Extreme Danger (McClouds & Friends #5)(84)

“Bring it in for me and I’ll take a look,” he suggested. “Did you buy it here?”

She looked suddenly worried. “No, it was a used computer.”

“Aw,” he said, crestfallen. “So it, uh, won’t be covered by the warranty, then.” Damn. He totally wanted to solve her problem, save her money, be her hero. “Um, I guess you could still bring it in to me,” he suggested. “I could still take a look. Completely free of charge, of course. I’ll do it after hours.”

She looked radiantly hopeful. “Oh. You are so very kind. But if I may ask…I hope you do not think I am asking too much…”

“Ask! Anything,” he said rashly.

“Could you perhaps consider, ah, coming to my house, to see it?” Her words came out in an anxious, embarrassed little rush. “Like a consultant? I have no car, you see, and the computer is very big and heavy for me, and I have no one who will help me here—”

“Sure! Yes, absolutely!” He was practically dizzy. Her house? This was too much. Holy crapola. He was going to blow a gasket.

“I will pay you for your time, of course,” she said earnestly.

“Oh, God, no. Don’t worry about it,” he assured her. “It’s my pleasure. It’s just…uh…when?”

Her fathomless blue eyes blinked. “As soon as convenient for you?”

He swallowed, hard. “Um, how about now, then?”

Dimples suddenly appeared, and a laughing sparkle in her eyes. “Do you not have to work?” she asked gently. “I do not want you to have trouble with boss because of me.”

“Oh, not at all. My hours are sort of flex, anyhow,” he lied. “And I was already planning to leave early, so my boss will be OK with it.”

That was kinda true. Joe had given him leave to go early so he could get a good start driving down to Olympia to pick up Carrie.

Abrupt change of plan. His little sister was just going to have to understand. A chance like this rolled around about once a millennium.

“May I ask you a personal question?” he asked.

Her lips tilted at the corners. “They are the only interesting kind.”

His fingers and toes practically buzzed at the caressing tone of her voice. “Your, uh, accent,” he mumbled, blushing. “Where is it from?”

“Moldova,” she said. “I am here on a student visa.”

“Oh, I see,” he said. “I’m, uh, Josh.” He stuck out his hand.

She took it, and held it. “Nadia,” she offered him the name as if it were a jewel lying on a little velvet pillow.

Nadia. Wow. It dazzled him. He mouthed the name. Shivers of delight went up his spine at the feel of it in his mouth.

Her hand was so soft. And her slender, cool fingers were curled around his, holding on. Gently, trustingly. For so long, he didn’t know quite what to do. Take his hand back? He didn’t want to risk hurting her feelings by pulling it away. Maybe it was one of those culture clash things. Maybe Moldovans gave really long, intimate handshakes.

The effects of which went straight to his dick. Whoa. Woody alert.

“I better tell my boss I’m leaving,” he said, flustered. “And, uh, if you don’t mind, could you wait outside? My excuse for leaving looks really bogus if he sees me taking off with a gorgeous blonde.”

She gave him a secretive smile, an under-the-lashes upward peep. “Sweet,” she murmured. “I shall see you outside then. Josh.”

Josh watched her go out, wondering when he was going to wake up. Holy moly. He yanked the tail of his crumpled orange uniform shirt out of his jeans to cover up this boner and any possible future ones that might pop up in that unbelievable girl’s vicinity. He loped over to his boss Joe’s office like he had springs in his shoes.

“Yo, Joe,” he said. “I’m cutting out.”

Joe frowned, glanced at the clock. “Already?”

“I told you, remember? I’m leaving early. Gotta drive down to pick up my sister. It’s only an hour. I’ll make it up next week.”

“You better,” Joe grumbled, waving him away.

He pulled up Carrie’s number as he headed into the employee room to pick up his jacket and keys. The original plan was to drive down to Evergreen to pick up his sister, and then they would all-night it back up to Seattle, blasting rap on the iPod dock in the dash and plotting their intervention in the life of their dizzy older sister, who was showing serious need of sibling supervision.

They were arriving unannounced. With luck, they might even catch her with her thug so that he and Carrie could scare the guy away, if he was unworthy. Which seemed likely.

But it would have to wait. For Nadia, the whole freakin’ universe would have to just cool its heels, and wait. Becca got one more day to misbehave with her thuggish boy toy before he and Carrie came down on her like a ton of bricks. He pulled up Carrie’s number on his cell.

The phone rang, and rang, and rang. That was weird. He tried the wall phone number in Carrie’s dorm.

“Who’s this?” asked a husky female voice.

Josh recognized Elyse, who lived one room down from Carrie. “Hey, Elyse. It’s Josh, Carrie’s brother,” he said. “Is she there?”

“Oh, hi, Josh. I don’t think so. I thought she was with you. Wasn’t she supposed to meet up with you tonight to drive up to Seattle? Some big hairy emergency about the sister’s new boyfriend?”