Nerds Are From Mars (21 page)

As for her, she’d dared to attend this astronomy conference and challenge one of the big dogs to consider giving astrology a chance. She’d not only made huge strides with him, she’d managed to interest some of his friends, too. She’d learned to use the word
professional
when she described herself. Most important of all, she’d begun to believe that she deserved the good things in life, and that included a relationship with Dr. Nolan Bradbury.

The warm glow from that moment carried her through the rigorous questions posed to her in the bar. Countering Nolan’s skepticism had prepared her to deal with that of his colleagues, so their comments didn’t rattle her the way they might have two days ago. One previously reserved woman raised her glass and toasted Darcie’s
cajones
for coming to Space Expo. Several other people then did the same.

Because they’d all started from square one, she ended up teaching the equivalent of a basic course in astrology. But she got in a plug for her book, and recommended her classes, both the in-person and online versions. This free sample today should bring her business in the long run.

Even so, when Nolan walked into the bar, she was ready to be rescued. She gave him a tight smile that she hoped conveyed that message. He’d said if he
sensed
she was being held hostage, he’d get her out of there gracefully. He might not have realized that once again, he’d referred to an intuitive skill.

Whether he recognized that he was using intuition or not, he came through for her. “I hate to break this up, but I promised Darcie a tour of my lab, and we have a window of opportunity this afternoon. I know she’s eager to see it.”

“
Very
eager. We need to get going.” She stood and glanced around at the people who’d gathered originally and some others who’d drifted in later. “Everybody has my card, right?”

A couple of latecomers asked for one, which left her with no business cards in her messenger bag. She’d passed out every single one. That was an accomplishment.

“Please contact me if you have more questions,” she said. “It’s been a pleasure to meet such open-minded astronomers. I hope we can get together again at next year’s Space Expo.”

“It’s in Seattle,” a man called out. “See you there!”

“I hope I can make it.” She hadn’t counted on the conference being somewhere else. Seattle wasn’t exactly next door, which meant it was a more expensive proposition.

“She’ll be there,” Nolan said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

She gave him a startled glance. Really? She knew he liked her, but he’d just announced they’d both be at an event that wasn’t happening for an entire year.

“Good man!” the guy said with a grin.

“Then I’ll see you all next year!” She grabbed her messenger bag, accepted Nolan’s outstretched hand, and walked out of the bar with him.

As they headed toward the lobby, she glanced his way. “What was that all about?”

“You said space conferences were fun for you, so why not plan on going to the next one?”

“But . . . I might not have the money, and –”

“We’ll worry about that later. The thing is, I have a hunch you’ll be going to that conference. With me.”

Excitement curled in her stomach. He really was making plans a year in advance, and he was doing it on a hunch. Amazing. Mind blowing. The future did indeed look bright.

“Does that work for you?” His gray gaze had turned serious and there was a touch of uncertainty in his voice. “You did tell me to use my intuition more often.”

“It works for me.” She felt like squealing for joy, but he’d recently praised her professional conduct, so she decided a happy smile would have to do. “It works exceedingly well.”

He let out a breath. “Good. For a minute there I wondered if my hunch had been wrong.”

“I was just surprised, that’s all. The Seattle conference is a year away. A lot can happen in a year.”

“Hold it.” He pulled her to a stop and turned to face her. “Did you or did you not say that we have a connection?”

“I did, but –”

“And that was before we spent all this time together, before we had such a great time in my suite. I don’t know about you, but that connection is getting stronger by the millisecond.”

Although his use of millisecond tickled her, she didn’t want to spoil the seriousness of the moment by laughing. She looked up at him, and the warmth in his eyes robbed her of any urge to laugh. “For me, too,” she said softly.

“Do you see any reason that won’t continue? Because I don’t.”

“When you put it that way . . . .”

“I’m dealing with a project that stretches ten years into the future, but I think of our Mars colony as imminent. In my head, the Seattle conference is almost here and I can’t imagine going without you.”

Her breath caught. It was a romantic speech for a guy like Nolan, and his broad vision of time inspired her. “Then it’s a date, Dr. Bradbury. I’ll put it on my calendar.”

