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“I’m sorry. That’s why I’m here, actually. To apologize for wasting your time yesterday with all those cars.” He was still scowling, which reminded her that he wasn’t entirely innocent in this scenario. “Even though you were the one who kissed me like an animal in your office.” She glanced over to the door that might lead back to that den of delicious sin.

  He immediately stopped scowling and looked contrite. “I’m sorry. I would’ve called you last night to apologize, but I didn’t have your number. I thought you were someone else, but that’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have just—”

  “You’re forgiven.”

  “Did you tell your dad?”

  “Why would I tell my dad?”

  He nodded once. “Thank you.”

  He turned back to the engine he’d been working on. His hands were large and strong and covered in grease. His navy blue work shirt pulled tightly across a broad back and shoulders. How could she ever expect a man like that to give her a second look? He was one-hundred-percent hottie. And she was…not. Her fleeting confidence took a dive.

  She turned to go.

  “You still want the Tesla?” he asked.

  She turned back. “No, that’s okay. I’ve got my Prius.”

  “Then what’d you come here for in the first place?” he asked in a rather hostile tone. Like he wished she’d never walked in, so he wouldn’t have mistakenly kissed her.

  “I thought I’d take a look around,” she huffed. “See if you had anything interesting.”

  “Yes, but you already knew you wanted the Tesla.”

  “I needed to get my dad off my back with an actual visit. He doesn’t take no for an answer, as I’m sure you know.”

  He wiped his hands on a rag. “Yeah, I know.”

  “Anyway, I’m very sorry I wasted your time.”

  “That’s all right. No harm done.”

  A surge of hope went through her. Slutty vixen, slutty vixen. “I heard my dad hired you to restore my grandfather’s Mustang.”

  “Yup. I’m heading out there next weekend to pick it up.”

  “You want company?”

  He raised a brow. “You want to drive to California with me?”

  “With a brief stop in Vegas.”

  “Why?”

  She shrugged, not quite ready to ask for a sex tutorial at this point in their relationship. And she definitely didn’t want to get into the reason for Vegas.

  “Freedom,” she said simply. “Adventure.” At his doubtful expression, she added, “I could really use a break between law school and being chained to a desk for the rest of my life.”

  “It’s a work trip.”

  She flashed a brilliant smile, hoping it came across as flirtatious and encouraging. “Slash vacation.”

  “Why are you smiling like that?” His brows scrunched together. “I don’t take vacations.”

  “Then you’re overdue.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve got work to do.”

  She stopped smiling as he turned and went back to the car he’d been working on. And then it hit her that this was never going to work. He’d kissed her by mistake. He wasn’t interested in her. She had nothing he wanted.

  Or did she?

  “Did you know the Mustang hasn’t been driven since nineteen sixty-nine?” she called.

  That got his attention. He crossed to her side, took her hand in his firm grip, and walked her out into the bright sunshine.

  He stopped and leaned close, making her heart thump hard. “Tell me everything you know about that car.”

  It was so exciting to have him so close, she could barely focus on what she was saying. “I inherited my grandfather’s old place in California. That’s why I want to go out there, go through the stuff, pick out the family heirlooms. My mom didn’t want any of it, so it’s all mine.”

  “Lily, the car,” he said.

  She grinned and whispered dramatically, “Barn find.” She watched the car shows with her dad sometimes when she was home on break. She knew the old untouched classic car left in someone’s garage or barn was like the holy grail for car aficionados.

  His deep brown eyes bored into hers. “What do you know? Your dad just said it was a sixty-nine.”

  She went hot all over. Except he looked so serious, she suddenly realized he meant the car. Shut up, dirty mind. She’d never done that number, but she’d imagined it quite vividly.

  “My mom said my grandfather got it from a neighbor,” she said. “Some kind of limited edition deal, but the brakes didn’t work when the other guy drove it to his daughter’s wedding, so he put it in the garage and never drove it again. My grandfather intended to fix it, but he never got around to it.”

