Page 85 of Suits and Spark Plugs

“A go-cart? How dare you!” I shook my head slowly, even as a smile tickled at my mouth. I adored this banter. “I understand you’ve got an image to maintain as Mr. Tough Guy, but you didn’t have to drag my poor car into it.”

“Sorry, casualty of war.”

“You’ll notice I didn’t say Mr. Totally Responsible Guy?” I sighed. “No one wants to hang around with him. No wonder I didn’t date, like, ever.”

He squeezed my hand. “Nah, all the guys were just intimidated by you.”

I laughed. “Nice try. I can see how they’d be scared of the short girl sitting in the corner trying to tame her curls. I’m sure the acne that lasted way past adolescence lent me an unapproachable air.”

“I can safely say you’ve grown out of your awkward teenage stage.”

I tilted my head, thoughtful as I watched the dotted yellow lines on the road pass by. I was fairly certain he’d admitted that he found me attractive. . . but most girls aren’t hoping to be complimented on their lack of acne. I’d like for him to find me as tempting as I found him. It was only fair.

“Thanks?” I replied after a moment.

He chuckled. “You need something better than that, huh? How’s this then? I like your eyes, your smile, the way your hair curls all around your head and it’s like an extension of you. I like your curves and the way you walk. I like how you hold yourself and how you aren’t afraid to stand your ground. I like how soft your hands are. And kissing you is more than I thought...” He broke off as though he were suddenly embarrassed. What had started off as a joke now felt so real inside the tiny cab. Awareness sparked around us as my pulse leapt at the realization that hewasattracted to me. Which should have been obvious, but still, it was quite lovely to hear.

My swallow sounded loud in the silent space. “Wow.”

He immediately shook his head. “What do you say we just listen to some music and look at some cars?”

I leaned my head on his shoulder, relieved and amused. “Sounds like a deal.”

He mumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like, “Oh, thank goodness,” before releasing my hand to turn up the music. But even the beat of the bass didn’t overtake the beating of my own heart.

By the time Connor pulled into the parking lot of the event center, we had moved on to lighter topics. I smiled as we walked in, hand in hand. The event center was huge, with a promised three hundred and fifty cars on display. It was eye-opening.

“I didn’t even know there were that many different kinds of cars!” I exclaimed to Connor while pointing at the sign. “It’s like I’ve been dropped into another universe.”

“It’s a great universe to be dropped into.”

I pulled up our linked hands to wave them in front of us. “I’m going to need you to keep a hold of this hand so that I can look around and not have to worry about steering.”

“I’m your seeing-eye date?”

I turned to look at him with playful eyes. “You really get me.”

As promised, he held on and I soaked it all in. For the next two hours I couldn’t get enough. I’d never been that interested in cars before, but seeing Connor so in his element was eye candy. There were cars of every imaginable shape and color, many of them with signs saying not to touch and velvet ropes keeping the public at bay.

Those that weren’t off limits became my personal playground. I ran my hands over their smooth lines, thought about the colors the factories had mixed for their paint, climbed in, and popped the trunks while Connor read the specs and occasionally spoke with the retailers.

“This is amazing,” I said as I climbed out of a cherry red sedan. “I’ll bet this one would feel like cruising on a recliner.”

He’d reached out a hand to help me get out of the back seat and then used it to tug me close. His hands came to my waist, and he pulled me in so that my forehead was lightly touching his chin. “Are you always like this at expos?”

I lifted my shoulders. “This is my first one. I like it here.”

“I’m glad. Are you ready for some dinner?” I tilted my head back and nodded. “There’s a food court just through those doors if you wanted to stay here.” He used his head to gesture to our left.

“Oh good, because I’ve only seen about two hundred of the promised cars.”

“I think I accidentally unearthed a car junkie.”

“Trust me, I’m as surprised as you are. Before this all I cared about was if it could get me somewhere. Now, well, now I’m daydreaming about cup holders and seat warmers. Hey, do you think they’d let us eat in that one car that had the massager in the back seat? That was amazing.”

His lips curved upward. “I don’t think even a pretty girl like you is going to be allowed to bring food inside here.”

On a sudden whim I pushed up onto my toes and pressed a quick kiss to his chin. The growth of his stubble was prickly against my lips, making them tingle. His hands flexed on my waist.

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