Driven to Temptation, page 7
It took every ounce of strength he possessed to back away, to break the connection between them that seemed to have him teetering on the edge of reality.
A reality that involved a flat tire, a sexy employee, and not a lot of time to pick up the projector from Electronics World before it closed. Which meant he needed to step it up if he had any hope in hell of meeting at least one goal on the way to Seattle.
He cleared his throat. “You got this?” At her nod he let go. “I’ll be out in a sec with the jack stand.”
As soon as she turned away, he blew out a breath.
Damn.
Chapter Ten
After fifteen minutes of trying to stay clean, Aidan finally had to admit there was no way around it. Decision made, it took another five minutes before he was sweaty, dirty, and totally focused. And he also had the spare tire out. Finally. He scrambled from underneath the truck, and pulled it toward him.
His T-shirt was toast, and he smelled pretty bad, but he could throw his windbreaker on and no one would notice. He rolled the spare toward the front of the truck.
“Aidan?”
The woman had a pair of lungs that rivaled freeway traffic. He hated to think what she’d sound like if he ever really pissed her off.
“Yeah?”
His gaze traveled to where she stood just beside the driver’s side door…and stopped. He blinked. What the hell?
She’d shed the boxy jacket and skirt she had on the last time he laid eyes on her. Instead the jacket had been replaced with a loose pink-colored shirt, and the skirt with a pair of black yoga pants…that showed off one hell of a toned, shapely body. Might be something to her yoga routine after all.
Slowly he stood, one hand on the tire to steady it, and blinked several times. Each time the image was the same: one sexy Delaney who stared back at him, the corners of her mouth tipped up in a smile.
“You changed.”
“Well, yeah,” she said. “Had to so I could help you.”
“How?” Shit. Did he really want to know? He clenched the hand at his side to keep from reaching for her.
“Easy. I opened both doors to create some privacy from traffic, slipped the yoga pants on, stripped the skirt off, then put the top on over my cami.” She grinned. “The shoes were the toughest part.” She held out one pink sneaker–clad foot.
The woman had many talents, all right.
She tapped one foot on the roadway and looked at the tire. “Want me to put it on?”
“No.”
“Why not?” The protest was half expected. After all, she’d been quiet for way too long. “You’ve done the bulk of the work.”
He continued to roll the tire toward the front of the truck, deliberately ignoring her.
She stepped in front of him. “I thought you said I could help.”
He shouldn’t look. He knew he shouldn’t look, should stare straight past her. But, God help him, he was just a guy.
And there it was, her yoga pant–clad legs less than a couple feet away. His brain whipped up images of all the possible ways he could explore those legs.
He mentally shook the thought from his head. That was the latest in a long line of shitty thoughts.
“I can do it,” she insisted. She held out his cell. “Besides, your phone keeps ringing. Well, not really ringing, but vibrating. It’s your brother. Call him back already.”
Aidan frowned as he took the phone from her. “You had to come out here to tell me that?”
“What? You wanted me to answer it for you?” She propped fisted hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side.
“Fine. I’d better see what’s up with him.” Grant always called until Aidan answered, but in case it was important, he’d better check in.
“Okay.” She nodded in approval. “Well, let me finish up, then.”
“No. I’m changing the tire. It has nothing do with who’s stronger or better or having to prove anything, okay?” He tried like hell to keep the irritation from his voice.
“I don’t have to prove a thing.” She folded her arms underneath her breasts and huffed out a breath. “At least, not to you.” Then she blinked as if a realization had struck her. “This isn’t about changing the tire, is it? Like how you didn’t want me to help load the truck earlier. Doesn’t matter whether or not I’m capable, it’s about respecting a woman.”
“Let’s just say it’s how I was raised.”
“By your mom?”
His hands stilled at the quietly asked question. Specific memories of his parents were beginning to fade, but he’d never forget the night he was pulled from the car crash that claimed their lives. He swallowed, looked away. “Miriam. My last foster mother,” he added at her raised eyebrow. “She insisted on it.”
“Tell you what.” She lifted her chin toward the cell in his hand. “Call Grant back. I’ll work on it while you’re on the phone, and when you’re finished, you take over.” She smiled sweetly. “The quicker we get this done, the quicker we’re on our way, and the quicker we can pick up the projector.”
“Good point.”
“I thought so.” A slow smile spread across her face. God, she was even prettier when she smiled. And he wouldn’t mind watching her to continue to test out that theory.
“I’ll be over there.” He thumbed a spot in front of the truck. “In case you need anything.”
“I won’t—” She shook her head. “I mean, thank you.”
He turned and punched in Grant’s number. “Hey,” he said when he heard his brother’s voice. “Everything okay?”
“Why do you always ask that like you’re sure I’m about ready to keel over or something?”
“Because you call like the apocalypse is coming.”
“Quit worrying. I’m fine.”
“So you were just speed calling to tell me that?”
Grant’s voice lightened. “I met someone.”
Figured. In his brother’s world, meeting someone was on par with winning the lottery.
“Male or female?” He kept his voice even, fought back his amusement.
“Asshole. You know I’m not into dudes.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“No problem. Well, not really.”