  “Whoa.” Nico shoved a hand in his hair and staggered back. Wow. He seemed pretty excited. Almost as much as Lily was at the idea of a road trip with him. “Your dad never mentioned any of this.”

  “He doesn’t talk to my mom. I do.” Her dad barely spoke to his own daughter, either, but that was more family crap than Nico needed to know.

  “How many miles on it? Is it…is it…a Ford Mustang Boss four twenty-nine?”

  She shrugged. “We’ll find out, right?”

  “Do you have any idea how much an untouched nineteen sixty-nine Ford Mustang Boss four twenty-nine could go for?”

  She shook her head.

  He shoved both hands in his hair and pulled, making the corners of his eyes lift weirdly. “Who else knows about it?”

  “Only my mom knows what I told you, but the house and all of its contents are legally mine. If you take me with you, I’ll give you the car.”

  Nico started pacing back and forth.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. He seemed agitated.

  “How much you want for it?”

  “You can have it just for the ride.” And hopefully another kind of ride. Score one for slutty vixen!

  His eyes narrowed. “Your dad wanted me to restore the car, sell it at auction, and the proceeds would go to you. Now you’re saying you’d give me the proceeds? That could be a lot of money. Why would you do that?”

  She gazed off in the distance. How could she tell him that she didn’t need the money without sounding like a spoiled untouchable heiress? More importantly, how could she tell him he was the most exciting thing to ever happen to her? It was like waking up with some to-die-for celebrity eager to take you in their arms and kiss—

  Nico waved a hand in front of her face. “Lily?”

  She turned back to him. “Yup.”

  “Why?”

  “Just think about it,” she said. “A week out there, a week back, stopping to see the sights along the way by day…” She stared at the toe of his work boot and blurted, “Staying at nice hotels at night.” She hoped she’d gotten her message across. This was brand-new territory for her. Propositioning a gorgeous man.

  “Your dad would kill me.”

  Her head snapped up to see he’d clearly read between the lines.

  “I mean destroy me,” he said. “He’s my best client.”

  “My dad would never know. I swear.”

  He studied her for a moment, his gaze drifting to her mouth before snapping back to her eyes. “Let me see if I understand this correctly. We would share a hotel room?”

  “Correct.” She really liked his sharp mind. “For two weeks.” That should be enough time for her to become a very experienced, very satisfied woman. She’d move to the city for her new job as a confident twenty-something single ready to mingle. A new Lily. A new life.

  “Why would you offer me all this?” he asked. “A car? You, if I get your meaning.”

  She bit her lip. She could never tell him she’d only been with one man. He’d think she was pathetic. She went with something that would make them both feel good. “You are smoking hot.”

  He grinned. “You tempt me, but…” He slowly shook his head like he was going to turn her down.

  She made one last-ditch effort, lowering her voice to a seductive slutty vix
en purr. “Two weeks, Nico. Then you go here, I go there. The end.” It was both a no-strings offer and a practical statement. She knew better than to get her hopes up that he’d want anything long term. He was the kind of man who could get any woman. He’d likely marry one day years in the future to a woman of equal movie-star hotness.

  He stepped closer. “Where’s there?”

  “New York City. I got a job at the Earth Defense Group.” She made a fist. “Fighting the good fight on behalf of the earth.”

  Nico stepped back and resumed pacing. She pulled an old receipt from her purse, scribbled down her number on the back, and held it out to him. “Call me once you’ve had a chance to think it over.”

  He stopped pacing, took the number, and stuffed it in his jeans pocket. “How much you want for the Mustang?”

  “I told you I’d give it to you.”

  “What’s your dad going to think about you giving me the car?”

  “He’ll never know. Just restore it and put it up for auction as planned. Only difference is you pocket the money instead of sending me a check.”

  He looked like he was thinking hard.

  “It’s my car,” she said. “I can do what I want with it.”

  He nodded once. “I’m in.”

  Her stomach dropped. Omigod, it was really happening. She gripped her hands tightly together to hide the fact that they were shaking. Come on, Lily, you can do this.

