Melissa McClone - Plain Jane's Prince Charming

He glanced at his watch. No doubt he had to get back to the office. “How about now?”

She gulped. “Sure.”

Driving south on Interstate 5 with the pounding bass from a rock and roll song filling the Escalade’s interior, Chase glanced sideways at Jane. She stared at the passing scenery—concrete, buildings and billboards—her mouth tightly closed.

So much for putting a smile back on her face and a sparkle in her eyes. He had assumed offering his assistance would do the trick, but that had only upset her more. He didn’t get it. Or her. Most women watched his every move, tried to impress him or boost his ego. But not Jane.

“If you want to listen to something different—” he drove onto the I-205 off-ramp “—let me know.”

“Thanks,” she said. “But this music is fine.”

Another mile went by. Another song played. Jane continued gazing out the window. No forced conversation trying to find common interests. No name-dropping trying to show she belonged in his world. No…anything.

Needless chatter bothered Chase, but he found her silence both refreshing and bewildering. Other women would have talked his ears off. Why wasn’t Jane doing the same?

Sure she wasn’t his usual type. He dated professional women—lawyers, executives, venture capitalists—who weren’t clingy and who had their money, though that hadn’t kept most from wanting his, too. But Jane was still a woman. And he was a man, a rich, handsome man considered to be a “catch” if he believed his own press. Shouldn’t she be flirting with him at least a little? Was she not interested in him or playing hard to get?

He would get the chance to find out.

Maybe that would compensate for the work he’d volunteered for with the fundraiser. He wanted to help the little girl, but now after the reality had set in, Chase had no idea how to make this work. He had projects to oversee, an upcoming merger and a two-foot stack of papers on his desk.

Wait until his best friend found out what he had done.

You’re a sucker for a pretty face.

Sam’s words had been dead-on this time, and he would never let Chase live it down.

“Nice car.” Jane ran her hand along the edge of her leather seat. “It’s more comfortable than my couch.”

He noticed her trimmed but unpolished fingernails. Practical, like Jane herself. “That’s a Cadillac for you, but you should see how it handles off-road.”

“Why would you take a luxury car off-road?”

He picked up the disapproval in her voice. His normal answer “because I can” wasn’t going to cut it. He would settle for the truth.

“I tried a shortcut once and ended up on forest service road then found myself on a logging road.” He patted the dashboard. “It was a little hairy, but the car came through fine. I doubt I’ll do it again, though.”

“Smart move.”

“You’re right.” Finally he had her attention. Good. Now he had to keep it. “That’s why I bought a four-wheel drive truck. And a couple of dirt bikes.”

“How many cars do you have?”

“Six,” he said proudly.

“Six.” She didn’t sound impressed.

“Not counting the dirt bikes, a motorcycle and two race cars.” He focused on the road. A white pickup pulled a horse-trailer ahead of them. “The race cars aren’t street legal.”

“So do you spin a wheel to see which one of the six cars you’ll drive each day?”

He couldn’t decide if she was being sarcastic or humorous. He would try funny. “No, I reach into a bag and pull out a key.”

Her grin reached her eyes, but no sparkle. Damn, he was hoping to get both with one shot.

“You could use a dartboard,” she said.

“My throwing precision would remove the element of Fate.”

“Not if you closed your eyes.”

There. Not quite a sparkle, but he glimpsed a twinkle in her eyes. Something stirred inside him. Something good, but unfamiliar. “Is that what you would do?”

She laughed, and the warm sound sunk into him. “If I thought I had six cars, my eyes would be closed because I would be dreaming.”

The more he learned about Jane, the more he wanted to know. He exited on Stafford Road and turned right. “What do you drive?”

“I take Metro, either the bus or the MAX train depending on where I am, where I need to go and when.” She touched the leather seat once again. “It’s not so bad.”

Not bad at all. Chase wondered what it would feel like if Jane stroked him like that with her fingertips and hand. The scene forming in his mind sent his temperature rising.

She glanced over at him. “Not as nice a ride as this, but it gets me there.”

“With the scrape of brakes and the crunch of bodies.”

“It’s not that crowded, but…” She pursed her lips. “How did you know?”

He hadn’t always driven a Cadillac. “In college, I didn’t have a car so I relied on public transportation.”

“Sure you did.”

“I’m serious.” Chase didn’t want her to think he was patronizing her. “On weekends, I would take get on the Red line at Kendall Square and ride the T, similar to a MAX train, to Park Street. I’d transfer to the Green line and get off at Kenmore Square.”

“Where was that?”

“Boston.”

“Harvard?” she asked.

“MIT.”

Her eyes widened. “MIT?”

“Massachusetts Institute of Technology.”

“I know what MIT is. A top science and engineering school,” she explained. “I just forgot about you being hi-tech.”

“Hi-tech. Guess that’s better than geek,” he said. “Though it makes me sound like a robot or something.”

“You mean a robotic shark that’s not afraid to bite anything.”

“Now that would be intimidating.” He glanced her way. “Except you forgot one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t bite. I nibble.”

She looked out the window and adjusted her glasses.

Chase grinned, but said nothing, enjoying the graceful, yet nibble-worthy curve of her neck.

“What does Cyberworx do?” Jane asked.

“Lots of different things.” He loved talking about his company. “Our newest division has been working with quantum dots, photonic crystals and carbon nano tubes.”

Her eyes glossed over. “I’m not going to attempt a comment.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” she said. “It’s not your fault I’m about as non-technical as they come. Want to know a secret?”

“Sure.” Now they were getting somewhere, but he doubted she would share her favorite places to be kissed. “And I promise not to tell.”

“I don’t own a computer,” she said.

“Not everyone owns a computer.” Something wasn’t adding up about this conversation, and then Chase remembered. “Didn’t you offer to e-mail me information about the benefit this morning?”

“I use the computers at the library.”

This complicated matters. “Do you go there every day?”

“No.”

“I rely on e-mail to get things done,” he explained. “It’s the easiest way for me to keep in touch and contact you.”

“I’ll stop by the library every day and check my e-mail.”

Not good enough. “I have a better idea. You can borrow one of my laptops.”

“Thanks, but um…don’t you need some sort of Internet access or something?”

“Yes.” He recognized the flash of panic in her eyes. No car, no computer, no money. But that didn’t mean she had no pride, either. He understood that. And he was beginning to understand Jane a little better. “But I have a special wireless deal. It won’t cost you anything.”

He waited for her reply. A beat passed. And another. She was going to say no. Somehow he would have to convince her to change her mind. For both their sakes.