“Good. That’s settled. Let’s get out of here.” He turned and started back down the hall. They quickly reached the lobby and he reclaimed her suitcase, her laptop case, and her printer case from the bellman.

He hoisted the laptop case over one shoulder, the printer case over the other, and grabbed the handle of her roller bag. “Onward.”

“Where’s your stuff?”

“Already in the car.”

“Wow, you’re efficient. Is there really a window of opportunity for touring your lab, or did you make that up?”

“I made it up.” He started toward the lobby entrance. “It’s Sunday, and Harcourt decided a long time ago that nobody should work on Sunday, so we can go anytime today. But that reminds me. We’re all set for Space Expo in Seattle, but we haven’t talked about tonight.”

And that, she thought, was the fun and challenge of dating a nerd and trying to navigate the maze of his complicated thought process. In his preoccupation with an event a full year away, he’d lost track of the present. “What did you have in mind?”

His low chuckle answered the question.

“Okay, besides
that
.” She followed him as the doorman ushered them outside.

“Well, I had an idea, but I don’t know if it’s fair to you.”

“Try me.”

He paused under the hotel’s portico, which was currently occupied by a red late-model Firebird. “First you follow me to my house, and then we go in my car to the lab. Then we come back to my house and you spend the night. But I –”

“Yes.”

“Wait. You haven’t heard the downside.”

“I can’t imagine a downside that would cancel out the upside.”

He smiled at her. “Thanks.”

“It’s true. So what’s the downside?”

“I have to get up early and go to work.”

She gasped dramatically. “Oh, no!”

“See? I knew you wouldn’t like that part, but I have no choice. I’m more determined than ever to beat Sterling’s team.” He released her suitcase and took off his glasses.

“I was kidding you. I completely understand that you have to take off early. I will, too.”

“Yeah, you probably need to get home.” He pulled a small case from his jacket pocket, took out some shades, and put his regular glasses into the case before tucking it back in his pocket.

“Actually, I don’t
have
to get back right away.” She watched the glasses routine with interest. “My plants are watered and although I’ve been thinking about adopting a cat, I don’t have any pets at the moment.”

“I like cats.” He put on the shades.

She nearly swooned. He’d been hot before, but in those pricey shades he was smokin’. “Uh . . . good. I don’t have a cat yet, but that’s good to know.” She swallowed.

“Does that mean you might be able to stay until I get home tomorrow night?”

Oh, yeah, baby
. “Sure.” She did her best to sound casual, when inside she was squealing and jumping up and down. “I have my computer, so I can work anywhere, and I don’t have any appointments until Wednesday.”

“Excellent. In that case, we can just load your stuff into my car instead of carrying it all the way to wherever yours is parked.”

“Where’s yours?”

“Right here.” He gestured to the Firebird.

“No way!” Then she clapped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment.

“Thought I’d have a nerd car, didn’t you?” His dimples flashed.

“I’m sorry, Nolan. I did. Forgive me?”

“I already told you. I forgive you everything.” He pulled keys out of his slacks pocket and pushed a button to open the trunk, proving conclusively that this car really belonged to him.

If she’d had any doubt, it would have been erased when she walked to the back of the car and saw the license plate. ROKITMN. Nolan was a shades-wearing, Firebird-owning rocket man, and she was the lucky lady privileged to sit by his side.

He opened the passenger door. “Hop in. I’ll drive you to your car.”

She slid onto the leather seat with a tiny sigh of pleasure. She drove s a six-year-old hybrid, and she loved her car. She believed in saving gas and saving the planet, but that didn’t mean her heart didn’t beat a little faster when her shades-wearing rocket man climbed behind the wheel and started the engine of his Firebird.

She directed him to her parking spot and started to open her door.

“Let me.”

She stayed put. His gallantry was endearing.

He helped her out of his car and into hers. “Your ride is a lot more socially conscious than mine.”

“A lot less sexy than yours.” She gazed up at him through the open door.

“You know, I debated a long time before I bought the Firebird. I didn’t want anybody to think I was compensating for my sexual inadequacies.”

“Nolan, I can safely say that you have absolutely no inadequacies to compensate for.”

