Stirred Up Page 3

  Defeated, she leaned her forehead against the steering wheel and groaned.

  “Everything all right?”

  Cheryl jumped in her seat and straightened up to find Jason looking at her through the open window.

  “No, everything is definitely not all right.”

  Swinging the car door open she got out and stood next to him, feeling sweaty and disheveled from the sweltering car and her rising frustration. Her sleeveless pink blouse stuck to her body and she could feel her makeup, light as it was, melting off her face.

  “She just won’t start, and usually she’s really reliable.”

  “She? What’s her name?” He asked, smiling at her.

  “Her name is Candy, thank you for asking.” She blew at the flyaway strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail and landed in her eyes. “I suppose I’d better call a tow.”

  “Want me to take a look?” he asked, moving around to the hood.

  “Sure, knock yourself out,” she said, ducking into the car to release the hood.

  She stood beside him as he peered down into Candy’s nether regions.

  “It looks like it’s the timing belt. Which isn’t great, but it’s also not the end of the world. There’s a decent garage a few blocks away. I actually have their number in my cell. Why don’t you give them a call and have them tow the car there, and I’ll give you a lift home.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” she said, trying to sound reasonable, even as her gaze strayed to his motorcycle and her heartbeat kicked into overdrive.

  “Unless that would make you nervous,” he continued, having noticed her glance at his bike. “I know they’re not for everyone, but I promise I’ll get you home safe.”

  This was basically the fantasy she’d been entertaining ever since seeing him ride off on Friday. But that didn’t mean she had to treat it like that. It certainly wasn’t going to end like her fantasy did, with him taking her to a field of daisies – not that such a thing existed in Nevada – and having his way with her.

  If only she didn’t react so strongly to him. She gave lap dances to strangers without feeling anything, and yet she got all stupid over the idea of a ride home with this man.

  “That would be great,” she said.

  Jason handed her his phone and she made the call.

  “It’ll be about twenty minutes,” she told him, handing him the phone back. “Maybe we should wait inside.”

  Cheryl walked with him to the front doors and together they banged and called out, but no one heard them. There were surely still teachers and students inside, but after three o’clock the doors were locked and you could only leave the building. No one was allowed to re-enter.

  Turning around they both looked out at the baking parking lot, then at each other. The temperature hovered somewhere in the mid-nineties, with only the portico as shelter from the heat. It kept the sun off but didn’t do much to cool them.

  “You really don’t have to wait here with me,” Cheryl said. “I can get the tow guy to bring me home, or call a cab. There’s no reason for you to suffer, too.”

  “Who says I’m suffering?” Jason replied, raising an eyebrow at her. “Anyway, I said I’d drive you home, and I will. The truck’ll be here soon.”

  “If you’re sure,” she said, secretly glad he wasn’t leaving.

  She retrieved her bag along with a bottle of water and came back to sit next to Jason. He declined her offer of a drink but she took a long pull of the warm water and immediately felt better. Somehow he managed to look perfectly cool and collected, the barest sheen of sweat gilding the smooth gold skin of his arms and cheekbones. With a sigh of what sounded like contentment, he sat back on his elbows so that he was stretched out, his hard, athletic body on full display.

  Cheryl took another deep drink of water, but she was still getting hotter by the second. Desperate, she dumped the rest over her head.

  Her relief was short-lived, however. Opening her eyes, she looked down at her top. It had been light and thin to begin with. Now it was transparent, the little red hearts on her bra showing clearly through the pale pink fabric.

  She cringed, mortified beyond belief.

  “Did you really just do that?” he asked, sounding dazed.

  She crossed her arms over her chest in an effort to hide the goods. Jason’s eyes had drifted down and were now on her breasts, or what he could see of them, anyway. Apparently it was enough. His throat worked and when he finally looked back at her, his eyes blazed.

  This was not the easygoing, mellow Jason Shaw she knew. His whole body had tensed and when he looked at her, the lust in his eyes stopped her breath.

  This was exactly what she’d been afraid of when she first saw him. He was going to hit on her, or say something inappropriate, and she’d have to turn him down or remind him of their working relationship. Even a nice guy like Jason was still just a guy.

  He stood up and knocked on the door a couple more times, then came back over and sat down.

  He shrugged. “It was worth a try.” Then he looked at her, his expression once again good-humored. “I hope that’s all the excitement you have planned for today.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s it,” she said, sagging back against a pillar with relief.

  She could tell he was making a heroic effort not to look at her breasts, but the tension was gone now and there was no chance he was going to make a move on her. Of course, there was still the motorcycle ride to contend with.

  The tow truck showed up about twenty minutes later. Cheryl gave the driver her information and was told the garage would call her sometime the next day with a report. She and Jason stood several yards apart and watched as her little car was loaded onto the truck bed and driven away. Once again they were alone in the parking lot, but at least her top had dried quickly and she was no longer a one-woman wet tee-shirt contest.

  “Have you ever been on a motorcycle before?” he asked.

  “Yes. It’s been a little while, but it’s not complicated.”

  That was a lie. Getting on a motorcycle with him felt plenty complicated, but her place was only a fifteen-minute drive from here. Surely she could survive that.

