Page 14 of Full Coverage (Boys of Fall)

She blinked at him. She knew football. Every nuance and detail. But a hundred other people—probably more—right here in Quinn knew as much as she did. Well, almost as much as she did. “Why me?”

“You know everything about the program, the history, the players, the town.”

“So do lots of other people.”

“I want to see if we can have a normal conversation,” he said. “I’m giving us a common topic.”

Randi narrowed her eyes. “That’s the only reason?”

“No, I really need the help. You know what I need to know. And you smell better than the other people I could ask.”

She felt herself smile at that. “What kind of questions?”

He shrugged. “Is there any football question I could ask that youwouldn’tknow the answer to? Honestly?”

She had to admit that having free reign to go on and on about football sounded pretty great. And the idea of talking with authority about something toNolanwas really tempting. She’d love to show off a little—or a lot—after all the times she’d made a fool of herself.

“Okay, I can help.”

His face relaxed into a big grin immediately. “Awesome. Thanks.”

“Sure. How do you want to do this?”

“How about I come to the shop tomorrow?” he asked. “We can chat while you work? Or will that be distracting?”

Her optimism about the deal increased significantly with that. “Yes, the shop would be great.” With a wrench in her hand and the smell of motor oil surrounding her, she’d be as at ease as much as she possibly could. Work would distract her from feeling self-conscious around him. It was the perfect setup. “I get there at six.”

“I’ll be there at six o’one.”

They’d have the shop to themselves until seven thirty when Donny came in. That could be good. Easier to talk. Or bad. Because it would be easier to talk.

“I’ll see you then.” She started to turn to finally make her escape.

“Randi.”

She stopped and glanced back.

“Sorry about the Ladybug thing. That was out of line.”

She stared at him for a moment. She wasn’t sure she’d ever had a guy apologize for being out of line with her. Voluntarily, anyway. She’d gotten an apology after bloodying a guy’s nose in fifth grade. She’d gotten one after kneeing a guy in the balls in ninth grade. And she’d gotten one after she’d taken a guy’s transmission apart, in the parking lot of the baseball field while he was playing third base, the summer after they graduated.

But she couldn’t remember a time when someone just offered one.

And it figured that he was apologizing for something that didn’t bother her at all. He’d surprised her with it. As had the thump her heart made after he’d said it. “You don’t have to apologize for that,” she told him honestly.

“That was kind of…personal of me, though,” he said.

She nodded. “But I don’t mind you being personal with me.” And she meant it. He made her feel awkward and jittery and reminded her that she wasn’t the brightest bulb in the drawer, but he had never said or done anything to make her think thathethought that. She was just a little overwhelmed by how smart he was and how sophisticated he’d become. And that was on her, not him.

Then she turned and headed for her car, before her mouth started running again and she said something like “how do you feel about dirty talk in bed?” or “I don’t suppose you’re a hair-puller?”

Chapter Two

Randi looked hot as hell.

Nolan had to actually adjust himself as he approached the huge open door of the shop. She was in jeans, a white tank top, her dark hair piled up under a ball cap. She was up on a wooden block, bent over under the hood of a truck, and he wanted nothing more than to run his hands over the sweet curve of her ass.

A woman in an evening gown and heels had never affected him that much.

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