Free Blind Date Disasters & Eat Your Heart Out by Jill Shalvis

strip of highway in order to hitch a ride with another beautiful woman who offered… What was that she offered, Ted? Dessert? Even though you’d already had it?… Uh-huh, I see. You risked Cami’s life for a slice of pumpkin pie. Nice move, Ted.”
    He listened again. “No, that pathetic apology won’t work. You know what? Let’s get to the point here. My point. Basically, you’re slime. A real bottom feeder. And if you call here again, if you come here, if you even so much as think about her, I’m going to find you and beat the shit out of you. Do you understand, Ted?”
    â€œTanner!” Cami gasped, trying to sit up, but not only was a blanket wrapped around her as if she were a stuffed sausage, Tanner leaned over and casually stepped on the edge of it.
    Surely he hadn’t done that on purpose. She tugged.
    In response, he set his other foot on the blanket, as well, and looked at her from beneath those lowered lashes.
    â€œNo,” he said firmly into the phone. “You’reright. You must have gotten the wrong phone number. No problem, Ted.” You could only call what he did then smiling, because he bared his teeth. “Goodbye.” And with shocking politeness given what he’d just said, he clicked the phone off and tossed it to the couch.
    â€œWhat was that about?” she demanded, struggling to free herself, to no avail.
    â€œOh, it’s just some caveman technique a woman wouldn’t care to understand.” He hunkered down beside her, careful to leave a booted foot on her blanket so she was still wrapped tighter than a pretzel. He studied her for a long moment, making her aware of things, such as the fact she had on no makeup, and that her hair was undoubtedly out of control, and that she hadn’t yet brushed her teeth.
    â€œYou okay?” he eventually asked.
    â€œYou’re stepping on my blanket.”
    â€œI meant did you get enough sleep? You must have been tired after the night before.”
    Short of reading his mind, she had no idea what the hell he was thinking. His eyes were guarded, his expression neutral. But she could have sworn she heard genuine concern in that low voice of his. “Funny time to worry about how much sleep I got, you’ve been banging around for hours.”
    â€œBut I’ve been banging with consideration,” he said. A slight smile softened his features. Then his gaze dipped down and heated, leading her to believe he could see right through her blanket to the large T-shirt and men’s boxers she’d worn to bed.
    â€œI’m not naked under here,” she said. “You know, just in case you were wondering.”
    â€œA guy can hope,” he said huskily.
    â€œWhat would you have said to Ted if he’d said that to me?”
    Tanner had the good grace to laugh, and surged to his feet. “You still have that other stupid blind date tonight? With your client’s son?”
    The thought made her want to groan and cover her head again. “I need that client.”
    â€œEnough to go through another Ted?”
    â€œThere can’t be another Ted.”
    â€œHoney, beneath our masks of civility, all of us males are Teds.”
    â€œYou mean all men like buffets?”
    â€œOf different types,” he said cryptically.
    â€œWhat does that mean?”
    â€œNot all of us get excited over food, but we’re all reduced to basic stupidity when it comes to our weaknesses. Ted’s weakness just happened to be food.”
    â€œWhat’s yours?”
    â€œAh, that would be telling.”
    With that, he walked away, leaving her to watch his long, long legs, the way his hammer slapped against his hip with each step.
    He has the most amazing tush, she thought ridiculously, then had to laugh at herself. Seems men weren’t the only ones wearing masks of civility.
    The phone rang again, and before Tanner could come back and step on her blanket, she