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had worn. The other women had reeked of femininity, but not Toreas Rose. She reeked of vagabond, waif, homeless, and he’d be damn if he hadn’t found her intriguing, especially her fascination with the camera.
    She’d treated the thing as if it were the enemy out to steal her virginity. She kept glaring at it as though she thought someone was trying to get a shot underneath that skirt she kept tugging at. Even if it had been aimed in that direction, the cameraman would have had to do some fancy footwork to get a shot beneat h all that billowing material. The darn skirt was so long it nearly dragged the floor, even when she was standing.
    Jared tapped his finger on the desk, remembering when he’d first locked gazes with Toreas. The woman had stopped her fussing and stared straight ahead at him, their eyes locking for a moment, long enough for Jared to think to himself, Wow, I had it wrong, she isn’t mousy at all .
    But the moment had passed as the intensity of the woman’s stare burned straight through him.  Her glare was personal and he wondered why.
    True, he had been taking potshots at romance writers and readers for months, but his reasons were his own.  He had never planned to turn it into a full scale war.  He was only venting until he got over…
    No, he wouldn’t think about that.  He would only think about how much fun he was having tormenting the hapless woman.  The woman intrigued him and it had nothing to do with her looks.  First, she’d called and demanded that he be stopped.  Then when she was given an opportunity to talk, she froze.
    Without warning she’d punched him.  He’d seen that she was every bit as surprised as he was.  But for some reason the woman refused to apologize. There was more to her than met the eye.  He didn’t think she was as helpless as she appeared at first glance.
    Jared looked down at the latest letter he had received from yet another romance writer.  They were coming out of the woodwork.
    If he had known there were so many of them maybe he would have had a better battle plan before he began his attack. Maybe he would have included a way to surrender without losing. Part of him felt sorry for the women and Toreas Rose in particular. But ratings were ratings. And he did owe Derrick a favor. Not only that, he really wanted his friend to make a go of his station.
    Jared exhaled noisily, running the scenario over and over in his mind. Maybe he should leave the romance writers alone. But then again, they were indirectly responsible for ruining his life.  He deserved a little harmless revenge.
    The women were definitely keeping him amused.  To date he had received over a hundred letters from women all over the country.  At least a dozen of them came from the same chapter,  the one Toreas Rose was a member of.  They were all apologizing for her behavior, calling it unforgivable.
    He couldn’t help noticing that not one of the women mentioned his behavior, how badly he had treated the women, or the hostility he’d created when he stepped in front of Toreas Rose.  And no, not even his boss had admonished him for kissing her.
    Jared had expected another punch, had even been prepared for it but it never came.  For a brief second she’d merely looked at him. Then her eyes went cold and he released her.
    He was beginning to feel a familiar warmth creeping up on him but he refused to allow it free rein. Yet he could not keep his tongue from coming out of his mouth and slowly traversing the length of his lips as though searching for the taste of her.
    The kiss had been brief but memorable. The woman had soft full lips. He smiled. They were also sweet, reminding him of fresh washed strawberries.
    Okay, that’s far enough . He stood and paced around the room, needing to release the sudden restriction in his throat and elsewhere.
    He didn’t want this woman.  Only a darn fool would even have the thoughts he was having, but heaven help him, he was having them.
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