She’d asked for somewhere quiet. In the moment, she’d meant for somewhere to just be and think. She hadn’t been ready to go home and call it a night, but her wants had changed. She wanted to climb over the console, straddle him, and have her merry way with him.
“I smell something burning,” he murmured.
She let out a quiet laugh because yeah, she was definitely thinking too hard. “It’s just that what I want seems . . . a little forward.”
His eyes darkened. “You have my full attention.”
With a nervous laugh, she pulled out her phone. “So . . . I found another questionnaire.”
He groaned. “Not where I thought you were going with this.” His hand, the one on the headrest of her seat, slipped to the nape of her neck, making thinking difficult. “Thought maybe we were past the quick tricks of the getting-to-know-you stage.”
“It’s called Ten Questions You Need to Ask Your Partner Before Having Sex.”
He stared at her for a beat, then let out a smile that melted her bones. “Hit me.”
Nodding, suddenly nervous, she looked down at the first question. Are you attracted to your potential sexual partner? Since that was a given, she skimmed past it. “Um . . . where’s your favorite place to be kissed?”
This won her a slow, mischievous grin. “In bed or out of bed?”
She laughed, and just like that, her nerves vanished. She had no idea how he always did that, lightened her world every single time, but he was good at it. “Either,” she whispered.
He pointed to his lips, and she shook her head with another laugh. “Yeah, I’m betting that’s actually your second favorite place to be kissed, but sure, let’s start there.” Heart pounding, she unbuckled her seat belt, came up on her knees, and leaned over him. She put one hand on the back of his seat, the other on his chest, and started with a light closed-mouth kiss to one corner of his mouth, her plan to move slowly, wanting to drive him nuts, wanting to see him lose that famed control.
“Jane—”
“Hmm?” She bypassed his mouth for the second kiss because his jaw called to her, and then his sexy throat.
He shivered and his hands tightened on her. “If you want the same thing I do, we’re in the wrong place.”
“I like this place.”
“So do I. A lot. But we’re outside. In public.”
“We’re in a truck, and there’s no one else out here, probably for miles. And besides, I’m just kissing you.”
“Yeah, but—” He broke off with a sharply indrawn breath when she sank her teeth into his lower lip and gave a little tug.
His scent was delicious, and she heard herself moan in protest as he caught her wandering hands, which had opened his jacket and were working to get beneath his Henley. “Jane . . . I didn’t bring you up here for this.”
“I know. Also, I lied about the just kissing.”
“Jane—”
She lifted her head. “You’re not going to turn down your pretend girlfriend, are you?”
“Like I could turn you down for anything.”
That made her smile. “Then there’s just one more thing to discuss . . .”
“I’ve got a condom in my glove box. At least, I used to. It’s been a while . . .”
Her heart warmed that he would think to tell her either of those things. “I was going to remind you not to fall for me.”
His rough laugh made her grin, and then he caught her mouth in a kiss that was soft and sweet, but made her think of things hot and bare and sweaty—
“My turn to ask,” he said huskily, lifting his head. “Where do you like to be kissed?”
“Um . . . everywhere?”
His eyes went molten lava as he hauled her over the console and into his lap so she could straddle him. With her knees tight at his sides, he slid his hands up her back and into her hair, pulling her down for a kiss that quickly ignited.
She couldn’t get close enough, and seeing pleasure cross his face, hearing it seep into his voice, assured her he felt the same. His knowing hands went about discovering every sweet spot, shifting clothing aside as needed. Somehow they managed to free the essentials, and sweet baby Jesus, his essentials . . . He came up with the promised condom and she nearly collapsed in gratitude that one of them was capable of rational thought. She took it from him and fumbled with it a bit. He tried to take over, but she wanted to do it, and smiled while he quivered and swore and begged her to get on with it. The second she had them protected, he lifted her and then lowered her down until she’d taken all of him.
Time stopped, completely stopped while they both took in the shocking, heart-stopping pleasure of being one. She’d started this, wanting to see him lose control, but she was the one doing just that. They moved in unison, together, until she was lost, rocking against him, fingers digging for purchase as waves of release hit her like a tidal wave.
She had no idea how long it took her to come back to herself, but when she opened her eyes, Levi’s face was still buried in her neck. He took several long, deep breaths before lifting his head. With the same hands that had just taken her to heaven and back, he adjusted their position so that she could slouch against him and set her head on his shoulder.
More time passed as he slowly swept his hands up and down her back. At one point, he started to say something and then stopped.
“What?” she whispered.
“I actually don’t have words.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
He nudged her face from the crook of his shoulder. Cupping it in his big hands, he kissed her, putting a whole bunch of what he was thinking into the kiss, so that by the time he pulled back, she could only smile dazedly. “A good thing, then.”
“More like amazing.” He looked around. The windows were completely fogged. The temperature had dropped too, and now that they weren’t actively creating enough heat to start an explosion, the chill was becoming pronounced. Reaching behind his seat, he produced a duffel bag. “Emergency kit,” he said as he pulled out a blanket and wrapped them up in it.
“You know what would be good? If you also had a cookies ’n’ cream cupcake in there.”
With a low chuckle, he wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling at her neck. “Sorry, no. But I’ve got some PowerBars and water.”
She wriggled in closer, loving the feel of his hard body beneath hers. And he was hard. Everywhere. “How about another condom?” she whispered.
This got her a sexy, heated smile that she took as a hell, yes. This time when they came together, it was slower, deeper, and just as shockingly good. And with it was the unspoken agreement that this, whatever this was, would continue to their mutual pleasure for as long as it worked.
Or for as long as they were both in Tahoe.
Because as she reminded everyone as often as she could, she was going to be gone soon. There would be no future. She’d made him promise her that. And hell if it wasn’t both a huge relief and her greatest regret.
THE NEXT MORNING, Jane jerked awake at the rude sound of her alarm. She’d set it early to get a ride from Mateo out to her car. Fumbling for her phone, she hurriedly slapped snooze, not ready to rise and shine.
She and Levi had stayed up on the Tahoe Rim Trail until two thirty in the morning. Which had been three short hours ago.