“Thanks. I decided the same thing, so I bought the car.”

She burst out laughing. “Guess I didn’t have to prop up your ego, now did I?”

“I know I’m a halfway decent lover, but I have to tell you, Darcie, you inspire me to be a better one.”

“Is that right?” Yikes. That was enough to get a girl hot and bothered.

“On that thought, let’s blow this taco stand.” He closed her door.

Turning on her car’s engine, she powered down the window. “I’m going to follow you there, so don’t go too fast. I don’t want to lose you.”

“No chance. But just in case, let me give you the address so you can use your GPS if you have to.”

She took out her phone and keyed in his address easily, almost as if she already knew it. The number and street sounded familiar, yet she’d never been there. She’d learned to trust her instincts, though, and they were telling her that she would be spending a great deal of time at this address.

“Got it?”

“Yes. Thanks. See you there.”

“Be safe.” He took off his shades and leaned into the open window to kiss her. He lingered over the kiss, sipping and tasting as if he couldn’t bring himself to end it. “It’s been too long,” he murmured.

“Only a few hours.”

“That’s too long.” With a sigh, he backed away and put on his shades. “Meet you at my house.” He patted the top of her car and walked back to the Firebird.

She was so lost in contemplating his sexy self getting into that car that she forgot to release the emergency brake. She followed him for a good fifty yards along the access road before she remembered.

Laughing at herself, she disengaged the brake and vowed to concentrate on her driving. She couldn’t imagine losing him, though, even in traffic. That red car would be impossible to miss, especially with his vanity plate. She should have known from the way he made love that he’d drive a car like this. And he wanted to improve on his skills.

Chapter Eighteen

Sometimes Nolan remembered the skinny, unpopular nerd he used to be and marveled at how far he’d come from those days. Leading Darcie Ingram back to his hillside home with her suitcase in the trunk of his red Firebird was one of those times. Yeah, he’d slipped the valet a few extra bucks so he could leave his car parked at the entrance for dramatic effect. He’d own that vain impulse.

His moment of glory, when he’d casually mentioned that his car was the very one crouched in the hotel driveway, its mighty engine ready to roar at the touch of his foot on the gas pedal, had been all he could have wanted. She’d expected a nerd car, but he drove
this
. And wham, bam, he’d blown another stereotype to bits. Once she was in the passenger seat on a suitable road, he’d open it up and show her what it could do.

Not now, though. He didn’t want to be a showoff while she was driving that cute little hybrid. He admired the heck out of her for buying something that benefited the environment even if it wasn’t the coolest vehicle on the road. But then, she was Darcie Ingram. She could drive a POS and look awesome doing it.

So maybe he was compensating with this car, but it wasn’t for his sexual abilities or the size of his johnson. He was compensating for his innate nerdiness. Even though he had cool shades, they were prescription. Even though he drove the cool car with a kickass plate, he still had a Captain Kirk costume in the back of his closet.

At heart he was a nerd and always would be. So far, though, Darcie hadn’t seemed to mind at all. She’d even claimed that his nerd-speak made her hot. It appeared that between the car, the shades, and the nerd-speak, he couldn’t lose.

He wished he truly believed that. The high school years when he’d been treated like a piece of gum on the bottom of a pair of pricey running shoes had left scars, and they hadn’t completely faded. He’d acted nonchalant about setting up Space Expo in Seattle with her a year from now, but he’d yearned for some security, some guarantee that Darcie wouldn’t turn into a figment of his imagination.

Logic told him she wouldn’t.
She’d
told him she wouldn’t. He treasured her announcement that he’d have to work to get rid of her. Chances were she was sincere and he had nothing to worry about. Metaphorically speaking, they’d ride off into the sunset, preferably in his red Firebird.

Yet his psychic wounds ran deep. He needed more time with her to be convinced that she was for real. Thank God she’d agreed to stay with him tonight. The hotel had been wonderful, but it was a fantasy getaway whereas he had a normal house. He didn’t have a black Jacuzzi tub, for example, and although he had a view of the city lights, it was considerably less spectacular and mostly blocked by trees.