I cut the engine and the radio dies. We’re left with the cicadas and the frogs and the crickets, and even those eventually fade into dull background noise as I focus on Raelynn unbuckling her seat belt and nervously tugging her hair behind her ears before she sneaks a glance over at me.
I don’t say a word, confused and enthralled to be here alone with her.
Is she about to tell me to get out so we can walk the rest of the way to the quarry? Are we here to talk?
Somehow I doubt it. She’s not saying a word as she looks back down at her hands and keeps on rubbing that damn nail.
I open my mouth, about to say her name and ask her what she’s thinking, but her left hand comes out and grabs hold of mine, and then she lifts it to place it gently on her leg, just above her knee. There’s no explanation to accompany it, no desires spoken aloud. Just her, pressing my hand down under hers so I can’t take it away.
I feel her thigh shaking. The subtle way her lips part when I tighten my grasp to let her know I won’t pull back even if she lets go.
She leans back and her head hits the seat. She tilts to look in my direction, meeting my gaze for only a fleeting moment before she loses the nerve and looks back down at my hand on her leg. She’s worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, and I’m enamored by the sight until other parts of her win out. I skate my gaze down her smooth neck and collarbones, the small curves of her breasts visible in the slinky dress. They rise and fall with every heavy breath she takes, straining against the fabric.
She shifts her legs on the seat, and it’s subtle; they’re only an inch wider than they were before, but then she takes my hand and drags it up a little higher, just to the soft hem of her dress. It bunches up at the top of her thighs, and there’s no possible way to mistake what she’s doing. This silent plea might as well be encased in flashing neon lights.
“Birdie?” I whisper, scared to startle her.
Her blue eyes flash in the darkness when she looks up at me.
“Do you want me to keep going?”
I don’t breathe, don’t move, don’t blink—so scared to spook her and ruin this.
She shifts her head—up and down—a slow nod, and then another one, faster, more obvious.
I don’t hesitate. I lean across the center console and kiss her, give her back the vulnerability she’s just given me. Dragging me out here, putting my hand on her. God, she’s scared. She emits a little shocked whimper when my lips touch hers, and I pull back for a moment, worried I hurt her.
Her breath skates across my lips before she arches up off the seat and reaches for me again, pressing her lips tentatively back to mine. It’s the sweetest kiss, barely there at all, but I force myself to sit still and take it—this slow torture of Raelynn building her confidence. She turns her body toward me more and my hand curves around her thigh, tightening as she leans in and kisses me harder. It burns through my body, turning me on, making it so damn difficult to keep to my side of the car. Her tongue dips into my mouth, slow and seductive.
She leans into me and my other hand comes up to circle the back of her neck, tugging her closer. We kiss and we kiss, coming up for shallow breaths, crashing back together, my tongue touching hers. I feed off her little noises: whimpers and sighs and quiet groans.
Just like with everything so far, she’s the one to take it further. She twists her body up until she’s sitting on her knees on the passenger seat, then she leans over the center console as I kiss her, wrapping my arm around her waist and bunching her dress up as I tug her closer. We work together to pull her over onto my lap, and it’s clumsy work. Her long legs and my size don’t make it easy for us to fit on the seat together. She can barely settle her knees on either side of my hips as I keep kissing her. She’s pressing her chest to mine, raking her fingers through my hair as I take her bottom lip between my teeth and gently bite down. I release it and recapture her mouth as she tugs on my hair and kisses me back in a frenzy. Then she slowly lowers herself down onto my lap, covering me and rocking her hips so I have to reach down and grip her waist, slow her down, gather some strength. It all feels too good. It’s been too long, half a year since I’ve held a woman on my lap.
I curse under my breath when she doesn’t heed my warning. She ignores my hands squeezing her sides trying to gentle her hips as she grinds down onto me. I’m about to fucking lose it and Raelynn teases me more, kisses me harder.
My hand slides down her neck, over her collarbone and chest. The strap on her dress dangles off her shoulder and I take full advantage, pulling the delicate fabric down farther to expose her small breast.
She watches me do it, holding her breath as I continue. The fabric peels away in slow motion and then I’m leaning down before I’m consciously aware of it, covering her with my mouth, kissing her breast as she arches up.
Suddenly the front seat isn’t good enough. I can’t touch her enough. I can barely move. I tilt her to get a better angle and the steering wheel digs into her back, then her elbow hits the window. She winces and I kiss up her neck, apologizing before I unlock the door and yank her out of the car. She laughs as her feet dangle above the ground. I don’t put her down, don’t let her come down to earth before I open the back door and lay her down across the row of seats. I stand there in the doorjamb, getting my fill of her. She props herself up on her elbows and watches me as I inhale every inch. Her dress is askew and barely covering her panties. Her other strap has worked its way free now and dangles precariously above her elbow, leaving her mostly naked from the waist up. Her blonde hair is a wild mess and her eyes are wide and curious. I watch her lips part as she tries to get a good breath of air, to steady herself the same way I’m trying to, but it’s futile. We’re in it now.
“Do you want to keep going?” I ask, suddenly needing to be crystal clear on that answer before I crawl into the back seat with her. My position in life doesn’t afford me unclear boundaries, and I want to make sure she’s still as crazy for this as I am.
Again, she nods, and I realize I haven’t heard her speak actual words since she told me to pull over.
“Birdie?” I goad, careful to keep my hands off her right now. “Say it.”
“Ben,” she replies impatiently. “Please.”
Chapter Fifteen
Ben
I’m on her in an instant and she yelps when I tug her toward me, closer to the door so she falls flat on her back. I crawl down onto her, balancing one leg on the ground and wedging my other knee between her hip and the seat. My hands work in tandem with my mouth, unveiling parts of her body for me to taste and touch. I skim the smooth curves of her ankles, up along her soft calves, the hollows of her knees, a thin scar on her right thigh, a stray freckle just below her panties. She’s wearing a lavender pair and they’re soft and wet right in the center. I keep them on as I bend her knees and split them apart. One leg tumbles off the side of the seat and the other rests gently against the back cushion.
She doesn’t resist. She’s lying back now, watching me with a soft, sweet expression as I run a finger down her center. Her hips roll in tandem with my touch, and I can’t resist doing it a second time, forcing that same reaction. God, she’s hot in a way I’m not used to. Hair tumbling in every direction. Cheeks flushed with color. No pretense, no games. Just an exposed heart, mine for the taking.