After about twenty minutes of glad-handing, he came back over to the group holding a sheaf of papers.
“Obviously, there’s no magic that’ll get your car back, but the theft has been reported, they’ll contact you if they find your car. Unlikely, for the record.” He gave the sheaf to Jeremy. “Here’s the official paperwork that should satisfy your insurance company back in the US.”
“Thanks.” Tweedle Dumber had the grace to blush at his obvious boneheadedness. “I, uh, honestly hadn’t even thought about insurance claims. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me.”
Absentminded future-professor seemed too kind a description for him. Nora had serious doubts about this young man’s ability to survive life outside of a controlled environment, maybe a laboratory. She sincerely hoped he decided on a career that didn’t involve him dealing with living beings. Of any species. Even amoebas might be above his ability to handle.
Ben just nodded, not a hint of judgment on his face. “It’s important to have the right documents.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“I’m sure we could have figured it out on our own though.” Chuck slung a supportive arm around Jeremy’s neck.
Yeah, right. Nora managed to hold back her derisive snort, and Priya and Hazel exchanged A Look. Chuck seemed more than a little peeved that Ben had swept in and taken care of what they couldn’t the day before.
“Let’s go.” Ben waved everyone toward the door. “There’s nothing else we can do here.”
Luckily, her Chevy Impala had a bench seat in front, so they could fit all six of them inside. The coeds had brought only small suitcases or duffels for their trip, so they could squeeze all the bags in her trunk. Barely, but they fit. Nora took the first driving shift, Hazel sat beside her, and Ben had the front passenger’s seat. Priya got stuck in the middle in the back, poor dear.
“Can we stop and check the beach for my car just one more time? It’s a pretty beach,” Jeremy cajoled.
Nora glanced over at Ben and Hazel, who both shrugged. Hazel said, “Sure, it’s not that far out of our way. If it makes him feel better.”
“It’s a pointless stop,” Chuck groused. “The car’s not there.”
“Maybe I’d like to see a pretty beach,” Nora countered.
Her sister told her how to get to the right spot and, as anticipated, the missing car was nowhere in sight. Jeremy insisted on looking anyway, and since Nora wasn’t that excited about more hours in the Impala, she decided to get out and take a few minutes to enjoy the scenery before she had to leave Mexico. While it wasn’t her first trip to this country, she hadn’t been to Baja before.
The rocky red mountains and desert scrub brush seemed to run straight into the ocean, which was something she’d never seen before. California had its share of craggy coasts, but not a lot of desert landscape this close to the beach. She picked her way through prickly cactus toward the waves. A few sunbathers and surfers were there, but a fair bit away, so she felt like she had her own little slice of heaven, if only for a few minutes. The water was crystalline blue and stretched before her until it melded with the cloudless sky at the horizon. The sun beat down on her head, but a cooler breeze swept in from the sea, making the heat tolerable.
The others eventually joined her, and Hazel stood close enough for their shoulders to touch. “The devil rays don’t always come this far north, but we’d heard that a school of them was spotted close to Ensenada and we wanted to watch them fly. One of our professors knows a local guy who met us here and took us out in his boat. It was…” She drew in a breath and her expression went blissful. “Awesome. Just completely awesome. It’s always nice to have a reminder of why you put in the long hours of studying.”
“Or fetching and carrying for the research faculty,” added Priya.
Jeremy grunted. “Or scrubbing the insides of fish tanks at the local aquarium.”
“Or grading undergrad papers that are so bad they’ll make you weep.” Chuck rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “And wonder about the future of our country if this is the kind of student that high schools feel are college ready.”
“It’s beautiful here,” Nora interjected, trying to head a complaint-fest off at the pass. The last thing she wanted was endless whining on a long road trip.
“A bit inland is some amazing wine country. The best in Mexico. In case you ever come back and don’t have to rescue anyone.” Priya smiled. “My rich aunt and uncle have vacationed here and like to brag to us poorer relations about it. Those two love the vino.”
