He stole another glance at Sarah’s face—and caught her staring back. She looked away, but not before he caught the curiosity in her eyes and something else.
Desire.
She opened her mouth but didn’t speak, just swallowed. Was her mouth as dry as his? Her palms slightly damp? If he ran a finger down her neck would her pulse be racing too? He took a deep breath and caught a hint of floral perfume. Even her smell made him hot.
Sarah started at the sound of a phone ringing in her bag. She pulled it out and frowned at the screen. “Figures the reception is better now.” She cleared her throat. “Sarah Lange speaking.” With those words, her voice and body language changed. Both became sharp, tight, her posture so rigid she looked as if she would shatter with a touch.
What would it take to make this woman really shatter? To let go and throw caution to the wind? She looked as if she could use some shaking up—of the good kind. But it wasn’t his place to say so. Instead he focused on the road in front of him, trying not to eavesdrop. In the confines of the cab, he couldn’t help but notice that she seemed to get interrupted a lot. When she did get a word in, she spoke as if through clenched teeth. After a few minutes she ended the call with an exasperated “Fine, I’ll do it,” and tossed the phone back into her purse. Tension rolled off of her in waves.
“Something wrong?”
She gave a bitter snort. “Me being out of the office is wrong, as far as our newest associate is concerned. A vacation is something of a foreign concept in my field.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m an attorney.”
Like he hadn’t seen that coming. “Do you like it?”
She seemed surprised by his question. Had no one ever asked? “Some of it,” she said after a pause. “Sometimes.”
And the other parts and other times were what wound her so tight she needed to escape to the mountains of Virginia. He’d learned the hard way not to get involved with a woman like that. So why did he feel the urge to kiss the frown off her lips?
What would she do if he leaned over and kissed her? The thought sent a shot of lust through his veins. He wrapped his fingers more firmly around the stick to steady himself. A soft sigh emerged from Sarah’s lips and a pink flush stole across her chest and neck. Her gaze seemed to be focused on his hand on the gearshift.
What was she thinking?
They approached the summit of the last hill before his home. “Almost there,” he said.
And not a moment too soon.
Sunlight flooded the truck’s cab as the vehicle crested the hill. Sarah dragged her gaze away from Cole’s hand on the gearshift and closed her eyes to rein in her erotic thoughts.
Holy shit, this man was potent. She’d met him an hour ago and already her thong was damp. She’d never reacted this way to a man before.
Could a pit stop with a small-town mechanic be the cure she was seeking? How bizarre would that be?
The doctor had prescribed relaxation. Unfortunately, that damned phone call had reminded her of what she was trying to escape on this trip. She sighed. Cole had asked her if she liked her work. Up until six months ago her answer would have been an emphatic yes. Then she’d been assigned a new associate to mentor. Was it any coincidence that her problems had started then? Rolling her shoulders, she pushed the thoughts away. Relax.
She opened her eyes. The road curved and Cole accelerated through the turn effortlessly. He drove the big truck with such finesse that it might as well have been her Porsche. If he could handle a woman the way he handled his truck… She flicked a glance at his hands now firm on the wheel. A shiver ran through her looking at them, imagining them going around her curves.
Good God, she was obsessed with the man’s hands.
She turned toward the passenger window and caught her breath. The road descended into a wooded valley filled with a shimmering blue lake. A huge lodge with a high, peaked roof stood on the shore closest to them, its wood and stone façade blending with the forest. Multiple chimneys stretched toward the canopy, and tall windows reflected the trees and the clear blue sky. As they approached, Sarah could see a redwood deck wrapping from the front of the house to the back and a lush green lawn that led to the water’s edge.
If the spa is half as peaceful or luxurious as this, my troubles will be over. “Wouldn’t you love to stay there?” she asked with a sigh.
“I do. Regularly.”
“Really?” It seemed a bit upscale for a mechanic.
He laughed. “Of course. I live there. That’s my house.”
“That’s your place?” Her jaw dropped and she looked from the house to the man next to her and back again. To the house. Back to the man. She tried to connect the dots before her into some coherent image, but the edges kept blurring.