love life didn't get any more exciting after you came on the scene."
It took him a few seconds to realize the nature of the accusation she was hurling in his face. Xavier's jaw dropped. Then his teeth snapped together. "Now hold on one blasted minute here. Are you saying you're mad because I didn't take you to bed?"
"Not mad, just bored."
He lost his temper at that point and reached for her. "You know something, lady? You've got one hell of a lot of nerve."
"Don't touch me." Letty stepped back quickly but not quickly enough. Xavier's fingers closed around her shoulders and he hauled her up against his chest. Her wide, startled eyes were only inches away from his own furious gaze.
"Bored, were you?" he gritted. "After all I went through to behave like a gentleman? After all those nights I went back to the motel room alone and stood under a cold shower? And you have the nerve to tell me you were bored?"
She bit her lip. "Well, maybe bored isn't quite the right word."
"No, it is definitely not the right word."
She got a grip on herself and defiance blazed in her eyes once more. "Try frustrated. Or confused. Or worried."
"Worried about what, for crying out loud?"
She made a little sound to clear her throat and her eyes flickered uneasily. Her cheeks blushed a bright pink as she lowered her gaze to his chest. "I did wonder if perhaps you had some sort of, uh, masculine problem, if you know what I mean."
Xavier was so outraged he could barely think coherently. "A problem? Hell and damnation, woman. You better believe you won't have to worry much longer about any problem I might have in that department."
"Now, Xavier, there's no need to feel offended. Lots of men have problems of that sort," she said soothingly. "I've read all about them. I understand most of them can be quite easily remedied with modern medical technology. There are even little devices you can use to sort of pump yourself up, I hear
— "
"Not another word out of you,"
he roared. "It will give me real pleasure to demonstrate that all the basic equipment I possess is in full working order. Trust me, by the time I've finished proving I don't have any problem in bed, you won't have any lingering questions left on the subject. You'll be lucky to be able to walk."
"Promises, promises," she taunted. "And stop yelling at me. You don't have any right to yell. Or to make threats. It was perfectly reasonable of me to question your sexual prowess under the circumstances. After all, . I had no way of knowing you were simply biding your time until you had the final report on my background."
"Damn it, Letty."
"Why did you wait? Weren't you attracted enough to me to want to go to bed with me? Did it take that stupid report to make the thought of making love to me bearable?"
"That's enough, Letty. You're carrying this whole thing too far."
"It was your own future comfort you were really thinking about, wasn't it? You'll be living full-time in Tipton Cove now that you're moving your business headquarters here. You'll be giving more guest lectures at the college. You'll be socializing with all sorts of high-profile, conservative, respectable people. I can see where it would have been embarrassing to have had a brief fling with one of the junior members of the history department. What if she made things a trifle awkward after you finally found a really suitable wife?"
"Letty, I'm warning you..."
"Admit it, Xavier. Admit you couldn't be bothered to seduce me until you were sure I was good enough for you. You know something? I think that is the final insult."
"That does it. You're beyond reason at the moment. I'm getting out of here while you cool down." Xavier released her before he lost any more of his normally ironclad self-control. He strode across the room and put on his shoes. Then he snatched the offending letter from the investigation firm off the end table, shoved it into the briefcase and latched the buckles.
Letty stood tensely, watching his every