“I like a nice glass of red, myself,” Ben mused. “Though California can keep me entertained with good wine for a long time before I’d need to wander further afield. But it’s good to know it’s not far if I want to try something new.”
“They said the Tempranillo varietal is good. I don’t drink, so I’ll have to take their word for it.”
“No alcohol at all?” Jeremy asked, aghast.
“I’m a mean drunk, mate.” Some emotion flashed over Priya’s face, like the shadow from a dark cloud skating in front of the sun. “No one wants to see me that way, least of all me.”
There were definitely stories there, but Nora had no interest in prying. She’d had to deal with more than her fair share of what came of overindulging in alcohol. People did stupid things that got themselves and others hurt. She grinned at her sister’s roommate. “You’re not missing much. I rarely have more than the very occasional glass of wine with dinner. It’s no biggie.”
Jeremy still seemed horror-struck. “Man, if I didn’t have good beer, I don’t know—”
Ben cut him off. “The car’s not here, so we should load up and go.”
“Yep.” Nora let her gaze sweep the beach one last time. Lovely. But they had a long way to drive, so they shouldn’t dawdle too much. Within a few minutes, they were on their way again.
Just after they crossed the border back into the US, Jeremy threatened to pee his pants if they didn’t find a bathroom, so they made a pit stop at a gigantic Walmart. Everyone took care of business and they were back in the car within thirty minutes. Not even an hour later, Nora felt a jab into her back—Chuck’s knees digging in—for about the hundredth time since they left Ensenada.
His voice held a hint of whine when he said, “I thought you’d have a van for this many of us. I didn’t even know they made an Impala to seat six.”
“They don’t anymore. It’s a few years old.” Ben glanced back and gave Tweedle Dumb the gimlet eye. “You’re grateful you’re not having to walk, I’m sure.”
Checking her rearview mirror, Nora saw Chuck’s jaw jut mulishly. “It wouldn’t have mattered if you weren’t here.”
Oh hell no. She could make remarks like that, but no one else got to. Her tone went cool. “Say anything like that again and you will be walking, is that clear?”
He huffed, his knees digging deeper into her back. “Hazel said he horned in on the trip.”
“That’s between him and me. Stay out of it.”
“Okay. Fine.” He crossed his arms. “Sorry for trying to stick up for you.”
“For me?” Her eyebrows arched. “I don’t think I came up in that conversation.”
Because it was clear Chuck didn’t like having lost his dominant male status in the group. Not that it was hard to be the alpha dude when Jeremy was the competition. Hazel seemed to have developed filters to block out almost anything the two guys said. As a defense mechanism, it was effective, but Nora couldn’t wait to dump these jokers off.
“Is the manly pissing contest over? Or lack of contest, really. Good on you for not engaging, Ben. Or mostly not,” Priya said, clearly not as good at ignoring them as her roommate. “And well done shutting Chuck down, Nora. He needs the wind taken out of his sails occasionally.”
Chuck harrumphed, but said nothing more. Nora struggled not to giggle, which w
ould only incite Tweedle Dumb again. It didn’t help that she could feel Hazel’s shoulders quaking with silent laughter.
“Anyway,” Priya continued. “I’m knackered and I need to take a piss and stretch my legs. Would you mind stopping soon?”
It took a moment to be sure her voice would be normal, but Nora managed a “sure thing.”
Jeremy perked up. “Hey, there’s a taqueria just off the highway up here. They have good stuff. Let’s stop there.”
Since she was starting to get hungry too, Nora replied, “Okay, do you remember which exit?”
“I can Google it on my phone,” he offered.
From the corner of her eye, she watched Ben slip his cell out of his pocket and start searching for a nearby taqueria. That was reassuring. At least one competent person would be able to give her directions.
And it was really weird to have Ben be one of her favorite people in a group, but even without the awesome sex, she’d trust him over the two goobers in the backseat any day.
