Riding Home. Vicki Thompson Lewis
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meant to say as he stroked his thumb gently over her cheekbone. His touch was heaven.
“Yes, we should. We’re about to become lovers, but we haven’t even kissed.”
“Except we’re in the middle of the town square.”
“I know.” He leaned closer. “We’ll be fine.”
“What if we get carried away?”
The corners of his beautiful mouth tilted. “I won’t.”
“You might. I’m a pretty awesome kisser.”
“Prove it.”
She never could resist a challenge. She craved the feel of those sculpted lips on hers even if they were taking a risk making out in a public place. “All right.” She grasped his head in both hands. His hair was exactly as soft and silky as she’d imagined. “Come here, you.”
He was extremely obliging. In the very next second he covered her mouth with his. Too late, she discovered that she might be the one who would get carried away. She was in the presence of a master.
From that first velvet contact, he was fully in charge. Her world narrowed to the pressure of his lips, the glide of his tongue, the warmth of his breath. His kiss tasted like all the decadent pleasures she’d dreamed of having with a man and had never quite had.
And she wanted those promised pleasures. Her body ached for them. She tried to get closer and came up against the console. She moaned in frustration and writhed against the supple leather of the seat. She needed...more.
Slowly, with obvious reluctance, he eased away. But then he returned to nibble and lick as if he couldn’t make himself abandon her mouth. She didn’t want him to, either.
“We have to go,” he murmured between quick kisses.
“Not yet.” She pulled him back for another deep, passionate round that left her panties wet and her heart racing.
When he finally broke away, he was breathing hard. “We really have to go.”
“I know, but...” She tried to tug him down again. “One more for the road.”
He resisted her efforts and loosened her grip. “Buckle up. We’re getting out of here.”
With a sigh, she leaned back and buckled herself in as instructed.
“You were right, by the way. You’re a pretty awesome kisser.” He started the truck, checked his mirrors and backed out of the parking space.
“Ditto. Um, I suspect you have everything figured out, but where are we going?”
“I booked us a room.” He said it casually as he navigated through traffic with practiced ease.
She shivered in excitement. “I should help you pay for—”
“Don’t even think about it.”
“Okay.” She wanted to ask where this room was, but figured he wanted to surprise her. Considering his previous job and the luxury of his truck, she didn’t think they’d end up at the cheap sleep.
Watching him drive the huge truck with quiet confidence was very arousing, as was this latest gesture of his. She’d made a veiled request for a sexy time-out, and he’d handled the details. In doing that, he’d increased his hotness by at least a thousand percent.
“That’s what took me so long while you were shopping. Well, that and my own shopping.”
“Right.” She had trouble making casual conversation when her body was humming with anticipation, but she gave it her best effort. “You said you had to pick up a few things, but I thought you meant clothes from the Western-wear store.”
“Not clothes.”
“Then what...? Oh.” The electricity arcing between them was almost visible. “Is there anything you haven’t thought of?”
“You’ll have to do without makeup in the morning.”
In the morning. They’d make love all night. She had trouble sitting still. “That’s what you think.” She always kept an emergency makeup kit in her shoulder bag.
Judging from the looks of the entrance where he turned in, they were staying in a luxury resort. “You sure know how to dazzle a girl.” If she sounded a little breathless, she figured she had cause.
“I’m under a time constraint. If I don’t dazzle you now, I might never get a chance.”
“Trust me, you’re way up there on the dazzle meter.”
“Good to know.” He pulled under the portico for valet parking.
While a doorman helped her out of the truck, Zach retrieved her shopping bags from the back. She’d never checked into a hotel with only two shopping bags, but Zach treated the experience calmly, as if he did it all the time. She suspected he was giving her a glimpse of the L.A. lawyer he used to be.
He might be used to swanky one-nighters, but she wasn’t. She’d certainly stayed in plenty of hotels like this, though. Her parents wouldn’t accept anything less when they traveled.
But tonight she was checking in with a guy wearing jeans, boots and a Stetson. He was an irresistible combination of sophistication and down-home earthiness. His assumption that this was all perfectly normal made her wonder about his past.
Maybe she’d ask him. Then again, maybe she wouldn’t. It didn’t matter. This was one night, not the start of something significant.
Once she and Zach stepped into the glittering elevator, he transferred both shopping bags to one hand so he could pull her close for a quick kiss. “Is this working for you?”
“If you mean am I impressed out of my mind, yes, it’s workin’ for me.”
“Good.” He gazed down at her as the elevator kept climbing. “In case I forget to say it, thank you for deciding you’d like to spend the night with me.”
“You’re welcome, but I have the feeling I’ll be the one feeling thankful when this is all over.” The elevator pinged to a stop and she noticed they were on the top floor. “You rented the penthouse?”
“It was all they had.”
“Zach!” She stepped out of the elevator and her wedge heels sank into thick carpet. Ahead of her, double doors stood open and she walked into a living area furnished in sleek leather and polished wood. The lamps may have been on a dimmer switch since the light was muted and atmospheric. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out on the lights of Jackson and shadowy mountains in the distance. “This must have cost a fortune.”
“I don’t care.”
She glanced at a wet bar on the far side of the room. Champagne sat in an ice bucket on the granite counter, along with two crystal flutes and an elegantly arranged cheese-and-fruit platter. She turned back to him. “Seems a shame it’s only for one night,” she said softly.
He dropped the bags at his feet and sent his hat twirling toward a lamp. It landed precisely on the finial. He walked toward her, his gaze intent. “Then we’d better make the most of it.”
If she’d been prone to swooning, she might have done it then. No man had ever treated her like this, as if she were everything he ever wanted, as if every moment they were together was more precious than his next breath. Such a fantasy couldn’t last, of course, but it might hold up for a few hours. Then she’d have her unspoiled memory to relive as she reentered the real world.
She spread her arms. “I’m yours for the night. What do you want to do first?”
He laughed. “If you have to ask, then you haven’t been paying attention.”
“I don’t have to ask.” If he could act with flair, so could she. “Stop right there.”
He