Courting Trouble (The Texas Two-Step Series, Book 3) (10 page)

She was almost too miserable to identify the sound when she heard Alec laugh.

It was so startling, and so unexpected, that she looked at him without intending to do so. Had he not taken her seriously? She guessed not, since he continued to laugh and now slapped his hand on the table.

When was the idiot going to stop the chortling? Everyone in the bar had turned to stare at him. At them. If there was one thing she really hated, it was being a spectacle, and Alec was making her one.

"Alec, shut up."

"So, why didn't you want to fly to Dallas?"

He thought she'd been joking. What an "A" number one idiot he was. "Stop it, Alec, or I swear I'm going to slug you."

"Why don't you magnetize me, instead? Surely that's a more dire threat?"

"It was an accident! But if you're not careful, and you make me really angry—"

"I know, I know. You'll make forks attack me."

"Alec, I'm trying to be serious here."

"Electromagnetically impaired? You call this cockamamie story serious? I've heard some good ones before but this takes the cake, Diedra. No one is a jinx. And if you really think you are, it's a self-fulfilling prophesy. Anytime anything goes wrong, you're the first to take the blame. If anyone should be mad, I should be that you'd think I'd buy into it."

"I should have known better." Diedra stood but Alec took hold of her arm and gently pressed her back into the chair. For the first time, she allowed him to look her directly in the eye and that seemed to calm him further.

"You're serious?"

She raised both brows.

"And you don't want to fly home because—oh, hell. The engine? You truly believe you did that to the engine?"

Diedra bit her lip as the full implications of what she'd told him hit home. He stared off for a minute and looked back at her with amazement.

"Whenever anything goes wrong, you're responsible? It couldn't possibly be coincidence? You're taking this bad-luck thing way too far, Diedra."

"I've flown before without a problem, but since I've come home, my problem seems to be getting worse. I should have realized I might endanger other people, but I didn't think." It was everything she could do to keep a tear from leaking out of her watery eyes. She hadn't thought. Had that always been her real problem? She should have thought before she'd gotten on that plane.

She'd been fortunate, though. The pilot had been skilled and landed them all safely. But she wouldn't make that mistake again. "So, do you believe me?"

She felt every muscle in her body clench, waiting for his answer. Waiting for his reaction.

"I'll grant that you're accident prone." He nodded. "I believe you think you're a jinx."

"Then you understand why I can't risk another flight. I'll go see if I can find a rental car. If you fly back, then maybe you'll have found Meagan by the time I get in."

"You're not going anywhere without me. Good heavens, Diedra, you're a walking catastrophe. You need me there just in case."

Great, now he wanted to protect her. That was better than being labeled a loony, but it wasn't much better. "I've been able to take care of things by myself all these years, Alexander Charles, and I sure as tootin' don't need you to butt in now."

"We'll argue about this on the way home, Diedra. Let me call the office to see if they've heard anything and to put a tail on Jeff and check for Meagan. With any luck, we can have a leisurely lunch in the French Quarter because Meagan is safe at home."

She decided she'd said enough for now. She'd been behaving like a beast. Of course Alec was worried about Jeff, as he should be.

But it was time to count her blessings, and she had a lot to be grateful for. The plane hadn't crashed, they now knew Jeff was on his way back to Dallas and Alec hadn't cut all ties with her. Sure, he probably thought she was a raving lunatic, but at least he was still here, ready to help if she needed it.

A short time later, Diedra found her way to the rental car company while Alec made some calls to juggle his schedule. Once she got the car, they agreed she would pick him up outside the baggage area.

She was really glad Alec hadn't been around to see her trip on the down escalator, even though she managed to catch the side rail and avoid any damage other than to her dignity.

"I'd like to rent a car," she told the woman behind the rental desk. "Preferably something large and with rubber bumpers."

"The only thing we have left is a compact. Is that okay?"

"Can you check again for something larger? I don't mind paying more." She was worried about fender benders, but she also had an image of Alec having to bend double to fit into the vehicle. "My friend is tall and I'm not sure if he can fit."

"There's a dental convention in town and I'm surprised we have anything at all, but this one's an early return." The woman checked through her records and shook her head. "We're not expecting anything else. This one's a convertible, if that helps?"

Diedra noted that a man who'd been standing at an adjacent rental company's counter had now moved behind her in line. So rental cars really were in short supply. And putting the roof down would help for Alec. Diedra nodded her approval and handed over her credit card. After signing the appropriate forms, and making sure to take out the optional insurance rider, she rode the bus over to pick up the car.

Having found the car without any problems, she struggled to put the roof down and then drove to meet Alec.

He waited at the curb, looking as neat and trim as ever. How did he manage it? Glancing at her wrinkled shirt, she hoped he wouldn't notice. She climbed out so Alec could drive, hoping that would make car problems less likely.

"What is this, a tin can?" he asked.

"It was the best they had and we were lucky to get it. There's some convention in town. Besides, the convertible makes it fun."

"Fun, humph. I takes my drivin' seriously," replied Alec with a falsely deep voice.

Diedra giggled and he grinned back.

"Did you find Meagan?"

Alec shook his head. "No one's seen her. Better get going."

Within minutes, they were on the highway, heading back for Dallas. The drive usually took about eight hours, but Alec had a lead foot and she guessed they'd make it in six. Despite their speed, Alec was a good driver and she felt comfortable relaxing and letting him take over. Wind whipped their hair, hopelessly ruffling his carefully combed style. Even his tie flapped and Alec discarded it and opened the top two buttons of his shirt.

