Under the Hood: An Under the Hood Novella (Entangled Bliss) (2 page)

A look he couldn’t decipher flashed across her expressive face, then disappeared. “I don’t really date.”

Someone, sometime had done a number on Alice, that much was evident. Many of his clients found it difficult to trust after their marriages went bad, and he was determined not to add to Alice’s hurt.

“It’s just coffee and a drive, then.”

She changed gears and stared out the windshield. “You’re a nice guy, Mark Jameson.”

Once they knew each other better, once she knew what kind of a guy he was, he could explain their first meeting. Could explain that he hadn’t lied, he just hadn’t told her everything. And hopefully her impression of him wouldn’t be shot to hell in the process.

…

It was a date. He knew it, she knew it. But somehow, that was okay. The little car purred like a kitten as Alice drove it through the leafy lanes outside town. Before them, the setting sun painted the sky dusky shades of pink and purple and the mountains ink blue.

Mark pointed. “The diner is just up ahead.”

She was totally aware of Mark in the close confines of the tiny car. Every time she moved the stick, the fact that his jean-clad thigh was close enough to touch made her pulse race. He’d pointed out local landmarks through the journey, told endless funny stories of the town’s inhabitants, which had made her laugh out loud. Being with him was easy.

She hit the turn signal, slowed, and squeezed the car in a tiny space in front of the diner.

Mark breathed in and his hands clasped into fists on his knees.

She turned off the engine. “Worried there for a second, huh?”

He grinned. “It was a tight spot. I’m sort of protective.”

She couldn’t fault him for that. If she owned this beauty, she wouldn’t let anyone else drive it. “You could drive back…”

“No need. You know what you’re doing.”

The diner was full. A waitress greeted Mark by name then ushered them to the last remaining table, which was next to the door of the kitchen. They ordered coffee.

“This place is buzzing,” she said.

“Barney’s is the only place for miles around.” Mark had been greeted by many of the customers as they made their way to the table. “It’s clean, cheap, and the food is good. The clientele is mostly local.”

He opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say next was cut off by the arrival of the waitress with a tray. She placed the coffees on the table, then unloaded two plates of hot cherry pie with ice cream melting atop each thick slice.

“Pie’s on the house, Mark.” She grinned. “I’ve been waiting a year for you to come in so I could treat ya.”

“Thanks, Myra.”

Alice waited till they were alone. “What was all that about?”

He looked sort of bashful, as though he were hiding a secret and reticent to tell. “I handled Myra’s divorce…”

“And she’s wanted to give you pie to thank you for a year.” She would have thought most women didn’t want to see their lawyer ever again after such a traumatic life event.

He breathed in deep. “So, about the car—”

“I think you might need new brake pads for the MG.”

Mark’s eyes widened. “Yeah, maybe.”

“I can order them for you. We have the contacts to source all the parts you need, but unfortunately I won’t be able to fit them.”

Mark blinked.

He looked confused, so she continued. “The garage is designed to make female customers more comfortable.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Women often feel intimidated when they have to get their car fixed and are cautious about going to a garage for fear that they’ll be patronized, so we’ve made the decision to cater to female customers. All of the staff are women. We want to make
Under the Hood
a feminine haven. One where women can ask questions and reveal their lack of knowledge without being judged. It makes sense that the only people they meet while at the garage are female, so we agreed to keep our male clients to a minimum. I wouldn’t hear the end of it if you brought your car in so soon after we opened.”

“Okay, I get that.”

Alice smiled. “I can order in the parts for you. Replacing them is an easy job. Any garage would be capable of fitting them.”

He looked as though he was going to refuse. “I don’t want to put you to any trouble…”

“It’s no trouble. I can look up the part number when I get back to the garage. It’s an MGB GT, from when, the early 70’s?”

“You know your stuff. 1974 actually.”

“Great. Consider it done. Give me your number, and I’ll call you when the brake pads come in.”

Chapter Three

Business was brisk for the rest of the week, and the presentation to the local chapter of the NAPW generated a lot of interest. So much interest in fact, that the car maintenance class was booked out.

Alice circulated, chatting to a couple of women who remained as the class ended.

“We really enjoyed that,” a bubbly blonde said. “I’m Susan Jameson, and this is my friend Stacey.”

Could this be Mark’s sister?
“Any relation to Mark?”

“His sister.” Susan’s eyes gleamed. “Do you know Mark?”

Alice flushed. “He lives in my building. I helped him out the other morning when he was having problems with the MG. I took it for a spin the other day.”

“Oh?” Susan shot a glance at Stacey.

“I’m sourcing brake pads for him.” Alice rubbed the oil off her hands with a rag.

Susan’s eyes lit with interest. “That’s good.”

Alice’s stomach clenched into a knot. She knew that look. She’d seen it on her brothers’ faces often enough when she mentioned a man. It was a are-you-hot-for-my-brother look. She was, but there was no way she would get into that particular conversation.