  She gave him her address and he handed her his helmet before climbing on the bike, and goddamn if he didn’t look good enough to eat. Taking a deep breath, she slung her bag over her shoulder and got on behind him. Her skirt rode up to her thighs and she tried to tug it down, but there was no help for it.

  “All set?” he asked, turning towards her.

  She nodded her head, giving him a dorky thumbs up before wrapping her arms around his waist.

  Gunning the bike he pulled out of the lot and headed north. Unfortunately the traffic was stop and go, not the ideal conditions to enjoy a motorcycle ride, or the wind in her hair for that matter. Not that this was supposed to be a joy ride. It was strictly a mode of transportation.

  Even so, she couldn’t help how good it felt leaning into him, her body so tight against his she felt every muscle as he moved. The faint scent of soap at the nape of his neck mixed with the light musk of clean sweat until she felt almost woozy with sensory overload.

  “I bet this thing is fantastic when you really get going,” she ventured when they were stopped at a light.

  “Hell, yes, it’s fantastic. You want to give it a go, or do you need to get home?”

  He was looking at her over his shoulder, so she could have been mistaken, but she thought she saw a gleam in his eye.

  “I have time,” she said, and watched a satisfied smile curl his mouth.

  As soon as the light changed he took a left-hand turn away from her place and got on 93. They headed east, crossing into Arizona before turning south, following the highway through the Mount Wilson wilderness area. They rode along the mountain’s ridge without speaking, and Cheryl drank in the cool air as they passed into the higher elevation and the shade of the evergreen trees.

  They’d been riding perhaps forty-five minutes when Jason pull
ed off onto the side of the road. Dismounting, they peered down at the valley on the other side.

  “Water?” he asked, pulling a Nalgene bottle from his saddle bag. “It’s warm but it’ll do the job.”

  “Yes, thanks,” she said, taking a long swig before passing it back to him. “This is beautiful,” she said. “I’ve never been out this way before.”

  “Kind of incredible it’s so close to us, isn’t it? I camp out here a lot. Here and Red Rock Canyon. This is where I come to hike, but I go to Red Rock for the rock climbing.”

  “Really? You rock climb? As in hanging off of cliffs?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not always hanging off a cliff. When it’s too hot I go to an indoor climbing wall. But soon it’ll be cool enough to get back out there.”

  “Huh. I’m not exactly an outdoor kind of girl, but I’ve always kind of wanted to try that.”

  “Really?” he asked, looking both pleased and surprised.

  She was sort of lying, since she’d only been thinking about it for the last few seconds. But she was going to need something to replace the adrenaline rush she got from stripping, and rock climbing seemed like a good bet.

  “Sure, why not?” she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

  “You should come to the climbing wall with me and see how you like it.”

  “Would I need special equipment?”

  “You can wear your regular sneakers, at least to begin with, and I have everything else you’d need.”

  “You don’t think I’m too small to do it? Also I’m not all that strong, so I couldn’t haul myself up.”

  “You don’t need to be a body builder. In fact, it’s more important to be limber and have supple muscles. You look like you’re all set in that department.”

  He said it matter-of-factly, but when she looked at him he glanced away.

  “That would be great,” she said, unnerved by the turn things had taken in the last hour.

  It seemed Jason was at least a little bit affected by her, and she wasn’t exactly unaffected by him, either. He looked pretty magnificent standing by his bike, the wind ruffling his hair. As natural out here as he was in the classroom. She liked the view a little too much, which was why she suggested they probably ought to head back.

  Once again warmth radiated through her as she got on behind him, and this time she couldn’t blame it on the scorching day. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to spend time outside of work with him, but surely if she was careful and spaced their time together so it wasn’t too frequent, no harm would come of it? She liked being with him. He was easy to talk to and didn’t seem to have any expectations, and it couldn’t hurt to have a more comfortable working relationship with him.

  Her thoughts ran on this way as they rode out of the mountains, the air heating as they descended. After what seemed no more than a few minutes they were back in the outskirts of Henderson. Disappointment washed over her as he pulled up to her apartment building, and she realized she didn’t want to leave his company.

  Were they becoming friends? Did she even believe that was possible between men and women, especially when there was at least some level of attraction?

  “Thanks for everything,” she said, dismounting and handing him the helmet. “You really rescued a shitty afternoon.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  “If you say so,” she quipped.

  “I should probably come by tomorrow morning, right?”

  “I hadn’t even thought that far ahead. I guess I will need a ride, but you don’t –”

  “Forget all that. How does six-thirty sound?”

  “That would be great,” she said, surrendering to fate.

  “My bike okay, or should I bring the car?

  “Bring the bike,” she said, then turned around and headed for the stairs before he saw too much.

  Chapter Three

  Jason parked his jeep in the lot outside Cheryl’s building and looked at his watch. He’d told her he’d pick her up Saturday at one o’clock, and he was a few minutes early. He wasn’t sure whether he should wait in his car or go to the door, and then decided he was over-thinking it and headed up the outside staircase to her apartment.

