A Fare To Remember_ Just Whistle_Driven - Vicki Lewis Thompson [128]
He closed the car door and pulled her into his arms. “I haven’t told you this, but I want to before I take your dress off. You look amazing in it.”
She wound her arms around his neck, as she’d done hundreds of times, and looked into his shadowed face. “Thank you.” Now she could admit to herself that she’d bought it knowing she wanted to impress him, not Brad. Such a spiteful girl, wanting to make him sorry that he gave her up.
She’d wanted to punish him for not being the man at the altar. Her heart hurt a little standing here with him now, because she’d dreamed of kissing Josh on her wedding day. It was about to happen, but not the way she’d hoped.
He pulled her closer, his arms keeping the chill salt air at bay. “All this talk about Brad’s problem, and I’m scared I’ll be in the same boat. I’ll try not to let that happen, but if it does, don’t worry. After all this time, once won’t be enough anyway.”
She cupped his face in both hands. He felt so endearingly familiar. “I would never worry when I’m in your arms.”
His head lowered. “I want to kiss you while we’re still out here, because once we get inside, I might get a little wild and forget to do it right.”
“Right?” She smiled. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Before we get naked, I just want to say…hello.” His lips settled gently over hers.
Emotion flooded through her at the restrained movement of his lips on hers. The memories of hot sex had made her forget his great capacity for tenderness. He kissed her so sweetly that tears pricked her eyes. When tonight was over, she could walk away from the sex. But she didn’t know if she could walk away from this.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
JOSH COULD HAVE SIMPLY opened the back door, urged Pris inside and gotten down to business. He should have, because hot, fast and furious sex might have distracted him from the truth—he still loved her.
And because he loved her, he didn’t want to give her anything less than the best. Right now all he had was a slowly growing savings account and a dream that wouldn’t become a reality for a while yet. Pris needed a guy who could pay off her debt to her parents plus give her the house and babies right away.
For some reason he’d been granted one more night with her, and he’d better enjoy it, because when morning came, they’d part again, this time forever. Nothing had really changed. But at least he’d helped her escape from Mr. Wrong. And he could ease her frustration…and in the process, his.
The kiss he’d meant to keep under control became hotter. He wasn’t sure whether that was her doing or his, but tongues had become involved. When she took his hand and placed it over her breast, he decided that Pris was the one deliberately turning up the thermostat.
The dress’s plunging neckline made it easy for him to slip his hand inside. As he cupped her bare breast, they both moaned. Touching her felt incredible. He lifted his mouth from hers. “Time to get in the car.”
She was breathing faster. “Yes. I have an idea. We’ll take off the dress, turn it inside out and put it on the floor, on top of the petticoats. We can lie on it.”
He stroked her breast and knew his brain cells would stop working any second now. “I don’t know if that’s a good—”
“It’ll be wonderful. My body heat has warmed it up. Instead of cold leather, think warm satin.”
“I can’t think.” He released her and wrenched open the door.
She fumbled with the buttons at her wrists as she turned her back to him. “Undo me before we get inside.”
Thank God it was a zipper and not little buttons like her train. But first he had to navigate a hook and eye that didn’t want to yield.
“Pull it free,” she said, her voice tense.
“No.” He finally unhooked the doggone thing and unzipped her dress.
“The bra, too,” she said.
He’d had more practice at bras, and he had hers unfastened in no time.
Before he knew what she’d planned, she’d stepped out of the dress, flipped it inside out and laid it with a rustle