One corner of his mouth twitched in what might have been amusement. “See, there’s a first time for everything. Just walk me through the procedure, step-by-step, would you? I may be untaught, but I’m far from unteachable.”
He looked so earnest and unoffended by her shock, Cori couldn’t help but agree to his request. She shoved up the van’s hood, standing on tip-toe and pushing it with her fingertips to get it all the way into place. At the sight of the battery, she cringed. “Geez. Yuck.”
“What?” He stood behind her, looking over her shoulder.
Surely she shivered at the cold, and not at his proximity. She shrugged off the feeling and pointed.
“Your battery is corroded. It’s a wonder your engine has started at all lately.” She stepped back and tromped on his toe with her boot. At his grunt, she said, “Sorry. But, back off a little. I need some space to think.” And to let her nerves settle down.
“Can’t you just jump it?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, maybe, but I’d rather not crud up my cables and jumping that mess of a battery really wouldn’t fix the real problem. It would be like treating cancer with aspirin. How about a free tow instead?”
He looked at her, suspicion in his blue eyes. “What’s the catch? I mean, you don’t even like me.”
“Not like you?” She snorted. “I’d say it’s the other way around, teach.”
He stared, blinking owl-like, but said nothing.
She shifted nervously from foot to foot. Finally, she couldn’t take the silence a minute longer. “Well? You want to stay here or can I take you and your van somewhere?”
“I’m fairly new in town and don’t know any good car repairmen.”
“I do.”
“Oh? Do you get a kickback for referring me?”
“See…I knew you didn’t like me.” She smirked. “And, no I don’t get a kickback, exactly.”
“What’s ‘exactly’ mean?”
“I mean that it’s me.” She stuffed her cold hands into her jacket pockets and rocked back on her heels.
“It’s you, what?”
“I’m a reputable car repairman.”
He stared at her again, and that little habit of his was really making her uncomfortable. That look cut through her tough outer skin, right to her soft and easily embarrassed center. His gaze scooted up to her face, down to her toes and back again. The look was as soft as a caress and she fisted her hands, annoyed at her body’s reaction to it.
“You’re no man,” he announced.
“What? Are you some kind of Neanderthal? You think because of my chromosomes I can’t fix a minivan?”
“I didn’t say that.” The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile, the first real one ever aimed in her direction. “You called yourself a repairman, and I only said that you aren’t a man. That’s a fact. Despite your dress and demeanor, you are very much a woman.”
A thrill of attraction shivered up her spine and left her unable to speak coherently. She fell back on a simple, “Oh.”
His mouth widened into a full-fledged grin and he reached out to straighten the collar on her jacket, fingers brushing the skin of her throat as he did.
“I suppose I have no other recourse than to trust you. Lay on, MacDuff.”
“Huh?” Cori knew she sounded like an utter idiot with the IQ of a flounder, but still couldn’t seem to gather her thoughts. His light touch had made her heart pound and, despite the blinding speed of her pulse, it couldn’t seem to move the blood to her brain.
“Not a big reader, hmm? I can live with that if you can.” He opened the sliding side door on the van and pulled out a bottle of water from a case just inside. “I only meant to go ahead and hook her up. Wither thou goest, I will follow.”
Confused and more than a little perturbed by Micah’s odd behavior, she only shrugged and got to work. He stood back a bit while she pulled the truck in front of his van and hooked it up. The routine of doing her job was soothing, and she soon forgot she was being observed. In no time at all, she had the van pulled onto the back of her truck and secured. That accomplished, she swung in behind the wheel.
“Amazing.” He circled around the truck and climbed easily into the seat beside her. “You’re such a tiny thing I could almost put you in my pocket, yet you just monkey all over the place and do your job better than I’ve seen men twice your size. You’re quite a surprise, Corinne Weathers. Quite.”
“Since I grew up with older brothers, I’ve been called a lot of things in my lifetime, teach, but a surprise isn’t one of them.” She gave a snort and then looked at him. “I can drop you home after we take the van in, if you’d like.”
“If you wouldn’t mind, that would be nice. But it is getting awfully late. I could call a cab.” Micah sipped at his water.
Cori wondered if he was aware that his fingers drummed along with the beat of the music she had playing softly on the radio. “I’m on call tonight, so late doesn’t matter. I won’t be getting to bed any time soon.”
“Really? Want some company? I’ll buy the coffee.”
“Why?” Cori mentally kicked herself. A good-looking, moderately interesting if a bit too slick guy wanted to spend time with her, and she questioned his motives. Stupid girl.
“Why not?” He shrugged. “I don’t have anything to do until class tomorrow night.”
“No one to go home to?”
He slid her a sideways look. “Is that your way of asking if I have a significant other?”
She sputtered. “Why would I care?”
“Do you?”
“Do I care?”
“No. Do you have a significant other?”
“Why would you possibly want to know?”
He screwed the cap on his water and set the clear plastic bottle on the floor near his feet. “That’s a good question, Corinne, considering we haven’t been on the best of terms.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“True. And our ongoing animosity makes me wonder why I’m interested in your availability. Curious. But I am, and there you are.”
