He didn’t want to walk away yet.
He swallowed hard and glanced up at the moon. It seemed just as unreachable as the beauty in front of him. “My car is in spot 123C.”
She pointed off to a row across the lot. “There’s row C.”
“Yeah, I think I see my ride.” When she headed in that direction, he picked up speed so he could walk
beside her.
There was no other car near his rental, which made sense considering the hour. It had to be pushing one in the morning, if not later. In fact, the only reason the front desk was still open was because he’d asked if they’d wait for him to arrive. Now that he’d picked up the key, even the desk attendant had turned off the building lights and was nowhere to be found.
Halting mid-step, she grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks, too. “Wait. Should you be driving?”
He cocked his head. “Why wouldn’t I be okay to drive?”
“You were drinking.”
He snorted. “I didn’t drink as much as you did. You didn’t notice, but I stopped drinking a while ago. I’m sober as a clergyman.”
“Oh.”
“So, want that ride or not?”
When she nodded, anticipation shot through his body. Moments later, they reached his car. He loaded their bags and unlocked the doors so they could get in, and then tossed his jacket in the seat. Before he could climb in the driver’s side, she came up to him and held out her arms. “You ready?”
He eyed her. “For?”
“Dancing, of course.”
“Haha. Real funny.” But then he realized she wasn’t kidding at all. “Wait. You really want to do this? I might break your foot.”
“Of course I want to! Consider it payment for helping me tonight.” She flushed as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Even in this dim lighting he could see that. “For keeping me talking, I mean.”
He walked up to her and placed his hands on her hips. “All right. Show me.” He moved so close her chest brushed his. “I’m ready if you are.”
Setting a hand on his shoulder, she instructed, “Hold my hand, but leave the other one on my hip.”
He did as told, slipping his leg between hers. He had a pretty good idea that he wasn’t supposed to do that for a proper dance, but she didn’t correct him. “Okay. What now?”
“Now, we take two steps forward, two steps back…” She followed him as he did what she told him, her body moving with a grace he’d never possess. “Good. Keep going, but move around as if we’re on a ballroom floor, instead of staying in this spot.”
He spun her in a dramatic circle, sweeping across the length of a parking spot. She giggled, her eyes shining up at him in the moonlight. He repeated the movement, making a wide arc around the car. Her hand fit perfectly in his, as if she were made to be his.
When he dipped her over his arm, she laughed and lifted her head, looking up at him. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”
“Quite.” Her happiness distracted him so much he stumbled over his own feet. They clung to each other, breathing heavily, their noses touching. He swallowed hard, his eyes latched on hers. “You know, I do know one type of dancing that you might not.”
She licked her lips.
“What kind of dance is that?” she asked, her voice throaty and sexy as hell.
He pulled her upright without warning, until she rested on his upper thigh. “Follow my lead.”
“Okay,” she breathed.
Leaning down, he brushed his lips over hers then did a dip, supporting her lower back with his hand. To his surprise, she relaxed, lifting her breasts to his view without any effort. He eased her back up and kissed her neck, rotating his hips against hers.
She moaned and held on tight. As she moved against his leg, she dug her fingers into his shoulders. He dipped her again. This time, she fluidly bent so far backward he immediately dropped his head and nipped the sliver of skin exposed above the neckline of her sweater. Damn, she tasted so good, he had a hard time moving away from her.