste to get away from Josie and the temptations she offered.
Her Ferrari red lips curled and she paused at the bottom of the stairs. “Help with what?”
His fingers curled around the edge of the lectern and he tried to block out her warm scent taunting him. “Rebecca's Bounty.”
“What makes you think the treasure is why I'm here?” She closed the distance between them, stopping just out of his reach.
“Please, don't insult my intelligence.”
She shrugged. “Fine, it's true. But that's not the only reason why I'm here.”
“Oh yeah, is this where you tell me some cock-and-bull story about how you've been dreaming of me every night?”
She leaned forward, her breasts threatening to spill out of her sweater. “Sounds to me like you're projecting. Is there something keeping you up at night?”
Sam kept his mouth shut. He'd already said enough.
Josie reached inside her jacket and brought out a small leather book. “A peace offering.”
When he didn't say anything, she placed the book on the lectern, her fingers brushing his, sending an electric jolt of a reminder of just how much he wanted this confounding woman.
“It's Rebecca's diary. I thought it should be back with your family.”
That threw him for a loop. “What's the catch?”
She sidled up to him, her breathing shallow. “No catch, but the treasure is out there. I have a pretty good idea of the general location. If we work together, using your map, I know we'll find it.”
He chuckled. “Do you know how many people have searched for that treasure and for how long?” Including himself. “What makes you think you'll be the one to find it?” He locked his briefcase and moved toward the door.
“Don't you ever go by faith, by gut feeling?”
He stilled at the challenge in her alto voice. Brash and defiant, she was an Amazon who couldn't be controlled. He was a college professor who ironed his T-shirts and micromanaged everything in his world. He shouldn't want her, but, dammit, he couldn't stop.
His stomach cramped at the idea of working with her and not succumbing to his desire. “No.”
“What happened to you, Sam? You're different, less adventurous than you were in Vegas.”
Las Vegas had been an aberration, an anomaly. Here in Dry Creek, that easygoing Sam didn't exist, hadn't for a very long time.
“This is the real me, Josie.” He faced her. “No lies.”
“Don't insult my intelligence now, Sam. You're not thinking clearly. Think of what we could find. A piece of your family's history.”
Damn it, how did she know just what buttons to push? But little did she realize his reasons for seeking Rebecca's Bounty over the past two decades had nothing to do with finding a piece of history and everything to do with Michael. If she was right, he could finally deliver on the promise he'd made to a dying boy. He grit his teeth, hoping she wouldn't see the cracks in his armor.
