Fine, so maybe sex hadn’t been on his mind lately. But it sure was now—he couldn’t take his eyes off the petite redhead as she led him toward her car.
Austin whistled when he got an up-close look at the vehicle. He’d never seen a sorrier looking car—every part that could rust had rusted. The paint job was shot to hell. The back passenger door didn’t seem to close properly, and the other back door was an entirely different color, red to the rest of the car’s white. And either he was imagining it, or the muffler was being held up with duct tape.
“Damn, sweetheart, I’m surprised this pile of junk got you this far. Where’d you come from?”
“Chicago,” she answered. “Headed for Des Moines.”
He arched one eyebrow. “You honestly thought this car, for lack of a better word, would get you to Des Moines?”
“I was hoping it would. I mean, it’s only three hundred miles, and the guy at the junkyard gave me seventy-thirty odds that we’d make it.”
He choked on a laugh. “Seventy to make it?”
She heaved out a breath. “Thirty to make it.”
“Remind me never to go to a casino with you.” Fighting his amusement, he walked over to the open hood and peered inside.
A second later, he couldn’t contain his laughter. It came pouring out in hearty waves, so strong he had to bend over and grip his side.
“Is it bad?”
The redhead’s forlorn voice brought on another wave of mirth. Wheezing, he straightened up and met her worried eyes. “Bad is an understatement. Every component of the engine is corroded to shit, your battery is leaking acid, your fan is unsecured, there’s exposed wiring in there that I don’t even want to touch, there’s no radiator cap—”
“I get it,” she interrupted. “The engine sucks.”
“Yup.”
“Should I call the tow guy again?”
“You should call a garbage truck.”
“Ha-ha.”
“I’m serious. There’s no point in trying to fix this lemon. It’ll cost you a helluva lot more than it’s worth.” And seeing as she’d gotten the car from a junkyard, he deduced that she wasn’t exactly rolling in the dough, a suspicion he wisely kept to himself.
But she surprised him by saying, “Well, since I’m broke and homeless, I don’t think paying to fix the engine is an option.” When she saw his expression, she grinned, flashing a set of perfectly straight white teeth. “Don’t worry, I’m not homeless homeless. But I did have to give up my apartment after I lost my job, so now I’m stuck moving back in with my folks. Gee, how fun. They offered to buy me a plane ticket, but I was trying to prolong the awful inevitable for as long as I could by making the drive instead of flying.”
He grinned back. “I know exactly how you feel. I’m doing the same damn thing.”
“Really?”
“Yup. I’m making my way to Colorado, and trust me, I’m in no rush.” He paused. “I’m Austin, by the way. Austin Bishop.”
She stuck out her hand. “I’m Mari Smith.”
The second their palms met in a shake, a rush of heat flooded his groin. She had such small, dainty hands. But damn, that grip of hers was strong.
He swept his gaze over her once more. She had a fantastic rack, creamy cleavage spilling from her tight tank, and goddamn, but he really was loving those legs. She couldn’t be taller than five-two-ish, but her legs still looked long and shapely as hell.
When his eyes returned to her face, he saw the knowing smirk on her lips. “You need to be more subtle when you’re checking out a woman,” she said frankly. “I’ll tell you what, give me a ride to the next service station and I’ll give you some tips on how to ogle without getting caught.”
Austin just shrugged. “I don’t mind when the woman I’m ogling knows just how much I’m enjoying the view.”
Mari cocked her head. “Huh. Somehow I don’t find that offensive. Anyhoo, about that ride…”
Chapter Two
Mari didn’t usually beg for rides from complete strangers, but she had to admit, it wouldn’t be a hardship spending some more time with her sexy rescuer, even if it was just a short car ride.