“We’ve got to get out of here,” he growled.
“Yes, please.”
Soon after, they were caught in the never-ending line exiting the stadium parking lot, the windows completely fogged. They were alone, the others having been merciful enough to ride with Kara or Tay.
Candace groaned and clutched at him as his lips claimed a patch of skin at the base of her throat and sucked it mercilessly. A moment ago, he’d slammed the truck in Park with a curse and attacked, holding her captive to him in an embrace that had her sprawled across his front seat, one leg thrown over his lap.
She threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him to her. The tickling ache of his suction on her skin was driving her wild, and she tilted her h*ps desperately, trying to grind against him. He rewarded her by sliding his hand up the leg of her shorts. She nearly died.
His mouth released her, but continued to slide over her damp flesh. “I shouldn’t touch you,” he said, sounding gruff and unbelievably sexy. “I should leave you so hot that you’ll come the second my tongue touches that sweet p**sy.” Despite his words, he slid his fingers under her panties, the outside edge of his index finger grazing her throbbing clit.
“Oh, God!”
“Fuck, you’re soaked.” Drawing devastatingly slow circles, he spread the wetness he found through her folds. Outside, rain began pattering against the windows again. She arched against him, so aroused she hurt.
“Please, Brian, faster.”
“You don’t want to wait?” he whispered, keeping up the same torturous rhythm. “Until we’re safe and warm and alone in bed with the whole night ahead? Until I can make you come over and over…”
“Just once, make me come just once, right now.”
“Hmm, I’m not convinced…”
She plunged her hand down over his. “If you don’t, I’ll do it by myself.”
He grinned. “The hell you will.”
“You have to drive in a few minutes, anyway. You can’t stop me.”
“You touch yourself in front of me and I’ll pull over and have your knees crammed around your ears in a f**king nanosecond. See if I don’t.”
“Maybe that’s what I want,” she challenged, his words spiking a thrill in her chest.
“At this point, I don’t think it is.”
“Please, I’m in pain. It hurts.”
“Oh, baby…” Gently, he increased his motion between her legs and she moved her hand, relaxing back against his arm holding her semi-upright. “I’m sorry. I’m in pain, too, I want you so much.”
“I’ll do anything you want, just—”
“Shh. Let me take care of you.”
If the line of cars decided to move right now, she was going to scream. Or she might scream anyway. People kept threading between the stopped vehicles, and Brian must have noticed her following them nervously with her eyes. “They can’t see where my hand is,” he murmured, working her a little faster with every passing second. She undulated against him, her head falling back.
“I don’t think I care too much.”
Oh, yes. Yes, yes…
The man knew what he was doing. Just as her thighs tightened, as the pleasure swelled until it dwarfed everything else, he slowed, widening the circumference of his motions and holding her at the precipice until she wanted to cry and beat at his shoulders. “Brian!”
“The cars are moving, baby.”
“To hell with the cars!”
“But I have to drive.”
“You’d better drive me first.”
He laughed and quickened again, going after her hard until she exploded against him, the ache wrenching her in two before gradually dissipating to more tolerable levels. Breathless and sighing, she collapsed on the seat.
That had been two weeks in the making, she thought, remembering their very hot interlude outside the bar, when she’d so stupidly run away from him.
He straightened and got behind the wheel, putting the truck in gear with a cat-who-ate-the-canary smile curving those beautiful lips. They moved forward, and she fidgeted and smoothed her hands down her body, still feeling wild and wanton from his touch and the amazing orgasm he’d given her. Her foot—bare because her flip-flop was somewhere on the floor—was in his lap and she used it to graze the massive erection straining his fly.
His head fell back and he groaned. “Jesus.”
She wanted to climb up on her knees and suck him right here. It was only fair. Gathering her annihilated strength, she drew up beside him and slid her hand between his legs.
“Baby,” he groaned, one of his hands tightening on the wheel and the other grasping her wandering fingers. “As much as I want that, I don’t need to spend myself yet. I want to do it inside you when I’m making you mine for the first time.”
She leaned her forehead against his shoulder, trembling.
“If that’s okay with you,” he finished.
No more running. No more playing. She wanted to be his, if only for tonight, no matter what the future held. “That’s definitely okay with me.”
With that, she settled next to him, sitting in silence for a while as they inched forward in the line and the wipers intermittently cleared the windshield of the rain drooling down. He reached over and linked his fingers through hers, their hands resting against her bare thigh.
The song playing from his stereo was incredibly sexy, and she could imagine doing lots of naughty things to its rolling beat. “What is this song?”
“It’s called ‘Bliss’, I think, by Syntax.”