“He’ll be taking it to another garage to swap the brake pads out—
Under the Hood’s
clients are mostly female…”

She really should stop babbling now. Susan and Stacey were staring at her as if she had two heads.

Susan took pity on her and changed the subject. “This is great, learning about the inner workings of a car. I totally take mine for granted. Apart from checking the oil…”

Alice smiled. “The whole area of car maintenance is shrouded in mystery, and it shouldn’t be.”

“I feel much happier after this class,” Stacey added. “I usually get my boyfriend to fix my car, and it’s good to be able to do things for myself. I feel much more confident about it now.”

“Terrific.” A warm feeling of satisfaction filled her at Stacey’s words.

“It’s a shame you don’t run courses for men. A lot of them don’t have a clue about engines.” A strange light glinted in Susan’s eyes. “Do you know what I mean?”

“It must be even more difficult for men. Admitting that you don’t have a clue about such a male preserve can be embarrassing. Having to admit it to a woman, and take direction from one, would be pretty much intolerable to the majority of macho men out there.”
Except Mark.
He was so happy in his own skin, he hadn’t had a problem. Self-confidence was sexy.

“Mark’s car is so old.” Susan shook her head.

It was a classic. A beautifully crafted machine. “Looking after it is work,” Alice admitted. “But your brother has obviously got a good support structure in place. The car is in great shape.”

“Mark makes sure that the car gets the best possible care.” Susan slipped on her jacket. “We’d better go. I’m really looking forward to next week’s class.”

…

Mark’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID.
Susan.

He sighed as he reached for the phone. Susan had spent the past year trying to set him up with what seemed like all the single women in Meadowsweet.
Who is it this time?

“Hi, Susan.”

“Hi yourself, lady-killer.”

Uh-oh
…

Before he had a chance to respond, she continued. “I met a friend of yours last night. Alice?”

Mark rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Ah, yes, she’s my new neighbor.”

“A bit more than that, I think, considering you let her drive your precious car,” Susan said, in that sweet, honeyed tone that always set his teeth on edge.

Mark’s hands clenched into fists. “Where did you meet her?”

“Well, here’s the thing,” Susan said. “I’m taking a car maintenance course with her, and she somehow seems to have got the impression that you don’t know anything about cars. She said she’s sourcing parts for the MG. Why is she doing that, Mark? Don’t you order spares from the garage in Chesapeake?”

Busted
. There was no point in pretending. He would have to come clean and hope his sister wouldn’t tease him until the end of time. “I…” Words dried up in his throat.

Susan cut to the heart of the matter. “Do you like her? Because I do, and you better not be just messing with her.”

“I like her.” He put his palm down flat on the desk. “She thinks I don’t know about cars, and I haven’t got around to telling her the truth yet.”

“So, this is a ploy to get to see her again?”

Yes. No.
It was more than that. He enjoyed the dynamic between them. Yes, the attraction was strong, but it was more than a physical attraction. He liked everything about her. He also didn’t want to have to explain anything to his sister.

He pulled in a deep breath. “I’ll tell her soon, but I want to get to know her a bit better first.”

There was silence on the line for a moment. When Susan spoke, her voice was warm. “You don’t need an excuse to see her you know. She blushed when I mentioned your name. I’m pretty sure she likes you.”

She blushed?
Mark grinned.

…

The weather worsened over the next few days, preventing Alice from taking her lunch break in the park. The uptick in work meant that more often than not, she shared dinner with Mel and Betty before returning to her apartment.

Every time she left or arrived at the building she shared with Mark, adrenaline had her keyed up at the thought of a chance encounter that dived to disappointment when she didn’t see him. There were no sounds from the apartment upstairs.

Not that she was listening for him or anything.

The brake pads for his car had come in while he was away. She’d called to tell him, but when he didn’t answer, she left a voicemail. She’d been in the pit working on a Buick when Susan came in, explained to Mel that Mark had asked her to pick the pads up. That had been days ago.

She knew exactly how many days. And the fact that she was keeping count was a major irritation.

Mel strode into the workshop.

“So, what news of the haddock? You’ve been quiet about him recently.”

“I haven’t seen him. Maybe he’s out of town. Why do you ask?” Alice’s mouth dried. She really didn’t want to admit that Mark was constantly in her thoughts. She rubbed at her nails with the rag.

“Alice.”

At Mel’s tone, Alice looked up.

“You like him. One of our customers told me she saw you in a diner eating pie with him last week.”

Damn.
“I hardly know the guy…”

“Yes, but you like him. Why else would you have kept the date secret?”

The walls seemed to be closing in on Alice and her heart pounded. “Well, you know, it wasn’t
really
a date…” Her words trailed off. Surely she didn’t need to explain her wariness about admitting she had the hots for the haddock—of getting close to someone again? Mel knew her history.

“You can’t shut off all thoughts of getting involved because of what happened last time you were in a relationship,” Mel said. “There’s nothing wrong with having a fling, you know.”