“You’ve had it in for me since the beginning.” Cori’s mouth turned down in a sullen pout.
“Which beginning was that? The one where you caught my classroom on fire? Or the one where you made a dead chicken fly? Or maybe it was during the classes when you made snide remarks about my ability to grade assignments appropriately, and thus undermined any authority I might have had.”
“The fire was an accident. So was the chicken. You know that.” She growled and turned to him. “And sometimes I just can’t control what comes out of my mouth.”
“There’s a way to fix that.”
“I can’t imagine how. I’ve been trying since I was two years old.”
“The solution is easy. You do it by giving your lovely mouth something else to do.”
She swore he swooped like a hawk on a rabbit, a sneak attack she didn’t see coming. It was the only way she’d have let him kiss her.
His lips caressed hers, tasting, touching. She sighed and slipped into the embrace, one hand reaching up to cup his cheek, to slide behind his neck, to thread through his hair. She opened for him and let him in. He reached for her, tugged her closer and deepened the kiss. She nearly leaped out of her skin when his tongue touched hers, a tentative question. She responded with a silent but hearty “yes” and buried her fingers in his hair, pressing him even closer. Her stomach tumbled with arousal, so immediate and fierce she shivered.
The radio squawked and she yanked away, slamming her head into the driver side window as she did. Without taking her eyes off him, she reached for the handset.
“Yeah?”
“Cori?” Her brother Dave’s voice crackled over the air. “You busy?”
“Not really.” She refused to acknowledge Micah’s look of surprise at her offhand words. “I just have a busted van to bring back.”
“What’s your ETA?”
“Ten minutes.”
“Good, then you can take the next call. I’ll give you the deets at the shop in a few.”
“Will do.” She snapped the radio back into place and started the truck. She didn’t know what to say to Micah or how to behave. “Looks like a busy night. You still want to ride along?” She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to say yes or no.
He turned to face forward, a half smile on his yummy mouth. “I wouldn’t miss this night for the world.”
Cori stared at him for a moment and then squooshed over closer to the door. “Strap in.” She followed her own advice and headed back to the shop. Her hand twitched with the need to touch her lips, to capture the memory of his kiss, but she kept them firmly clenched on the steering wheel.
They rode in silence but Cori knew Micah watched her every move. She wondered if he was curious about her, or just about how to drive a tow truck. He observed everything with a careful eye for detail. In fact, she figured he could probably hook a car up to the tow truck after watching how she’d handled his van.
What did he see when he looked at her? She couldn’t believe it was anything very favorable. She had to be utterly unlike every other woman he’d dated in his high-society world.
She gave the steering wheel a twist and turned into the shop parking lot. Dave stood outside the office, sipping a steaming cup of coffee. He was the pretty boy of the family, and made up for his lack of height with an enormous mass of muscle. His eyes grew wide as he took in the van. He circled around the truck and opened her door. “Great gods, Cori. What is that thing on your truck?”
She gestured toward Micah. “That amazing van is his. Ask him.”
Dave, easily embarrassed, blushed like a schoolgirl and walked away without a word.
“Brother number one?” Micah asked.
“Actually, Dave is brother number four. The middle child. Poor him.”
“Middle child?” Micah looked stunned. “Just how many kids are in your family?”
“The folks kept trying for a girl, but success in that area took a while.” She grinned. “I’m number seven. And the baby.” She unstrapped her seatbelt and said, “Stay put. This’ll only take a second.”
“No problem.” He still looked a little shell-shocked.
Judging from the look on his face, Cori decided Micah must be an only child of wealthy parents who was trying to strike out on his own. That could be the only explanation for his snobbish mother, high-class attitude and horrifically ugly mode of transportation.
She trotted into the small office of the repair shop. Dave stood just inside, a work order in hand.
“So, what’s up with the van?”
“Won’t start. The battery’s corroded. Take a look at the thing while we’re out at the next call, would you, and let me know what you think.”
“We?”
Cori chewed on her bottom lip, tasting Micah when she did. She couldn’t stop herself from taking another lick, enjoying the memory of their brief embrace. “Yeah, well, he’s coming along for the ride.”
Dave’s eyes narrowed. “Just what kind of ride are we talking about?”
“I can’t believe you said that.” She hoped Dave would attribute the sudden blush on her cheeks to anger. Just to make sure he would, she socked him in the chest. “He’s my cooking teacher.”
“Oh. He cooks. Does he sew, too?” Dave sneered. “Guess I don’t have to worry about your virtue, then. Do I?”
“Just give me the next job.” She snatched the paper out of his hands. “Dork.”
“Priss.” He stuck out his tongue. “You’re such a girl.”
She growled low in her throat and stalked out of the office. He followed her to the truck and helped unload Micah’s ugly van, managing to keep the snickers to a minimum. The moment they were done, she climbed back into the cab and started her up.
“Buckle up,” she said. “We’re off to an illegally parked vehicle. I hope you can handle the excitement.” She drove from the lot, narrowly missing her smirking brother and laughing as he leaped out of her way. “Who’s the priss now?” she murmured and turned the radio on to a classic rock station.