“I like it.” It was appropriate. For once in her life, she’d found that particular state of mind. There would be hell to face later, but right now, she felt at peace. “I’m so glad I came with you. It might sound crazy, since I’m wet and exhausted and can barely hear, but I think it’s the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.”
“I’d have been miserable without you.”
“You would? Why?”
“My intention was to come here and blow off some steam, but that would have been impossible. Everywhere I looked, I would have seen your face.”
She blinked at him, unable to believe he was telling her this. He apparently couldn’t believe it either, given that he was staring dead ahead, the glow from the dash lights casting enough illumination to show her the tight set of his jaw. In that moment, so much love for him welled up in her heart that each beat sent an ache through her veins.
Leaning closer, she pressed her lips against his biceps in one gentle kiss, then leaned her cheek into his arm, sliding one hand over his belly.
“Not getting sleepy, I hope,” he teased, pulling his arm up so he could put it around her shoulders.
“Tired but wired, I guess.”
“I know what you mean,” he said. She watched the traffic crawl by and yawned, though sleep was the absolute last thing she wanted to do right now. It was well after midnight. Her family must be going crazy right about now. Every muscle in her body felt twisted out of position. She was wet from head to toe. And all she could think about was getting her hands all over him.
They found a hotel downtown, because he insisted she have something nice. Any roadside chain would’ve been fine with her, but he’d been relentless in his pursuit. They must’ve made quite a sight strolling through the lobby after checking in: wet and bedraggled, arm in arm and barely able to keep their hands off each other while they waited for the elevator. Her mother would have fallen out in a dead faint to see her behave in such a way. That was one reason it felt so good.
Once inside their room, she collapsed on the bed and gave a long, bone-weary sigh. “I am exhausted.”
“Better build up your strength,” he said with a wink as he prowled around and scoped things out. “Want to call room service? It’s not too late.”
She should be starving, but she didn’t think she’d be able to eat a bite. “Hmm, maybe. What I really desperately need at the moment is a shower.” Her eyes closed. As excited and nervous as she was, it wouldn’t have taken a minute or two for her to fall sound asleep. When she felt weight press down on the mattress, she opened her eyes to find him staring down at her.
“Sounds good to me.” He held out one hand. She grasped his forearm and let him haul her up to her feet. Staring into her eyes, he reached forward and slipped his fingers under the hem of her tank top. “Can I take this off?”
Candace bit her lip and nodded, raising her arms overhead while her heart thudded. Gently, he drew off the clinging material, but kept her hands trapped. His gaze roamed down over her br**sts, barred from his sight only by a flesh-toned scrap of silk and lace. He brought one hand down to undo the front clasp while she gasped and shuddered. With a touch so light she could scarcely feel it, he spread the garment open, baring her to his warm palm.
“Keep this up and we’ll never make it in there,” she murmured.
“We will,” he assured her.
She smiled. “I’m glad you’re so self-controlled.”
His caressing hand slid down over her abdomen to fiddle with the button of her shorts. She thought he might have trouble using only one hand, but she shouldn’t have underestimated the skill in those fingers. Mere moments later, her shorts dropped around her feet, leaving her in her thong and her unclasped bra, all stretched out for his perusal.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
“I was always afraid you’d find me sort of plain, only having the one tattoo.”
He smiled and tugged her hands over his head, settling them around his neck. “Every artist loves a blank canvas. At least, this one does.”
Exhaling in a rush, she pressed herself to him, rejoicing in the feel of her n**ples rasping against his shirt. “Do you want me to get more of them?”
“Only if you want more. And only if I do them.”
Smoothing the hair back from her forehead, he dropped his lips to hers, his breathing ragged as she opened her mouth to invite the invasion of his tongue. She’d been starving for another taste of him. The slick warmth of his kiss reignited the fire he’d so briefly quenched earlier in the truck, and she clung to him and whimpered in abandon. He smelled of rainwater and the day’s heat and musky male, sending her hormones into overdrive.
“I missed you so much,” she said between mouthfuls of his dark sweetness. His hands slid down to cup her face and he drew away.
“Don’t ever run away from me again.” There was no menace about the words; it was more of a plea. But given the possessiveness in his hands, his thumbs tilting up her chin so the darkness in his eyes could burn her deep, she swallowed thickly and trembled.
“What if I do?”
His gaze roamed over her face. “I won’t let you get away so easily.”
“Promise?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Good. I’ve been a mess. I haven’t been able to concentrate in class or—”
“Sweetheart, don’t let yourself get all f**ked up over me. All you have to do is call, and I’ll come running. I was only giving you the space I thought you wanted.”