We left the warmth of the restaurant behind, moving quickly to his car.
I shook my head, climbing into the vehicle. “You’re such a goofball.”
“I’ll have to prove it to you one of these days.”
He smiled as he closed his door and started the car. The quiet intimate atmosphere was a bit awkward at first after the restaurant. I couldn’t help thinking about our kiss at the winery. A new wave of heat washed over me as the mental picture filled my head.
By the time we pulled into my driveway and were standing outside my front door, I was torn over whether to invite him in or not. I wanted to spend more time with him, but I knew I should kiss him and send him on his way. I wasn’t the type who gave it up that quickly. If I had sex with him tonight, chances were he would move on to his next conquest, and I would feel like a total tramp.
He pulled me close for a good-night kiss. His lips were warm and soft as they settled on mine. I couldn’t help moaning slightly as his tongue swept into my mouth. A cold blast of wind blew against us, but I barely noticed, not wanting the kiss to end.
Dalton took matters into his own hands and pulled away. “You better get inside before you catch pneumonia. Can I see you tomorrow?”
“I work until nine.”
“That’s okay. We can grab a late dinner,” he said as another gust of wind whipped against us.
“Okay,” I answered through chattering teeth as he leaned in to give me one last kiss. This time he pushed me against the door so his body was blocking the wind. The cold became an afterthought as I felt every hard inch of him pushed against me. I struggled against my shaky resolve not to ask him in.
He pulled away. “Go inside. I’ll pick you up at Gruby’s tomorrow night.”
My hand shook as I fumbled to get my key into the lock. He placed his hand on mine, steadying it as the key slid effortlessly into the lock.
“What do you know? It slid right in,” he whispered into my ear. My knees nearly collapsed out from under me. He turned the doorknob and propelled me inside. I leaned against the door once I closed it, trying to catch my breath.
“Holy hell, that was hot.”
chapter ten
Dalton
Courtney was waiting for me when I pulled up in front of Gruby’s the next night. She opened the door of the restaurant and hurried to my car since the weather still sucked.
“Hey,” I said, placing a long, lingering, heated kiss on her lips. It had been less than twenty-four hours since we were together, but she was all I could think about. The text messages we exchanged throughout the day didn’t help matters. Now that we’d gotten past our initial hiccup, our texting had taken on a sizzling quality. I had quite the vivid imagination and Courtney had it working overtime.
Unfortunately my lack of concentration had carried over into basketball practice, earning me a chewing-out from Coach. That combined with a call from Dad had taken most of the wind from my sails. Having Court in my arms now made it all worth it. The feeling was foreign to me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d looked forward to any part of my day that didn’t involve basketball.
“Hey yourself,” she greeted me, breathing in a rush when I finally pulled back.
“I was thinking we could eat at this new steak restaurant I discovered a couple weeks ago.”
“That sounds good. I’m starving.”
“You don’t munch on food at work?”
“Sometimes, but usually I don’t have time. How was your day?”
“Okay,” I lied. I couldn’t muster up enough enthusiasm to sound convincing.
“Why does your ‘okay’ sound anything but okay?”
I smiled ruefully at her insightfulness but didn’t answer. Lacing my fingers through hers, I changed the subject by asking about her day. I could tell she knew what I was doing but went along with it anyway. I would deal with my problems later.
Courtney seemed quite taken by the dim lighting and intimate feel of the restaurant. My hand found the small of her back as the waitress led us to a table in a secluded corner, adding to the ambience.
We sat across from each other while the hostess placed menus in front of us. Reaching under the table to adjust my jeans, I found Courtney’s knee, making her gasp when I gave it a squeeze.
“Uh, enjoy,” the hostess remarked, giving Courtney a sideways glance before walking away.
“Nice, creep,” Courtney choked out as my hand slowly moved up past her knee.
“Very nice,” I said. She reached under the table, squeezing my hand in a death grip.
“Be good,” she murmured. “You don’t have to move it all the way off,” she added when I pulled my hand away. Courtney was cool as a cucumber, looking up to smile at the approaching waitress.
The tone of her voice indicated she had enjoyed my hand on her leg as much as I did. Maybe she wanted to continue what we had started at the winery the day before. My body responded immediately, urging me to move closer if not for the damned table. When I decided I wanted more than a friendship with her, I had no idea it would be me struggling to keep a clear head.
The entire meal felt like one long foreplay session. Courtney allowed my hand to remain on her thigh while she tortured me with the look in her eyes. Without saying a word she had me more turned on than I’d ever been in my life.
“Is everything okay?” the waitress asked, bringing Courtney another Diet Coke.
“What’s that?” I asked. Her question caught me off guard. For a second, it seemed like she had read my mind.
“Is the steak cooked correctly?” She pointed to my plate. I hadn’t even noticed that I had barely touched my food.
“Oh no. I mean, it’s fine. I just wasn’t as hungry as I thought. Can we get the check, though?”
Courtney laughed at my expense, watching the waitress, who looked at us like we were drunk.
Neither of us spoke as I drove away from the restaurant, but there was a clear sense of anticipation in the air.
I didn’t help matters during the drive back to her house. My hand never stopped touching her. It seemed to have a mind of its own as my fingers stroked up and down her thigh. I had to bite back a groan when she instinctively parted her legs, giving me better access to her inner thigh. I almost ran off the road. By the time I pulled into her driveway behind Lucy, I was so turned on I was almost in pain.
Courtney must have felt the same since we both practically jumped from the car at the same time. The porch light loomed in front of us.
“You want to come in?” she asked with her hand on the door like she already knew the answer.
“You sure?” It pained me to do so, but I gave her an out.
She nodded with a finger to her lips. Taking her lead, I followed her to her bedroom, softly closing her door behind me. Her room was dark except for the moonlight streaming through the partially open curtains. It took my eyes a moment to adjust before I spotted Courtney standing next to her bed. She looked self-conscious, making me feel a little like an ass. I knew what a leap of faith it was for her to invite me in. Because of our past, she still seemed to be holding on to the notion that the two of us together would be a bad idea. She didn’t know how wrong she was about me, but I was on a mission to show her.
Originally I’d planned to play it cool and take things slow, but I had never expected what happened at the vineyard, or to be standing here now for that matter. Every signal she was sending me said that she wanted this to happen.
She stood nervously wrapping a lock of hair around her finger, waiting for me to make the first move. I closed the short distance between us without taking my eyes from hers. Without saying a word, I cupped her face and tilted it up toward me, moving slowly to ease her fears. Her lips parted with anticipation as I brought my mouth inches away from hers. She whimpered slightly. I smiled with satisfaction when she stood on her toes to close the distance between us. The moment my mouth met hers she knotted her hands in my hair. Her intent was clear. She wanted this as bad as me. Moving my hands to her waist, I lifted her off the floor as she wrapped her legs around me. I became instantly hard, rubbing against her thighs. She moaned as my hands found her ass once again before I lowered her back to the floor.