The Sherbrookes of Newport Box Set 3

Allison saved him from having to speak first. “Thanks again for agreeing to come Sunday. If I’d known Charles would be at the fundraiser, I never would’ve said we’re dating. He doesn’t seem to get the message. I thought maybe telling him I had a boyfriend would help.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Still, I owe you one.” She stopped under one of the parking lot lights. “This is me.” She pointed over her shoulder. “If you have trouble finding my house or change your mind, call me.” She’d given him her cell number and address before they walked outside. Both were now stored in his smartphone.

Rock looked at the car behind her. One side of its front end was slightly higher than the other. “You’ve got a flat.”

“What? Again?”

Allison turned, giving him the opportunity to once again appreciate the view she provided. Seated inside the restaurant, he’d been denied seeing the sexy legs her skirt revealed. Outside under the light with her back to him, however, he could admire all he wanted. Her legs weren’t the only things he admired. His palms itched to reach out and cup her shapely ass.

“I had a flat tire last week too.” She dropped her shoulder bag on the hood and searched inside. “I’ll call the auto club and have them come change it.”

He’d have it changed and she’d be home before the club got anyone there. “Don’t bother. I got it. Pop the trunk.”

She pulled her phone out and looked at him. “You’ll get your clothes dirty. It won’t take them that long to get here, and you don’t have to stay. I promise to sit in the car with the doors locked and wait.”

“Allison, pop the trunk. I’m not leaving ya here to wait.” He’d only heard everyone address her by her full name, yet in his head it didn’t fit. She struck him more as an Ally. When she didn’t comply right away, he took the key remote from her hand and unlocked the trunk himself. “It’ll only take me a few minutes.”

A gentle mist started up and sprayed his face as he put the spare tire on the ground near the flat one. The weather forecast predicted light showers through most of the night and ending sometime after midnight. He had no complaints with that. He’d never been a big fan of running in the rain, and he planned to meet his buddy Brayden for a run at five o’clock in the morning. Walking past the driver side door on his way back to the trunk, he pulled it open. “Why don’t ya sit inside so ya don’t get wet?”

“It’s just mist. I’m fine.”

Rock grabbed the car jack and walked past her again. If she wanted to stand outside and get wet, that was her business. Sliding the jack under the car, he raised it. The click of heels walking across pavement had him glancing in Allison’s direction for a brief second before he refocused on his task.

Mannaggia, that woman shouldn’t go out without her legs covered. They could stop a man dead in his tracks and make him beg for a minute or two of her time.

Once he had the car high enough, he grabbed the cross wrench on the ground and attacked the nuts on the tire. The sooner he finished, the sooner he got them both out of here.

“You make it look easy.” She bent down and looked over his shoulder, her breath warming the back of his neck and her subtle perfume teasing him.

“It is. My sister could’ve handled this.” He, along with his older brothers and dad, had made sure their baby sister knew how to take care of herself, and that had included minor repairs to her car.

Once he loosened all the nuts, he cranked the jack up more so the tire lifted off the ground, and then he pulled off the flat. “Looks like you drove over a nail.” He pointed to the nail head embedded in the rubber tread.

“I did something similar last week, but the mechanic only found the hole.”

Her breath on his neck reminded him just how close she remained. The memory of the last dream he’d had that she starred in resurfaced, and he forced the memory of the night his mutt Baxter got sprayed by a skunk up instead. If anything could kill a guy’s growing erection, it was the smell of a skunk, or in this case the memory of the odor.

Grabbing the spare tire, he mounted it on the car and worked as fast as possible to get it secured in place. He needed to get away from Allison and her sexy legs. “Good to go.” He carried the flat tire and jack back to the trunk.

“You were right.” Allison stood leaning against the driver side door and watching him. “If I’d called the auto club, I’d still be waiting. Last week, it took them an hour to get to me. Looks like I owe you two favors now.”

Man, he knew just how he’d like to collect those favors too. Too bad those weren’t the type of favors she had in mind.