Micah chuckled. “What was your life like, growing up with so many brothers? I can’t begin to imagine. I don’t have any brothers or sisters.”
“It was hell on earth.” She gave a laugh and then tipped her head to the side, thinking. “Not really, I suppose. They watch out for me, though sometimes a little too closely. And they taught me how to skate and work on cars and where to kick a guy if he gets too fresh.”
“Ouch.” Micah winced.
“Better that, than what would happen if my brothers caught up with him.” She shrugged. “Still, they tend to hover and they still think I’m delicate and needy.”
“You? Delicate?” He reached out and squeezed her biceps. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Exactly.” Even through her jacket, she felt the warmth of his touch. She edged her arm away. “Why do you think my mother was so happy when I decided to take your cooking classes? She despairs that I’ll ever be the girl she always wanted.” She pulled onto the highway and sped toward their call, not giving him a glance. She was afraid her eyes might show just how much even the casual touch of his hand affected her.
“You have to be able to cook to be a girl?” Micah raised an eyebrow. “What does that make me?”
“Dave thinks he doesn’t have to worry about my virtue with you around.” The side of Cori’s mouth twitched in half a smile until Micah trailed a finger down her cheek. Damn if just that little caress didn’t set her body on fire. She swallowed the lump of desire in her throat. She should never have let him ride along.
“Little does he know.”
Cori silently agreed.
The night passed more quickly than she’d have thought possible, considering how keyed up she was with Micah next to her the entire time. He was good company and made her laugh.
He didn’t, even once, try to kiss her again. She wasn’t sure if she was insulted or relieved.
As the sun crested the horizon, she pulled into the shop. It wasn’t Dave waiting for her this time, it was Zach. He stood in the same place, with a duplicate cup of coffee and a twin look of contempt on his face.
She really loved her siblings. Sometimes she forgot how much. She stopped the truck, jumped out and trotted over to her eldest brother.
“It’s about time you got here.” He snorted. “You were due twenty minutes ago.”
“You’re awfully cute, you know that?” She leaned in and hugged him around the waist. “Thanks for the coffee.” She snagged the steaming mug out of his hands, ignoring his loud protests.
The passenger door of the tow truck slammed shut, so Cori knew Micah must be coming over to join them. She braced herself for Zach’s derision.
“That your van?” Zach pointed.
“Yes.” Micah replied. He appeared to be waiting for the punch line.
“Needed a battery.”
“So I was told.”
Cori watched the conversation bat back and forth like a tennis ball, ready to step in if Micah needed help. So far, so good.
“I was bored, so that eyesore is fixed. The bill’s inside.”
“Great. Thanks.” Micah turned to smile at Cori. “Wonderful service at this shop. I’ll recommend you to my friends. But, now, I need to get home and crash.” He took her hand in his, lifted it and kissed the back, then flipped it palm up and pressed his lips to her wrist.
The gesture sent shockwaves through her body, and she stood completely paralyzed by them until Zach laughed, one sharp bark. At that derisive sound she yanked her hand away. She rubbed the back furiously on her jeans, but that didn’t erase the heat from his lips, or keep her stomach from tumbling.
“Yeah. Okay. See you next week. In class.” Please don’t let him do anything else that would get her ribbed even further. The kiss-on-the-hand-thing was sure to make the rounds as soon as Zach could scare up one or more of the brothers on the radio.
“Night, night, sleepyhead.” He grabbed her and gave her a noogie.
“Jerk,” she muttered, but there was undeniable affection in her voice.
She all but ran to the car, wanting to get out of there before she saw Micah again. He was all wrong for her, and she needed time to get her hormones under control. This way, she’d have six days.
Chapter Two
“You did what?” Cori shrieked at Zach and Nick when they got home that evening.
“We invited your boyfriend to play football tomorrow.” Zach wiggled his eyebrows and grabbed her hand, slobbering kisses all over it.
“Yuck.” She yanked it away. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
Loud snickers followed that little proclamation, and Cori’s cheeks heated despite her attempts to keep calm. You’d think she’d have learned how to deal with her brothers by now.
“Does he know that?” Nick asked. “He was giving you googly eyes.”
Cori decided her best bet was to ignore that little dig. “He’s not a football player, he’s a cook.” She wanted to deck one or both of them, knock those smirks off both their faces. “Is he coming? Tell me he’s not coming.”
“He’s not coming,” said Zach.
“You’re lying.”
He shrugged and grinned. “Well, yeah. But you said—”
“Uninvite him.” She jabbed him in the chest.
“Why?” asked Nick. “Are you scared the pretty boy will get hurt?”
“Will you ever grow up?” Cori looked at them, standing there, gloating. “You’re going to do something to him, aren’t you?” And then she remembered. “Oh, no. Steve’s going to be there.” When Nick smothered a laugh with one meaty hand she punched him in the stomach, pleased at the rush of air he expelled. “You did this on purpose.”
Kitchen Matches Page 2