“Cal—”
“Meet your date for the night, Maddy.” He stroked a lazy finger across her collarbone. “The bad-ass of your choice is officially at your service.”
4
THE HEADY SENSATION of Cal’s thumb rolling over her shoulder distracted her, but not so much that she missed his words. “Excuse me?”
He pulled her toward the parking lot. “I said I’m coming with you, Maddy. Let’s go.”
“Wait a minute.” She dug her red suede heels into the loose gravel of the small parking lot currently under construction. She would sacrifice the shoes before she let Cal Turner lead her around by the nose. Or by her hormones. “I thought you couldn’t risk adding more scandal to your reputation?”
He gestured toward her outfit. “That was before I realized the lengths you would go to for this project of yours. I’m not about to let you risk your neck.”
Frustration simmered through her. “Thanks, Cal, but it’s my neck to risk.” She spun on her heel, determined to get to her office and leave him to his new-found morality.
Before she took two steps, she found herself plucked from the ground and cradled in his arms like a new bride about to be carried across the threshold.
“Fine. Risk your neck all you want, but I’m driving.” He crossed the gravel lot near the new construction.
“Cal!” the little squeal she made sounded nothing like her. She would be angry at his presumptuousness if she wasn’t so deliciously aware of every square inch of her body that he touched.
With one arm wrapped just below her shoulders, and one arm supporting her thighs, Cal wreaked havoc on her senses. His fingers rested on a patch of bare skin beneath the hem of her dress, and although he kept his hand very still, Madeline couldn’t help but imagine what it would feel like if he put those fingers in motion.
She’d never suspected a male body could be so hard and unrelenting, sort of like Cal’s personality. But those qualities were much more appealing in their physical manifestation than as part of his overall character. Right now, Madeline could hardly string two thoughts together with all that masculine strength surrounding her.
“Put me down!” she snapped.
He grinned, apparently less annoyed than he had been a few minutes ago. “I don’t even park my car in this dusty gravel. You think I’d let your sexy little self walk across it in new suede shoes?” He set her down when they reached the other side of the lot.
Disappointment warred with relief when Maddy’s toes hit the ground. How was it that he could have her senses singing concertos while he seemed as unaffected as if he’d done no more than change her oil?
He searched his pocket for his keys while she fumed. “I’ll only ditch you the first chance I get,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.
Finding the keys, he held them up like a prize and winked. “Honey, it won’t be easy with me glued to you.”
An unwanted shiver trembled over her. The image of them joined together was too enticing to contemplate. She knew that’s not what he meant. Knew that wasn’t what he wanted. Still…
He unlocked a car door while she chided herself. She needed to forget about Cal and his noble intentions tonight if she wanted to make any headway into her research. It wouldn’t be easy with his gorgeous body at her side, but if she wanted to get serious about changing her reputation, she needed to find a man whose thoughts weren’t so pure.
The idea seemed grossly unappealing after experiencing Cal’s touch. How could she settle for anyone else’s?
“You ready?”
Cal’s words beckoned her from her musings and she turned to join him. Only then did she realize what kind of car he’d led them to.
She stared, immobile, her gaze running over the lines of his Chevy. “Ohmigod.”
“You don’t like it?”
Like it? The car looked almost as good as the man standing next to it.
She took in the dark blue exterior and white top of the classic car. Either the paint had been kept in mint condition or Cal had repainted with the original color, because the car looked as new and authentic as if it had just rolled off the production line. Because her father had been the only family she’d ever known, Madeline had grown up talking cars and physics the way most girls talked about Barbie dolls and boys.
He jingled the keys in his pocket. “It’s a—”
“Fifty-seven. It’s gorgeous, Cal.” Madeline moved closer, brushing her fingers appreciatively along the white seat, also original. For a moment she wished she had worn saddle shoes and a poodle skirt instead of her red dress. “This is the hot-rod version, I’ll bet.”
He shrugged, but the little grin playing around his lips told her she had guessed correctly. “You know something about cars?”
She shook her head. “Not enough to change my own oil, obviously.” She’d been taking her Honda to Cal or one of his garages ever since she’d arrived in Louisville. “But my dad has a lifetime subscription to Car and Driver. I read a little here and there so I could share his interest.” She’d never acquired her father’s taste for physics, but she had soaked up his enthusiasm for vintage automobiles to have something to talk to him about.
“You must have read more than a little.” He nodded toward the car. “Hop in.”
Madeline forgot all about her reluctance to go with him. Not only was she eager for her first ride in a ’57 Chevy, she also couldn’t deny the lure of a chance to learn more about Cal. She’d bet her tenure slot this vehicle meant more to him than his successful chain of car repair shops. Why hadn’t she known that about him before?
After she took her seat, Cal closed the door behind her and went around to the driver’s side.
“Where to?” he asked, switching on the ignition. “I’m at your disposal tonight, Maddy. Use me as you wish.”
To cover her nervousness, she adjusted her glasses, a habit she’d been trying to break since adolescence. “Since we both know you’re only willing to go so far—”
“You know, I can’t wait to see if you’re still dangling that offer in front of me in two weeks after the custody hearing is all over.” His gaze held hers across the car interior, promising sweet retribution for her teasing. “Hasn’t anybody ever taught you to not play with fire?”
She shifted in her seat. “Obviously that’s a lesson I’ve practiced too well up until now, Cal. When even the university administration thinks I’m too much of a prude to research sex, it’s time to start letting myself get burned.”
He wiped a weary hand across his face and groaned. “What am I going to do with you, Maddy?”
“You can squire me around town tonight, if you want.” He hadn’t really left her much choice.
“No offense, gorgeous, but I’m trying to salvage my reputation, not add to it. I’m not about to give the social services department or Auntie Delia any chance to deny my guardianship.”
“But it’s not like we’re going to a strip bar or anything. And I’m not going to do anything outrageous.” She wouldn’t want Cal to jeopardize custody of Allison.
Slowly, Cal nodded. “We’ll go someplace tame?”
“I was thinking Coyotes might be a good place for my first foray into the mating scene.”
“A