“Grant.” His little brother had a tendency to be a bit of a dreamer. “I’m standing next to I-5 traffic with a flat tire on my rig and a woman who’s determined to change it herself. Spit it out already.”
“Wait. You’re letting some girl change your tire?” Grant let out a low whistle. “You know what Miriam would do to you?”
“You gonna tell her?” Not that either one of them would rat the other out. And despite the fact that they were grown-ass men, she still wasn’t shy about reminding either of them they needed to behave like gentlemen.
“This one’s special, isn’t she?”
“Not really.”
“Uh-huh. Sure. When do I get to meet her?”
“She’s not special,” Aidan insisted. He blew out a slow breath and silently counted to five. “She’s an employee. Now quit changing the subject. What’s the problem?”
“Kaitlyn doesn’t know about me yet,” his brother said. “I need you to play wingman, which shouldn’t be a problem since the girl changing your tire is just an employee.”
Grant had an annoying way of fishing for information.
Aidan stifled a groan. “Okay, I’ll bite. How could you have met her and she doesn’t know about you?”
“She’s the new marketing assistant at the distillery. Really gorgeous.”
“I don’t have time for this.”
“You never have time for fun. You’ve been neck-deep in work the last few months. C’mon, it’ll do you some good to get out, meet some women. You know, since the one changing your tire is just an employee.”
He ignored his brother. But Grant had a point. Playing wingman would mean staying away from a fiery redhead with a body to match.
“We’ll see when I get back to town. I’ll call you.”
He stood a few feet away from the truck, watching as Delaney bent over and grabbed the lug wrench to tighten the bolts on the spare.
Nice ass.
He squelched the thought. She worked for him, damn it.
Aidan blew out a breath. Yep. If he were a smart man, he wouldn’t hedge at all. He’d take his brother up on the offer.
…
From outside the truck, Delaney handed the jack stand to Aidan. She might’ve changed out of her skirt, but she wasn’t immune to the tension that’d been building between them all day, especially the last time she was in the backseat. Even in yoga pants she knew better than to get in the truck with him and tempt fate.
He grinned at her, and that ooey, gooey, melty thing started up in her chest. Behave.
The admonishment echoed in her brain as she handed him the lug wrench.
“Not bad, Delaney. Want me to give your brothers a report?”
“Funny guy.”
“I’ve been down that road a time or two.” Aidan secured the seats and stepped out of the truck.
For a moment they simply stared at each other, the sound of heavy I-5 traffic drowned out, somehow. He was a sweaty, sexy mess, and she loved it. But more than that, there was a curious glint in his eyes, in the way he looked at her as if nothing around them existed. Not the sounds of cars and trucks careering past them, not the smell of grease on her hands, nor the breeze that mussed her hair.
None of it mattered.
Instead, this invisible thread seemed to be cast her way, pulling her closer, tugging her hard enough that she might…maybe…
He was close, no more than a foot away, and in a daring move she stepped forward as Aidan slowly raised his arm. Was he going to touch her? Her skin tingled, anticipation rushing through her on a burst of adrenaline.
“I think we better get going,” he said. “We still need to pick up the projector.”
The projector?
Heat crept up her neck and flooded her face. “Right,” she said, turning quickly. “The projector.”
Breathe.
The command echoed in her brain as she reached for her roller bag and shoved it back onto the seat. She slammed the door decisively shut. Making a move on Aidan was stupid-crazy, no matter how perfect her body thought it might be.
What was up with that, anyway? She worked in a man’s world. She’d met a whole bunch of guys as a result, yet no one had triggered the kind of response in her that he could with just one look.
Well, as soon as she got back to Milestone, she’d change that. Maybe even make a trip to Portland. Look up some friends and hang out one weekend.
Now that made sense. Right?
The man owned Ross and Associates, for heaven’s sake. And when she landed the Century Plains project, she didn’t want anyone to think she’d slept her way into the position.
Chapter Eleven
Delaney blew out a breath and looked around the brightly lit warehouse-sized store. They’d barely made it to Electronics World before closing time, but at least they’d made it.
Aidan turned to her as they waited at the service counter. “There’s a ladies’ room here.”
“I don’t have to go.”
“Are you kidding?”
She frowned. “No.”
He just shook his head and straightened as the store manager approached. Although, as far as looks went, the scrawny-looking kid could’ve passed for a teen shopping for the latest video game.
“Sorry. I don’t have a projector for you.”
Beside her, Aidan stiffened. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t have a projector to give you,” Scrawny Kid repeated.
“I reserved the projector more than a month ago.”
Scrawny kid shrugged, clearly taking in Aidan’s disheveled appearance. “Sorry. I’ll refund your deposit.”
Aidan took a deep, calming breath and stared across the counter. “You’re sure you don’t have another one to give me?”
Uh-oh. If the kid was smart, he’d pick up on the low, dangerous threat in Aidan’s voice.
“I just looked.” The kid scratched behind his right ear. “There’s not an extra one around.” He pointed at the partially dismantled machine at the end of the counter. “This one was supposed to go to you, but it isn’t working.”
