Revving Her Up (5 page)

She shook herself mentally. What was she thinking? Relaxation was the cure, not some mysterious mechanic from Nowheres-ville. No matter how hot he was—or how hot he made her—she wasn’t willing to put her instant attraction to this man to the test. The risk was too great. After all, she’d been attracted to each of her previous lovers and look what had happened. Or rather, what hadn’t.

Why would things be any different with Cole?

With that depressing thought, Sarah tamped down the last embers of her desire and looked at the clock on the garage’s back wall. It was almost five. “How long do you think it will take you to fix my car?” She mentally calculated the remaining distance to the spa. If she left by eight, she’d still be able to make the late check-in…

“A couple of hours.” Cole rolled his shoulders in a way that made Sarah’s insides do somersaults. “Once we get the part.”

“Great.” She was trying to recall where she’d left her purse when his words penetrated. “Get the part? You mean you don’t have it here?”

Mike laughed. “No, ma’am. Porsches have special everything. Not much call for them around here.”

She failed to see what was so funny. “When will it arrive? I have a reservation at The Spa at Westwood. They’re expecting me tonight.”

“The part will have to be sent over from Richmond,” Cole said. He had a look of sympathy on his face. “That ain’t happening today, darlin’. Sorry.”

Now that she had decided that it was best to go, she couldn’t. An unfamiliar feeling of panic gripped her. “Not leave tonight?” Her voice cracked. “You mean I’m stuck here?”

“I’m afraid so,” Cole said. Mike nodded his agreement.

“But where will I stay? Is there even a motel in this town?”

Cole opened his mouth to speak, but Mike let out a startled yelp, his gaze on the clock. “Man, is that the time? I gotta get the truck back to the shop.”

Cole held out a hand to the mechanic. “Thanks for getting the car down here, Mike. Sorry for keeping you so long.”

“No problem, man,” Mike said as the men shook hands. “Really. And thanks for letting me watch you work. It was awesome.”

“Watch?” Cole swung an arm around the other man’s shoulders. “You were a big help. I really appreciate it.”

Mike’s face lit up when Cole stepped back with a nod. “I helped? Really?” He cleared his throat. “I mean, glad to do it, man.” He turned to Sarah. “Like I told you, ma’am, you don’t gotta worry about a thing. Cole’s the best. He’ll take care of you.”

“That’s fine for my car, but what about me?” She struggled to keep a childish whine out of her voice. This wasn’t part of the plan. She was supposed to leave tonight. “Where am I supposed to stay tonight?”

“You can stay here,” Cole said.

Mike let out a low whistle. “That certainly beats the old roach motel by the highway.”

Roach motel? Like any New Yorker, Sarah shuddered at the mere mention of the disgusting scurrying insects, even though Mike was likely exaggerating.

Wasn’t he?

Mike continued, seemingly oblivious to the impact of his words. “Cole’s got an awesome place above the garage here.” He pointed over their heads. “Jimmie stayed there once, right?” he asked Cole. “And Junior?” Cole nodded and the other man shook his head. “Damn.”

If Mike’s words were meant to impress her they fell short of the mark, as Sarah had no idea who those men were. She didn’t care if George Washington himself had slept there—it was the presumed lack of roaches that sealed it for her.

The fact that it was Cole’s place they were talking about was irrelevant, of course.

Mike’s departure forestalled any more questions. After a round of backslapping and high fives, promises of beers and a “catchya later”, he headed out the door.

Mike was almost at the truck when Sarah called out to him. He turned, looking surprised. She waved at the Porsche. “Thanks. For rescuing me and my car.”

The man smiled and red stained his cheeks. He touched his ball cap. “Pleasure, ma’am.” He hoisted himself into the tow truck. With the crunch of gravel and a final horn, he was gone.

They were alone—her, Cole and the cars. And she was staying the night.

Sarah cleared her throat. “Thanks for giving me a place to stay. I mean, the guest room sounds great.”

Cole nodded, back under the car. “No problem.”

In spite of her decision, Sarah couldn’t deny the prick of disappointment. If their attraction was mutual, wouldn’t he want her to stay a bit…closer?

It’s for the best.

Except for the ping of metal against metal the garage was silent. Perhaps she should get her laptop out of her bag and try to do some work—

“So, what made you decide to get a car like this?”

Sarah started, then exhaled unsteadily. Conversation. Small talk. She could do this.

“You mean since I obviously know nothing about cars?” She shrugged. “I liked the way it looked, the way it felt when I took it for a test drive. Everyone expected me to get a Beemer when my big raise came through, but I wanted something with real power, not just a pretty thing.” She could hear a touch of bitterness creep into her voice. “I had fantasies of speed and freedom. Just me and the open road.”

“And?” His attention was focused on the car, but Sarah thought she heard genuine interest in his question.

“I’m lucky if I can get out of the office before nine p.m., forget about getting out of the city. This trip was a fluke. We wrapped a case up early and”—she coughed and turned away to hide her heated blush—“I had a medical reason.”

He looked up this time, but she made a show of examining the blue-and-yellow racecar. Eager to change the subject, she said the first thing that came to mind. “I see you like racing.”

Real clever, Sarah.

Cole put down the long-handled metal thing and reached for something smaller but also metal and as unfamiliar as almost everything else in the room. “It’s a passion.”

Sarah could feel the truth behind those simple words. The man clearly loved his work. When was the last time she’d felt that way? “Do you work on all kinds of cars, or just the really fast ones?”

Cole put down the tool and wiped the grease from his hands with some kind of cleanser. She could smell its citrus scent across the room. “The faster, the better,” he said.

“So, folks will pay a lot to fix these cars, eh?” she asked.