Alice’s eyebrows rose.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Mel scolded. “Do as I say, not what I do. You’re attracted to him. Don’t reject the possibility before it even has a chance to get going.”

Warring emotions battled inside. Alice rolled her lips together. She was fiercely attracted to Mark, a fact that sparked her flee response rather than risk getting hurt. Mel read her as easily as a street sign.

What Mel didn’t know was that she’d been dreaming of him for the past few nights. Heated dreams in which he slowly peeled the clothes from her body. Dreams she’d never had before—about anyone, even when she’d been in a relationship.

Mel’s eyes were filled with understanding. She placed a hand on Alice’s arm.

A warm feeling spread through Alice’s chest and she couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t be such a coward, I get it.”

Mel winked.

That night, Alice climbed out of the shower and was wrapping herself in a fluffy white towel when the phone rang.

“Hi, Alice.”

Mark’s deeply delicious voice made her shiver. “Hi.” She wrapped the towel closer and tucked it firmly around her.

“I’m at the airport, just about to catch a taxi home. I wanted to thank you for getting the parts in for me.”

“No problem.”

“How about dinner tonight? In about an hour and a half?”

Alice’s pulse picked up speed. “You don’t have to—”

“Take mercy on me. I’ve been out of town and I don’t have any food in my apartment. Save me from going out to dinner alone.”

She could hear the smile in his voice.
Why the hell not?

“Okay, you’re on.”

“Great. See you soon.”

It was totally crazy to be so nervous. It was only dinner, for goodness sake. A thank you for the work she’d put in sourcing the parts for his car. Nothing more.

But still, butterflies fluttered in Alice’s stomach as she shot a glance at her reflection for the thousandth time then wiped a trace of mascara from underneath her eye.

The fact was, that since she’d first met him she’d been intrigued by Mark Jameson.

She stared at her reflection and gave herself a stern mental talking-to.
You had one bad relationship. Are you going to let that stop you from dating anyone else ever?
A little voice inside started whining back, but she ignored it.

Not all men are lying, cheating bastards.

The doorbell rang. Picking up her bag from the small table by the door, Alice opened it.

“Hi.” Mark stood in the doorway. No suit. Instead, he wore a black shirt open to reveal the tanned column of his neck. Black jeans rode low and hugged his thighs.

Alice breathed in a shaky breath. Her skin came up in goose-bumps. Her body, primed by the heated dreams she’d been having for the past few nights, longed to be pressed against his.
Oh, I thought he looked good before
… She swallowed.

“You look incredible.” Mark’s voice smoothed over her like velvet. His gaze travelled from her upswept hair, with just a few tendrils curling to her shoulders, then down, over the V-neckline of her silk dress, and further still to her black stockings and killer heels.

He leaned close and kissed her cheek.

Alice’s heart hammered. She breathed in his scent—the faint aroma of soap from his shower. A kiss on the cheek wasn’t enough.

“So do you,” Alice murmured. Then, before she could hold herself in check, she angled her face to his and their lips met.

He tasted even better than she’d dreamed.

For a split second, Mark didn’t react. Then both hands moved to her hips, pulling her close.

Alice sighed, and heat flared to life like a match added to a nascent flame. It was impossible to halt the slide of her hands up his chest, intoxicating to feel the strong muscles of his neck beneath her fingers. Reason melted away, and thoughts about what she was doing evaporated in the overload of sensation as a warm hand heated the silk at the curve of her back.

Then cool air puffed against her lips.

Alice’s eyes flickered open.

“We…” The dazed expression on Mark’s face no doubt matched her own. He gazed at her mouth.

Alice’s hands slipped from his neck.

Both took a step back.

She pressed her fingers to her lips, still feeling the imprint of his mouth. “Oh.”

Mark smiled. “Oh, indeed. That was crazy.”

Her cheeks heated
. Great. I’m bright red and flustered
. “I didn’t mean to.”

Mark took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. “Some things can’t be avoided. This moment was always going to happen. I’ve dreamed of kissing you since we met.”

“Me, too,” Alice admitted, her heart racing. The urge to feel the touch of his lips had been so strong she couldn’t resist. If he hadn’t stopped, they would be on the sofa right now, with considerably less clothing. She breathed in deeply through her mouth. This was the last chance to brush off her actions as an aberration. To put things back onto a casual setting, to back away before she got in too deep. But was she a woman or a mouse?

Being with someone new was like swimming. It started with dipping toes into the pool, flirting as attraction grew. Swimming in the shallows was refreshing, but held no danger. With one kiss, they’d advanced into water so deep she was in danger of drowning.

His thumb rubbed her palm.

In deep water, you could dive. Immerse totally in sensation, and luxuriate in the sensation of being one with the elements.

Water wings off
. “I want to kiss you again.”

Mark’s eyes were dark as he took a step back. “Hold that thought.” A deep dimple creased his cheek as he smiled. “Let’s go eat.”