  Nico went on. “We’ll figure a good price once I see it.”

  She shook her head. No money would pass between them for this sex tutorial, err, road trip. “I told you, I don’t need the money. I’ve got a trust fund. And, by the way, just in case that gets you excited, I’ll give my standard lawyer-like disclaimer: prenup mandatory.”

  He gave her a strange look. “You always tell guys you just met they have to sign a prenup?”

  “Pretty much.”

  He cocked his head, considering her. “How’s that working out for ya?”

  She lifted her chin. “Just fine.”

  He shook his head, a small smile playing around his lips. Okay, maybe it was a little strange, and it certainly hadn’t worked in her favor, but at least she didn’t have the heartbreak down the line of finding out the whole thing was a sham.

  “No worries,” Nico said with a big smile and a wink. “Marriage is definitely not on the agenda for me.”

  That was as she’d expected. He’d never want someone like her when he could—oh! He’d kissed her cheek, which instantly yanked her from her painful thoughts. She felt all lit up inside when he kissed her, even on the cheek.

  He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ve never been propositioned with a car before.”

  Her cheeks burned, and her hands fluttered in the air. “It wasn’t a proposition.” And the car was so beside the point.

  His mouth curled in a slow, sexy smile that made her knees go weak. “Yeah, it was. And I’m extremely flattered.”

  She was speechless. Completely frozen in place and speechless.

  His voice rumbled in her ear. “That was hot.”

  Still speechless.

  His voice kept rumbling in her ear, sending shivers through her. “I only hesitated because of your dad, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Right?”

  She nodded, hoping she’d regain the power of speech soon.

  He ran a hand from her shoulder down her arm, leaving a hot tingle in his wake before squeezing her hand. “I’ll see you next Saturday.”

  She nodded again, almost dizzy with the idea of two weeks in this man’s bed. It was an embarrassment of riches to be with the incredibly gorgeous, sexy, kiss-stealing Nico after her dry spell. Still, she should get to know him a little better before they got naked. Right?

  She cleared her throat. “What’s your last name?”

  He barked out a laugh. “Marino. See you soon, Lily Spencer.” He headed back into the garage.

  She swallowed hard and summoned her inner slutty vixen. “Can’t wait!”

  Chapter Four

  Nico sat at the crowded oak dining room table in his parents’ ranch-style home for their regular Sunday night family dinner and announced, “I’m going to miss the next couple of Sunday dinners, but I’ll be back in time for Vince’s wedding.”

  Vince, his older brother by two years, immediately got to the most important point. “What about my bachelor party?”

  Vince’s dark brows shot up in question over dark brown eyes. They resembled each other—same dark hair, dark eyes, and olive skin, except Vince was a bulky, hulking man, taller and broader. He used to be a star football player, now in construction. Nico had gotten lucky in the gene pool, a combination of his parents’ looks that made him, the middle son, a happy medium between hulking man (Vince) and shrimpy sweet-faced man (his younger brother, Angel).

  “Maybe,” Nico said. He didn’t want to cut the trip short. He only had Lily in his bed for two weeks. He figured a week there, a week back. More like thirteen days with the rehearsal dinner that he really needed to be at the night before the wedding. He was one of five best men. Vince had asked all of his brothers, two biological (the Marinos), three step (the Reynolds), to act as best men. The Marinos were all dark-haired, dark-eyed Italians, the Reynolds all fair-skinned, light brown to dirty blond hair, and blue eyes. Except Jared, who got green eyes from some Reynolds ancestor.

  “Maybe?” Vince boomed. “That’s the most important part. My last night of freedom!”

  “Oh, really?” his fiancée, Sophia, asked from where she sat at his side. She had long brown hair, deep brown eyes, and a gorgeous body, though Nico tried not to notice. She was an Italian beauty with a fiery temper. “That’s the most important part? What am I—”

  Her reply was cut off as Vince wrapped an arm around her, hauled her close, and kissed her a little longer than was appropriate in front of their dad, stepmom, five brothers, sister-in-law, and baby nephew.