Aidan sucked in another deep breath. “What do you mean it’s not working?”
“Exactly that.” He drummed his fingers on the glass counter. “I’ve tried to fix it, but still nothing.”
“Then get me another one.”
“Can’t.”
He waved a hand toward the rows of electronics. “We’re surrounded by projectors. Give me one of those.”
“Those are for sale, not to rent out.”
Judging from the deepening scowl on his face, there was a pretty good chance Aidan would end up with a coronary.
“Now, if you want to buy one, I can do that.” Scrawny Kid twirled a pen between his fingers. “As a matter of fact, we’ve got a brand-new projector that’s being tested only at this location. Won’t be available for major distribution for a few months. It’s lightweight and has a bulb that’ll go 50,000 hours before you need to replace it.” He grinned. “I’ll even make you a special deal on it.”
“I don’t want to buy one.” A fresh level of frustration laced his words as he enunciated every syllable and scrubbed a hand over his jaw.
Delaney couldn’t blame him. For as little as it would be used, the return on that kind of investment wasn’t one he could afford.
“Now, are you going to open up a box and give me one?” Aidan asked. “Because I’m not walking out of here otherwise.”
No doubt about it. He was thoroughly pissed. And if she didn’t step in to help the guy, there was a pretty fair chance things could get ugly. Fast.
She pasted on her nicest smile, the one her mother called the princess look, then glanced at the guy’s name tag. “Hi, Evan, I’m Delaney.” She held out her hand, noting the sweaty palm placed in hers. “I know you don’t have that model for rent, but maybe you could write a new policy. Since you’re store manager and all.” She winked. “And if these models were available, they’d typically rent for more, wouldn’t they? With the features that are on them?”
He shrugged. “Well, yeah.”
“And that would mean more income for the store, wouldn’t it? What with all the conventions Seattle has.”
“A lot more.” He scratched his head as if in deep thought.
“So what if we were the first ones to test it out for you at our trade show? And we’d leave a good review on your website. To top it off, you’ll have another projector available. At a higher price,” she reminded him.
“What if no one wants it?”
“Are you kidding? We’re on our way to the largest construction trade show in the Pacific Northwest. Anybody who’s anybody will be there. Companies even larger than Ross and Associates will see it.” She leaned in just a tad. “And when they ask, we’ll hand them one of your business cards and tell them to come see you.” She tapped her fingers on the countertop. “Good advertising, if you ask me.”
He hesitated even as the pencil-twirling continued. Delaney had to figure out a way to clinch it for them. “I bet higher rental receipts would get you noticed by people in corporate.”
A slow smile spread across the guy’s thin face as he puffed out his chest. “Yeah. I’m store manager, I can go ahead and authorize this.” He nodded once. “I won’t even charge you more for it.” He said it so decisively, she wondered if she’d created a monster. “Let me go pull one off the shelf for you. I’ll test it first to make sure it works right.”
As Scrawny Kid rounded the corner toward the row of projectors, Delaney shot Aidan a smile along with a raised eyebrow.
He smiled back. “Thanks.”
His smile was all sorts of sexy. Butterflies danced in her stomach, furthered by the gentle squeeze of his hand on her shoulder.
If this was how she reacted to his touch, she had to make it a point to keep her distance.
It was the only logical choice.
…
Two hours. They arrived at the hotel two hours later than Aidan had planned. He hoisted his duffel bag and laptop case with one hand, and rubbed his left temple with the other.
God, he needed a shower.
He liked structure, but Delaney was chaos on a pair of shapely legs. No doubt it added to the…interesting day.
He crossed the hotel lobby with Delaney keeping pace, even with her roller bag and a couple boxes of brochures. Of course, her bag was a couple pounds lighter, given she’d eaten most of the snacks she’d brought with her.
He turned, gave her body a once-over. She’d pulled the suit jacket on the moment he’d parked, so it wasn’t like he could really tell where the hell she put it all.
His head pounded, his stomach growled, and he still needed to review the presentation with her before tomorrow’s setup.
The throbbing in his head kept the same beat as the music coming out of the hotel bar. This time, he pinched his nose in an effort to ease the tension.
“The line’s not too bad.”
“Only because most people have already checked in.” He couldn’t keep the sharpness out of his voice. Most of the other vendors were probably working on a cocktail and relaxing before the trade show’s craziness tomorrow.
Wait. Aidan stopped in the middle of the lobby.
Checked in.
He stared at Delaney.
Holy shit.
She huffed out an exasperated breath. “What’s wrong now?”
“Nothing.” At least, he hoped it was nothing. They headed toward the registration counter.
Still, the reality hit him full force as he stared across the narrow space to the woman with a pleasant smile on her face. “Welcome to the Seattle Plaza. How may I help you?”
God, he hoped she could.
He’d booked a room with two queen beds in it. It would’ve allowed him and Harold to finish up on their presentation, working late into the night if necessary.
Except…Harold wasn’t here.
Delaney was.
“We need a room,” he said.
“Very good.” The woman’s warm voice didn’t help soothe Aidan’s jangled nerves. “You have a reservation?”
