"And where are you going?"
"North." He held out his hand, and she put the last nut and bolt in it.
Damn. She was heading the other way, back to Baltimore. She wouldn't mind taking a detour for him, though. He was way too interesting to just let him buzz out of her life as quickly as he came in.
Now that she was standing, she could see his motorcycle, a dozen or so feet behind Baby. Some exotic model-it was probably worth twice her car's value, maybe more. Her heart sped up at the mere thought of the kind of speed that machine could muster. Maybe she could get him to take her for a spin. She loved motorcycles. Not as much as her Baby, but she didn't love anything as much as her Baby.
He tightened the last lug by hand before lowering the jack.
"That's a pretty hot bike. Think you could take me for a ride?" she asked.
He raked her with his gaze, still spinning the jack to lower it. "Tempting. But no."
"Going to be late?" she prompted.
"Late." He seemed to find the word amusing. "Yeah, something like that."
He slid the jack out. Harper hauled the wheel back to the trunk and heaved it in, sad scraps of rubber dangling from the wheel. Scowling, she stuck the jack in after it. She wasn't used to getting shot down, not by a man who was so clearly attracted to her.
She leaned against the car again as he used the lug wrench to give each nut a final tightening, then slapped the hubcap on.
Dammit. She knew that she interested him, and he sure as hell interested her. Why was he giving her the brush-off?
"I could drive along with you. You could get to where you were going, then maybe we could hang out," she said.
He grunted as he stood, the wrench dangling from his hand. He flashed his white teeth at her. "You won't be able to do that." He turned away and walked to the back of her car.
"Why not?" Harper pushed off the side of the Skylark and trailed after him, bristling at his easy assurance.
He tossed the wrench into the trunk and closed it, continuing up the left side of the car. Standing near the driver's door, he turned to her, treating her to the full effect of his smile.
"Because, Harper, I'm taking your car."