  Vince finally let her up for air. “Sorry, sweetheart, you’re the most important part. You know that. I was just joking. I love you.”

  Sophia was staring at his mouth. “Hmph.”

  Looking pleased with her response, Vince lifted his arm off her shoulders and went back to eating the delicious manicotti. The two of them always cracked Nico up. Sophia kept Vince in line, but Vince sort of handled her too.

  “Where are you heading?” his petite blond stepmother asked. His mom had died when he was only seven, and he’d been lucky to get Allie as a stepmother a few years later. She’d taken in him and his brothers, Vince and Angel, as her own. She’d even written a picture book series featuring her sons, Gabe, Luke, and Jared as hedgehogs, and him and his brothers as porcupines. She cemented a place deep in his heart when he’d seen that. They were family from that point on.

  “I’m taking a road trip to California,” Nico said.

  “You deserve a vacation,” his stepmom said. “I can’t remember the last time you took one.”

  He sliced off a piece of manicotti. “Yeah, well, if I don’t work, I don’t make money. I still need a hundred grand more to buy out Kevin.”

  “Are you going alone?” Angel asked with some concern. His youngest brother was a couple inches shorter than him, all lean muscle. His always-rumpled dark brown hair and dimpled smile gave him the angelic look of a priest. He practically was one, devoted to one woman for years that he never touched. He’d become a social worker and was always looking out for their emotional well-being.

  Nico smiled to himself, thinking of the sexy Lily. “I’ll have company.”

  “I saw that horndog smile,” Luke said, his dark blue eyes crinkling with a horndog smile of his own. His stepbrother was sporting a neatly trimmed beard to go with his two-hundred-dollar haircut. Were those blond highlights in his hair? His usual dirty blond hair looked lighter. Damn, he was turning total city hipster. As if the expensive tailored suits weren’t enough. “Who’s the woman?”

  “Nico has a girlfriend?” his siste
r-in-law, Zoe, asked, her brown eyes lighting up. Ever since she’d married Gabe, she’d been hoping all of Gabe’s brothers would find the kind of lasting love that they had. A nice sentiment, but not all of them were meant for that. Nico had been married once. Ava had left him, pregnant with another man’s child. He’d made her get a paternity test to be sure. Never again would he let a woman in close enough to rip his heart to shreds. Marriage was out of the question.

  “Really?” Gabe asked, sounding doubtful.

  Nico speared some manicotti. “Not a girlfriend. Just someone I met.”

  “Is it the redhead?” Luke asked.

  “Ooh,” Jared chimed in, “I dig redheads.” His younger stepbrother was an orthopedic surgeon and busy working his way through the pretty nurses at the hospital. It was a practical way to meet women since Jared was nearly always working. Where else would he meet someone?

  Nico stuffed manicotti in his mouth, done talking about it. He nodded once at Luke, hoping he’d drop it.

  “The one who slapped you?” Luke asked.

  Nico scowled as all of his brothers laughed. Even his dad. The women looked at him with concern. Stupid Luke already knew both redheads had slapped him.

  He discreetly scratched his cheek with his middle finger as he looked at Luke across the table, knowing his stepmom would object to the full-on gesture. She demanded nice manners at family dinners.

  Luke grinned mischievously. “Sounds feisty.”

  Vince piped up. “The feisty ones are good in the—OW!” He turned to Sophia, who must’ve got him good under the table. At the loud exclamation from Vince, his five-month-old nephew, Miles, startled and burst into tears.

  “Now you made my godson cry,” Vince said to Sophia. He stood and walked around the table to Miles’ highchair near his parents Gabe and Zoe. “C’mere, little man. Time for a motorcycle ride.”

  He lifted the baby out, settled him on his stomach across his forearm, and did a slow turn around the dining room. Miles immediately quieted down, his wispy dark hair sticking up a little as he looked around on his tour.

  Luke gestured for Vince to continue. “Good in the what?”

  Vince jerked his chin at Luke. “Instigator.”