Okay, it was tacky to bring up the issue of money, but she still was having trouble connecting the idea of a mechanic—even a racing mechanic—with this house and the guy in front of her.

Cole gave her an odd look that made her regret the question but it was too late to take it back now. He pointed to the car in front of her. “See that baby right there? The engine alone costs a hundred and fifty thousand plus a couple million a year to maintain. Or she will when I get done with her.”

Sarah jumped away from the car as if it had caught on fire. “A million a year? And I thought my car had bad mileage.” He laughed and the low sound warmed her from the inside. “So, you’re a mechanic for racecars?”

He shook his head. “Not a mechanic. An auto engineer.”

Was that a special kind of mechanic or was it like calling a garbage man a sanitation engineer? “Is that the proper title for someone who fixes racecars?”

“No. That’s the proper title for someone with a degree in automotive engineering.” He pointed behind her with his chin.

Sarah turned to face a wall covered in papers, pictures and tacked-up notes. Off to the side, partially hidden by a faded article about a race in Daytona Beach and a diagram of what looked like an engine, a cheap frame held a diploma for a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Next to it a similar frame held a master’s in the same with a focus on automotive engineering. Both were from Georgia Tech with honors. She couldn’t hold back her surprised “oh.”

“Well, shucks, ma’am,” he said in an exaggerated drawl. “Even us country boys go to school sometimes, ya know.”

He was smiling but the tightness around his eyes told Sarah she’d touched a nerve. Truth was, she never would have guessed that her “mechanic” had as much education as she had. With honors.

She looked at him with new eyes. Could that be the secret of his appeal? She’d always had a thing for smart men. But brains and brawn? Well that might be just what the doctor ordered.

Or should have.

Another kind of understanding dawned. “You don’t usually do this kind of thing, do you? I mean fix regular cars. That’s why Austin was so surprised by your offer.”

Cole just shrugged, as if it was no big deal. But it was to her.

“Cole.” She waited until he was looking at her. “Thank you. I really appreciate your help.”

He gave her a genuine smile this time. “Just trying to help out, darlin’.”

This man was fixing her car, giving her a place to stay and calling her “darlin’”. Maybe there was something to this Southern thing after all.

She wanted to know more. “So, why cars? I mean I know most men like them, but getting an advanced degree is a bit above and beyond the usual obsession.”

He paused for a moment, as if considering his answer—or whether to answer at all. Sarah held her breath, releasing it only when he leaned forward and rested his hands on the roof of the silver car between them.

“There’s something magical about racing. The freedom, the speed. It’s the closest you can come to flying without leaving the ground.” He looked down and patted the silver racecar. “But it’s not just about the car, you know? Racing is a partnership between a man and his machine. Get that engine going, make her purr and she’ll do anything you want.”

His words sent a hot bolt of desire straight to Sarah’s core. She nodded. She was ready to do anything to keep him talking.

“It takes a firm hand to keep a real beauty under control, while pushing her as hard and fast as she can go.” His low voice fanned the desire that hadn’t quite gone out. “It’s a rush like no other.

“Well,” he added with a grin, “maybe one other.”

Right,
that
rush. Maybe she should take up racing.

Or maybe Cole could get her there. “You can drive like that?” Her question was barely a whisper.

“Oh yeah.” His hand caressed the silver car, drawing swirls on the shiny surface with his fingertips. Goose bumps rose on Sarah’s flesh as she imagined him tracing those lines on her skin. She’d envied people their cars before but never had she envied the car itself.

“So, Ms. Lange.” His hand stilled and she looked up at his face. His blue gaze was mesmerizing even from across the room. “Want to go for a ride?”

Light-headedness made Sarah’s knees go weak, as if she’d gone without food for too long. But it wasn’t nourishment she craved. She wanted what Cole had described—freedom, power, speed. Maybe even the rush that had eluded her for so long.

She nodded.

Cole came around to open the passenger door of the silver car. She slipped past him, barely resisting the urge to rub up against him. Yes, she wanted him—but she wanted this ride first.

The bucket seat was so low she fell rather than sat in it. It molded around her body, from the headrest that wrapped around her ears to the smooth leather under her back and behind. She knew they were designed for safety but after Cole’s description, the seat’s embrace felt so intimate her inner heat rose another notch. From fiery to inferno.

The racecar’s console looked more like an airplane’s cockpit than the dash of a car. Sarah recognized the gauge that showed RPMs and thought another might indicate pressure of some sort. But there was no speedometer, and everything else was as mysterious and astonishing as her reaction to the man who slid in beside her.

Realizing that Cole was waiting for her, she grabbed the crisscross belt, fumbling before it clicked into place.

“Nervous?” he asked.

“Excited.” And they hadn’t even left the garage.

Chapter Six

Cole inhaled deeply, setting his hands on the wheel. The familiar aroma of leather and engine grease mingled with a faint musky hint of arousal. His cock twitched. Damn.

From the moment he’d seen her by the side of the road he’d been drawn to her, but the strength of that attraction was a surprise. Yeah, she was seriously sexy. From the lush, round breasts that strained against her sweater to the sweet hips he’d grabbed on to when he lifted her into his truck, she had the kind of body that made his pulse race. Their almost-kiss in the living room had made his cock so hard and his balls so tight it was a miracle he could sit without wincing.

He smiled thinking about his little stunt back in the living room. Yeah, she’d expected him to kiss her and it had taken all of his willpower not to. While Sarah was clearly the type who liked to call the shots, he wasn’t the type to come running. Not anymore. Not after Natalie.

If he was being honest, that wasn’t the only reason he’d teased her. There was something about this woman that brought out the trickster in him. Made him feel, well, playful. Hell, from what he’d heard about her job and witnessed in her wound-up body language, she could use a little play in her life. Some loosening up. He was more than happy to oblige.