So far, she’d done a pretty good job of not thinking about last night. The fact that she was stuck in a car loaded with grad students made it a lot easier not to think sexy thoughts. Definitely not the right environment to get a girl in the bow-chica-wow-wow mood.
But they’d have to figure out what, if anything, this meant for them. Did they go back to hating each other? Ignore that it ever happened? Did they keep sleeping together? Was Ben about to become her booty call? That concept alone was mind blowing. One part of her said bad idea, another part of her said, yummy!
Clearly, she had some thinking to do, but…not with little sister sitting right next to her. It was just too weird.
“Okay, take the next exit and make a right.”
“Left,” Ben murmured. “Then a right at the first light and we’re there.”
“Got it,” Nora said, following Ben’s directions and ignoring Jeremy’s. They pulled into a nondescript strip mall, and the tacqueria was sandwiched between a pool supply shop and a bakery.
Everyone spilled out of the car as quickly as humanly possible, stretching and shaking out stiff limbs. Nora grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder, leading the pack into the restaurant. Depending on the admittedly unpredictable traffic in LA, she should be able to get to their campus in two hours, give or take. She could last that long without reaching into the backseat to slap one of the guys, the way her mom had done when they’d pissed her off as children. Maybe.
“Mmm,” Hazel hummed. “Mahi-mahi tacos. Those sound amazing.”
“I’m with you, mate,” said Priya, throwing an arm around her roommate’s shoulders. “Let’s split an extra order of chips and salsa.”
“You’re on!”
Nora squinted up at the menu. “I’m going for the carnitas tacos.”
“Me too,” Jeremy added.
“Carnitas is pork, right?” Chuck asked. “Not kosher, dude. I’ll do the carne asada tacos instead.”
“I’m going to buck the trend and get the beef enchilada plate.” Ben arched a brow. “Though I’ll point out the irony of us eating Mexican right after we left Mexico.”
“Tacquerias have a long history in California,” Jeremy asserted. And then he launched into a dissertation on the topic. Everyone ignored him.
After Hazel ordered and got her tacos, she snagged a table by the window. Everyone filed over to join her once they’d picked up their food, and they had to squeeze to get everyone a spot. Of course, Ben somehow managed to end up right next to Nora, so it was another round of sensual torment with him so close she could feel his every movement and smell his light aftershave. Awareness sizzled over her skin every time his leg or arm brushed hers, and a pulse of need made her sex clench. She wasn’t sure she’d ever had a man turn her on by doing nothing more than existing. It was discomfiting, for a lot of reasons, chief among them was…it was Ben.
She quickly finished her meal, and he seemed as intent on hurrying as she was. Maybe he was experiencing some of the same uncomfortable public arousal. After dabbing his mouth with a napkin, he pushed back from the table. “Hey, Nora. I need to get into the trunk of your car.”
“Okay.” She rose and slipped her purse strap over her shoulder. “You’ll need help if you’re going to get into your bag. It’s buried. I’ll come with.”
Hazel looked up, a taco halfway to her mouth. “I can—”
“I’m done eating, you’re not.” Nora waved her into silence. “Don’t worry about it.”
Because she could use a little fresh air and space away from everyone. If Ben didn’t say anything enraging, it should be fine. Not that she’d ever been able to predict what might come out of his mouth, but she’d have to risk it.
He held the door open for her as they exited, then shortened his stride to walk beside her the two rows over to the car. She hit the button to unlock her trunk and lifted it open, wincing as the hinges squeaked. She’d need to oil those when she got home.
“I think your duffel might be at the absolute bottom,” she said.
He chuckled wickedly. “I don’t care about the duffel.”
“What?” She glanced up at him, but he caught her hand, tugged her forward, and covered her mouth with his.
