Page 69 of Hold Me Until Morning

A shiver rushed through me when he pressed the hand he had extended to the small of my back and began to lead me toward the parking lot.

Heat blazed at the bare connection.

A fire that leapt.

I tried to keep my breathing even, but I was pretty sure there was no way he’d miss the way my pulse was speeding.

The bar grew quieter and quieter the farther we traipsed down the row of vehicles, and the darkness gathered thick. He led me to where his truck was parked about halfway down, his boots crunching in the loose gravel as he guided me to the passenger’s side.

The lights blinked when he clicked the locks, and he opened the door. “In you go.”

A short gasp left me when he reached down and curled a hand around my side to help me into the high seat.

A low growl echoed from behind me. “That dress should be illegal, darlin’.”

I settled onto the seat, trying to ignore the path of his attention. The tingles that rushed and raced as his gaze traveled over me where I was propped in the seat of his truck, hungry eyes riding down over the glittering fabric and fluttering like fingertips down my bare legs.

“I think it’s pretty.” Why I answered, I didn’t know.

“Oh, it’s pretty, all right. Now get yourself buckled because I’m going to shut this door and pretend like I don’t want to set you back on your feet, turn you around, and push that skirt up around your waist so I can get to the deliciousness hiding underneath.”

Before I could say anything, he slammed the door in my face.

My mouth dropped open because this man truly had no filter.

He rounded the front of the truck, and I couldn’t look away as he went. He was right back to oozing all that cool as he strode to his side, tossed open the door, and hopped in like he hadn’t left the ground shaking under my feet.

I was swept in it, his aura as he buckled himself and pushed the button for the ignition.

Spice and cedar and earth.

He put the truck in reverse and pulled out, then stopped as he shifted into drive, right before his attention swung to me. A deep frown carved into his brow when he saw the way I was just sitting there staring at him, my hands under my thighs to keep myself from doing something stupid like reaching out to touch him.

This man would destroy me. Chew me up and spit me out.

What Lolly had said was undoubtedly true.

The chewing would be so nice.

But it was my conscience I would never survive.

My jaw unlocked again when he suddenly leaned all the way over the seat, the oxygen gone as he pushed into my space, his unrelenting stare pinning me to the spot when he reached around and pulled the buckle across my front.

Surprise jutted my chest.

Crap. I’d been too busy ogling him to take the time to remember to buckle myself.

I couldn’t think straight.

Couldn’t move.

The buckle clicked into place, and he never looked away when he rumbled, “I guess I have to do everything myself, don’t I?”

There was a gleam to those eyes then, sparks of gold and flickers of light right as that smirk edged up at the corner of his mouth. He was nothing but a toil of charm and mayhem. An easy, tempting danger that would be so easy to slip into.

I hoped I wasn’t panting when I peered over at him as he pulled out of the parking lot and out onto the road.

This burly, mountain of a man who drove beneath the cover of night.

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