He looked even sexier this way, especially when he smiled at her. For the first time, she noticed he had a dimple. It was small. But it was a dimple.

Had he smiled so rarely that she'd only just seen it? Jade eyes twinkling with good humor, he slowly winked at her, reminding her of the kiss they'd shared only the night before.

If it had been up to her, the kiss would never have stopped. It was dumb, stupid, but there it was. Ever since she'd met Alec, no other man had stood a chance. In some ways it was reassuring that reality more than lived up to her fantasies. Yet it wasn't a good idea for her to sample any more of the banquet at which she could never dine. This was rough enough on her already.

Mentally shaking herself for her wayward thoughts, she told herself to stop dwelling on how sexy he was and focus instead on the serious business of driving home. Otherwise, she'd just drive herself more nuts than she already was.

As they merged from one highway to another, she indulged herself in mild disappointment they hadn't been able to at least drive through the French Quarter before leaving.

There wasn't much to see on this road, one highway looked so much like another. Diedra faced Alec. "Want me to turn on the radio?"

"Sure."

She leaned forward and snapped it on. The antenna raised itself from where it had been hidden in the car's frame. She pressed the seek button until they agreed on a station.

If she weren't worried about her sister, she could almost enjoy herself. The wind was exhilarating, the company was good and the music was fun.

"Had your office heard from Jeff?"

Alec shook his head. "I can't believe he's acting like such a jerk. I'm doing everything I can to find him."

"Well, I hope we'll find Meagan now. I called my house, too, and left a message on the recorder. I can't think where to look for her. She's never disappeared like this."

"Don't worry. We'll find her." He gave her a reassuring smile. He seemed so sure of himself, it made her more certain as well.

Unexpectedly, a large raindrop landed on the tip of her nose, followed by another. At first just a few splashes dashed down, not unusual for humid Louisiana. But suddenly the sky lashed out with a torrential downpour.

"Yikes!" Without much hope of deflecting the sheets of water, Diedra threw her arms over her head.

Alec snapped on the windshield wipers—or tried to. Diedra knew better than to be surprised when nothing happened. It was kismet, karma, fate, just her darn luck! She watched his frustration mount as he flicked the knob back and forth without result.

Next he flipped the switch to raise the convertible top. It stopped half-way up. Of course.

"I know what you're thinking, Diedra, and stop it. You aren't responsible. Rental cars have problems like this all the time. I should have checked it before we left the airport."

She didn't care what he said. She was certain he wouldn't be having any problems with the car if she weren't here,. It probably wouldn't even be raining, either.

Where only moments earlier they had been comfortable with the top down, now Diedra shivered.

"I can hardly see the road for all this rain. I'd like to pull over, but there's no shoulder." His jaw clenched as he let up on the accelerator. "Watch for a safe place, okay?"

They were now moving far below the speed of the traffic, and she worried they might be rear-ended. "Maybe you should put the flashers on?"

"Good idea." He pushed the button. This one worked. "Don't worry. We'll be fine."

She breathed a relieved sigh. Now if only they could find a good place to pull off. She tried to watch the road ahead, straining against the heavy rain. It was coming down in sheets, making it nearly impossible to see. But a flash of light caught her eyes.

"Look, Alec." Diedra pointed at a barely visible road sign. "There's a picnic area just ahead."

"Good." He took the exit. As he got out of the car, she noted the rest area was nearly deserted except for a long eighteen-wheeler parked nearby.

Diedra climbed into the back seat to help him manually pull the roof up. She scrambled into the front, reached up to click the roof into place and rolled up the windows.

"I can't believe this mess." Alec got back in and slammed the door. They were soaked to the skin. Raindrops dripped from his nose.

It was hard not to giggle. Oh, what was the point stifling it? "You look like a wet goose."

"You don't look any drier yourself." Alec freed his shirt from his slacks and tried to wring out his shirttail. The car was so cramped the moisture just trickled onto his legs and seeped into the seat. "It looks like we'll be here a while. You don't care if I take my shirt off, do you?"

The windows were so steamed up it would take x-ray vision for anyone to see inside their car.

"Feel free to take it off." She'd noticed how the rain had made his shirt nearly transparent and she had to admit to a little curiosity about his chest. She knew he was well-muscled but she hadn't known how his bare chest would affect her. Until now. Wow.

Broad shoulders, a light sprinkling of chest hair over solid planes, tapering down to his... pants. Diedra gulped.

She halfway expected all four car tires to blow out at once.

He reached out his hand to brush hers and their eyes met. She couldn't break away from his gaze, didn't want to break away. Those tingles she'd experienced before were amplified about tenfold, and she became increasingly aware of his masculinity. Flashing heat coursed through her veins, crying out for the touch and taste of him.

Then she did something she'd never thought she'd do. She reached right over and grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled him down for a kiss. And boy, what a kiss.

She'd been cold, but at the first touch of his lips, wisps of smoke filtered through her limbs. Hot, woody smoke, like from a campfire on a frigid night.

Diedra trembled, this time not from cold. It was desire. It swept through her limbs, delicious lethargy and need rolled into one. Denial hadn't worked. She wanted Alec. Why shouldn't she have him?

This way, when he went on his way, she'd have something she'd only ever dreamed of to remember him by. She'd have this time with him. The reality, not the fantasy.

Based on the steam rising on the car windows, it would be one heck of a reality to remember. Diedra ran her palm down Alec's solid torso and he moaned, but in another moment he pulled back.

She couldn't bear him being so far way. "Kiss me, Alec. You make me warm all over."

"I can turn on the heater."