This time she saw it coming and did nothing to stop him. The height of the trunk lid would hide them from view of the grad students, so she saw no reason not to have another little taste of something that made pleasure zing through her. It was rare for her to indulge her physical side, but kissing Ben was a hell of a lot more fun than arguing with Ben. His lips played over hers, soft and slow at first, but then he grew more demanding. Her heart raced and she bunched her hands in the back of his shirt, holding him close.
His fingertips feathered over her cheek, her jaw, down the side of her neck. She shivered, arching into him. The solid length of his erection dug into the curve of her lower belly, and her sex went hot and damp. Gooseflesh erupted down her limbs, desire careening through her body. Their tongues twined, and the flavor of him was uniquely Ben. Why she reacted so strongly to this man, she would never know, but it was the most amazing jumble of emotion and sensation whenever he touched her.
He broke the kiss, breathing hard, and dropped his forehead against hers. “This…was probably not my brightest idea.”
“Oh.” Ouch. Not what any woman wanted to hear while she was panting with need. She tensed and tried to pull back, but he held her tight.
“I meant getting revved up when I have zero opportunity for follow through.”
“Oh?” She met his gaze, arching an eyebrow.
He framed her face between his palms. “I have no regrets about last night or either of our make out sessions, for the record. I hope you don’t either, but understand if you do.” A little grin kicked up the corner of his mouth. “I’d do you again if you gave me the chance. Again and again and again.”
“Really? Four times.” She pressed her hands to his chest, unable to keep the doubt from her voice. “You think you could keep it up that long?”
His eyes narrowed. “With you? I could go all night.”
“Pfft.” She smacked his pec. “That only happens in porn films. Or romance novels. It’d start to chafe after a while.”
He bent forward until their noses almost touched. “Try me. If my cock needs a break, sweetheart, I have two hands and a mouth that can keep you entertained enough not to notice.”
Jesus. She could picture what he described far too easily, and could imagine exactly how good it would feel. A shudder went through her and her mouth dried, sticking her tongue to the roof of her mouth. Even if she’d wanted to reply, she couldn’t.
His gaze darkened. “Shit, don’t look at me that way or I’ll never be able to get the boner to go away before we have to get back in the car.”
She snorted. “Blunt as ever.”
Releasing her, he
eased away. “I say what I mean and mean what I say. Why is that a problem?”
“You’re a lawyer. You know better than anyone that word choice matters.” She tidied her appearance, smoothing her hands down her khakis. “There are ways to say things without being quite so…”
“So…me?”
Sighing, she shrugged and took a step back. “Sex didn’t make us into different people, Ben. We still have nothing in common.”
He shook his head. “We have plenty in common, if you cut to the core of our ideals and priorities. We just approach things differently.”
“And by different, you mean polar opposite.”
Propping his hands on his hips, he frowned down at her. “Is it so important to you that a guy agrees with you about everything?”
Where was he going with that question? She folded her arms around her middle. “Depends on why he’s part of my life.”
“Does it?” He tilted his head. “Have you met anyone, ever who agreed with you on everything? Especially a man?”
“I meant it more that there are men I choose to have as part of my life, and then there are men I have no choice but to have in my life.” She dipped a shoulder in a shrug. “For the first category, I get to decide if our differences are too great to make it worth dealing with them. For the second, our differences don’t matter, we just have to grin and bear it.”
His gaze darkened. “And I’m in the second category, since our older sisters have thrown us together for one reason or another most of our lives.”
“Yes.” She blew out a breath. “Except for last night, we’ve never volunteered to be in each other’s company. You have to admit that.”
“Yeah, well.” His mouth twisted and he nodded slowly. “Maybe I can change your mind about which category I belong in.”
If a bed was involved with his mind-changing campaign, he might not have to work very hard at getting her to sign on with his plan. She kept that tidbit to herself. Best not to admit any weaknesses.
Hazel’s voice preceded her around the corner of the car. “Hey, did you find what you needed, Ben?”
Ensenada Escapade: Destination: Desire, Book 6 Page 6