  His breathing was fast and light, and it wasn’t from the one flight of stairs. He was nervous, which was ridiculous. They were just going climbing at the gym, for God’s sake. Why was he feeling like a teenager on a first date?

  Maybe because he was as horny as one.

  He was doing his damnedest to banish all lustful thoughts and think of Cheryl as a friend, but with little success. That is, he felt very friendly towards her, and he liked her a lot, but it didn’t end there. He’d been attracted to her from the beginning, and the more time he spent with her the worse it got.

  And if that wasn’t bad enough, the woman had dumped a bottle of water over her head, giving him a front row seat at his very own wet tee-shirt contest. Then he’d taken her on his bike. Twice.

  The second time she’d been waiting for him in the parking lot and had hopped right on, like she’d done it a hundred times. She’d even worn pants and a long-sleeved shirt, like she knew it wasn’t safe to ride a motorcycle with bare skin showing. He should have said something when he dropped her off the previous night, but he’d been too dazed by the feel of her behind him, and the sight of her smooth, muscular thighs every time he glanced down.

  He was normally a pretty laid-back guy, and it wasn’t in his make-up to get overwrought about women, but a man would have to be blind or dead not to be attracted to her. Still, he was mentoring her this semester, and under no circumstances would he jeopardize his position or make her uncomfortable by letting on how he felt.

  He could hear music playing, and he was pretty sure it drowned out his knock and the doorbell. He tried a few more times before calling her on her phone. No answer. He stood there a few seconds, wondering if he should go back to his car and wait, but that seemed ridiculous.

  “Fuck it,” he said, a little frustrated, not to mention hot standing in the scorching sun.

  Trying the knob he discovered it was unlocked. He pushed it open, calling Cheryl’s name as he stepped inside. But she must not have heard him, because she continued dancing around her living room in her tiny blue gym shorts and pink workout tank.

  Technically, she may have been cleaning, since she was straightening pillows on the sofa as she swung her hips from side to side and twisted down to the floor with the sexy groove.

  Instantly, his cock was iron hard, a fact he would have a hard time hiding in his gym shorts. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d sprung a woody at such an inappropriate time. This was crazy. But then so was his lust for her.

  He was about to turn around and leave, wait outside until he’d calmed down and start all over again. But before he could do more than turn toward the door she spun around, stopping suddenly when she caught sight of him. Her mouth fell open in surprise and her arms fell to her sides.

  She stood there for a couple of horrified seconds before running to her iPod dock and turning it off. When she turned back to him her eyes dropped to his crotch, where the hard-on of a lifetime was straining his navy gym shorts.

  “Um…”

  She stood there, biting her lip and looking nervous, clearly wondering what he was going to do.

  He had a few choices. He could be frustrated and crabby, he could make a move, or he could get over himself and not make a big thing about it. As appealing as the first two options were, there was really only one reasonable choice.

  “Sorry, I rang and knocked. I even called but I guess you didn’t hear me. You almost ready to go?”

  “Yes, hang on just a minute,” she replied, looking relieved, like maybe she’d been worried he was about to make a move on her.

  Hurrying out of the room, she came back a couple minutes later wearing sneakers and carrying a gym bag. They left her apartment without saying anything else and she followed him to his car. He unlocked her side first and open
ed the door, noting her look of surprise. Maybe it wasn’t a date, but he’d been brought up to open a woman’s door first.

  The gym he belonged to was about twenty minutes from her place. At first their conversation was awkward, but after a few minutes they settled into casual chitchat. His erection had subsided, though just sitting next to her when she was dressed in those little shorts meant the threat of another one wasn’t far off.

  They reached the gym and he grabbed his duffel bag and led the way inside. At the front desk he checked in for the short belaying demo and pulled out twelve dollars for her day pass.

  “Wait, what are you doing?” she protested. “You’re not paying for me.”

  “This was my idea and I invited you. Of course I’m paying,” he replied, handing the money over.

  She was still frowning when they walked away, but her expression changed to one of trepidation when they reached the climbing wall.

  “Um, I don’t know about this,” she said, looking up at the thirty-five foot high expanse covered with thousands of tagged hand and foot holds.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll only do what you’re comfortable with. If that means you only get two feet off the ground, no problem. This is supposed to be fun.”

  “You two ready?” Andy, the climbing instructor, asked, coming over to them.

  Jason couldn’t help smiling when Cheryl squared her shoulders, her eyes narrowing in determination.

  “I’m ready.”

  ***

  “I did it!” Cheryl yelled, grinning from ear to ear.

  She was clutching the uppermost handholds of the climbing wall’s beginner route thirty feet off the ground. Her muscles trembled and sweat dripped down her forehead, but she felt amazing. Craning her head she looked down to see Jason smiling hugely at her.

  “That was fantastic. How do you feel?” he called up.

  “Great, but I’d better come down before all my muscles give out.”

  “Come on down then. I’ve got you.”

  And he did, literally. Her harness was attached to a rope that ran through a pulley set into the wall, with Jason hooked up at the other end of it. On her way up he’d kept tension in the rope so that if she slipped, she wouldn’t go anywhere.