Free Talk Nerdy to Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson Page B

Eve, let the man do what he does best," Eunice said.
"Rick and I can drink wine in the kitchen until you two come back."
    Eve
could see how this had played right into Eunice's hands. No telling what would
happen in the kitchen if Eve and Charlie left Eunice alone with Rick and two
bottles of wine. But one glance at Charlie's eager expression convinced Eve
that she had to go along with the repair option. Rejecting Charlie's skills
would be the same as rejecting him, and she wasn't about to do that.
    "Okay,
follow me," she said. "I'll drop these off in my bedroom on the
way." She started down the hall.
    "We'll
be in the kitchen if you need us," Eunice called after her.
    "Start
on the pizza too if you want," Charlie said before following Eve.
"This should be quick, but just in case it isn't, go ahead and eat."
    "We
might, at that, cuz," Rick said. "It smells great. I never could
resist a piping hot pizza."
    Eve
wondered if he could resist a piping hot Eunice. If he couldn't, so much the
better, because just like that, Eve had Charlie to herself. She hadn't expected
it to be so easy. Who knew a broken washing machine could create a romantic
opportunity?
    "You
won't have to hang around once I get into it," Charlie said. "You
should grab some pizza before it gets cold."
    Apparently
he wasn't viewing this at all the way she was. She'd have to come up with a
reason to stay. "Let me dump these clothes in my bedroom and then we'll
see what the situation is. I'd like to watch and see how you do it." She
stepped into her bedroom and laid the dry cleaning on the bed.
    Then
she turned to find Charlie standing in the doorway waiting for her. Charlie in
the doorway of her bedroom was an unexpectedly arousing sight. Even without
the benefit of a leather motorcycle jacket, his shoulders were satisfyingly
broad. Add to that the appealing way his brown hair curled just a little,
sending a softening wave down over his high, intelligent-looking forehead, and
you had one hot-looking guy.
    Ever
since Monday afternoon, her hormonal reaction had been building in her system
gradually, drop by drop. Now it had reached critical, mass and she was helpless
in the face of urges that shocked her.
    She
wanted him this very minute. If he walked into the room and threw her on the
bed, they could do it on top of the dry cleaning as far as she was concerned.
She probably wouldn't even notice unless a hanger poked her in the butt.
    As
she watched him standing in the doorway, her mouth began to water. Denise was
so not getting her mitts on this guy. Eve wanted to strip off his flannel shirt
and corduroy slacks to find out if indeed he wore tighty-whities as she
suspected. Suddenly that seemed like the sexiest underwear in the world.
    He,
however, wanted to fix her washing machine. Somewhere between those two goals
they might be able to find a meeting place.
    "Mm." His murmur
of approval caught her by surprise.
    Was
it possible that he'd read her mind? If she stayed right where she was, would
he walk into the room and take her in his arms?
    When he moved in her
direction, her heartbeat changed dramatically. What a rush. She'd never been so
in tune with someone that he acted out her internal impulses. Should she go to
meet him, to let him know his instincts were right on target?
    As
she debated whether to hold out both arms in welcome, he cruised right past
her and picked up the pamphlet on her bedside table.
    "Properties
of the Custom Rotary Engine." He flipped it open to the
table of contents. "Now there's something I wish I'd had a chance to read
before tonight. Can I borrow it?"
    "Uh,
sure." Damn, he'd been after her bedside reading material, not her. So
much for being in tune. "It gives all the parameters. I skimmed it instead
of doing an in-depth study of the specs. If I'd read it cover to cover, I might
have avoided blowing up the first one."
    "We're
not going to blow up another one." Charlie started leafing through the
pamphlet and nodding. "Yeah, this is