“Lead the way.” We walk for a few feet with her still wrapped in my arms in front of me. It’s difficult. We look like waddling ducks.
Finally, she swoops out from under my arm. “It’ll probably be faster if we walk side by side.”
“Oh, uh, yeah. You’re right.” The loss of contact sucks, and the bitter cold hits me in the chest. It’d be wrong of me to suggest that she come back and protect me from it, right?
“You can hold me again while we wait for the car to warm up,” she winks. It’s a small consolation, but worth the wait. “Let’s go.” She grabs my hand and pulls me behind her.
We aren’t strolling along at a leisurely pace. It’s a quick walk and I’m worried I’ll slip and bust my ass. Because that is what women find attractive. I concentrate with everything I have and will my feet to stay steady. There are always chances of slipping in sweat when on the court, but you can see those glistening spots on the floor. The lighting is dim from the snow flurries and shadows of others passing by us on the sidewalk. I can’t see any signs of slickness. Let’s hope that means nothing has accumulated and we make it to her car safely.
Rounding the corner, she picks up her pace. “My car is right over there.”
“You know this isn’t a race, right?” The flurries are getting bigger and hit me in the face. It wouldn’t be so bad if they’d stop landing in my fucking eyes.
She laughs as we near what I assume is her car. “I’m just trying to protect your Southern ass. I know you don’t like cold weather.”
We stop at the driver side door of an older model sedan. I can’t tell what kind it is, but I know from the body style it’s almost a decade old. She unlocks it and I move to open the door for her. Slipping on a small patch of ice I didn’t see; I end up pressing her against the car. Her breath comes out in soft pants, small white clouds leaving her mouth on every exhalation. Eyes wide, her gaze meets mine and despite the cold and the fact I can’t feel my fingers, I lean down and press my lips to hers.
She doesn’t pull away. Her hands trapped between us grasp onto my jacket, yanking me closer. My tongue swirls with hers and I use the top of her car to support my weight. I lose all track of time as she tries to pull me flush against her body. The thickness of my jacket keeps us from that.
I move one of my hands and tangle it in her hair, grateful that she wears it down when she’s not at work. A moan escapes into my mouth as I deepen the kiss. She breaks away, placing small kisses along my neck. Teasing me the way I teased her when she was in Austin. Dammit, this isn’t fair. Not when I can’t strip her out of her clothes in privacy.
“Get a room,” someone from a couple of rows down yells, breaking the bubble we’ve been in for the past few minutes.
Jolene pulls away from me and looks down at her hands gripping my shirt. “I’m so sorry. I’m not sure what got into me.”
Running a finger down the side of her face, I lift her chin until her eyes meet mine. “Never apologize for that. But maybe we can go back to your place now. We’ll have privacy there.”
She nods and turns to get in the car. I wait until she’s settled in her seat and close the door. I’d offer to drive, but I’m one of the people that doesn’t do well with wintry weather. I round the car and slide into the passenger seat. Leaning over, I kiss her one more time before putting my seatbelt on. “Let’s get out of here. I have plans for you.”
A sly smile crosses her face as she puts the car in reverse and merges into traffic. I’m going to make her forget every man before me.
* * *
The drive doesn’t take long. With as many people as we saw on the sidewalks, I figured traffic would be horrible. Apparently, those who were going to get out and about already are, and everyone else has stayed in.
Jolene pulls into a parking garage and parks close to the elevators. “We’re here,” she squeaks out nervously, but doesn’t reach for the door.
“Are we going to get out, or stay in the car? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be anywhere you are, but inside might be more comfortable… and warmer.” I’m only giving her a hard time. Even if I have plans, of every way I want to claim her, she’s still skittish. The only reason I know she wants more is because she initiated the kiss in the parking lot. She pulled me closer and made me lose all sense of reality.
“Yeah,” she reaches for the door handle before I can get out to open it for her. She waits until I’m beside her before walking toward the door next to the elevators.
Despite the frigid air and the promise of warmth her apartment brings, I pull her to a stop. She gasps as I run a finger along her jawline, and brush kisses along the same path. A small reminder of what’s coming.
Her breathing picks up and she shudders at my touch. “Let’s get inside.” This time we’re rushing for completely different reasons. A part of me wants to scoop her into my arms and carry her to our destination, if only to speed things up. But I have no idea where to go, and I don’t want to freak her out.
She leads me down a hallway by the edge of my jacket, then turns down another one. I’m nothing more than a puppy, eagerly following her, and waiting for my treat. Stopping in front of her door, she fumbles with her keys. I slide my arm around her waist and under her jacket, caressing her waistline through the thin red fabric of her dress. Her keys fall from her hand and she mutters a curse. “We will never make it inside if you keep distracting me.”
I pause in my teasing to pick up the keys and place them in her outstretched hand. “You’ve been distracting me all damn night,” I whisper in her ear.
She shudders against me and shakes her head. “We’ll cause a scene if we don’t make it inside, then I’ll have to move from embarrassment.” Finding the correct keys, she slides it into the lock.
“Fine,” I pout and slide my hand over hers. “But the minute that door closes behind us…you are mine.” The last part is a growl and I hope she knows just how serious I am.
Instead of answering me, she turns the key and pushes the door open. I take that as all the invitation I need. But Jolene surprises me. She yanks the key out of the door and turns to face me. Her hands reach for the lapels of my jacket and she pulls be toward her, closing the distance between us. Walking backward, she tugs me along, her lips inching toward mine.
As soon as I clear the door, I kick it closed with my foot. I pause to lock the door behind me, but she yanks me forward. “Don’t worry about that. The only person who barges in unannounced is Lana, and she’s been warned not to show up.”
“So, you planned to seduce me all along,” I chuckle. “And here I thought it was the other way around.”