“To be truthful, I probably didn’t give them a chance. I fear I might have sabotaged a relationship or two.”
“Why would you do that?”
She licked her lips and swallowed, her fingers holding the steering wheel in a death grip. “They weren’t you.”
“What did you say?” Reno leaned over the console, like he couldn’t believe his ears.
“They weren’t you, Reno.” Once she said the words aloud, she realized how crazy they sounded. He was going to think she was certifiable – and maybe she was. “I’m sorry, I’m probably putting you in an impossible position.”
“Pull over. Stop the car.”
Journey did as he asked. Just her luck. She’d either made him feel ill or he was going to hitchhike away from her. “Okay.”
Once the car was stopped, Reno undid his seatbelt, then turned to unbuckle hers. “Come here.” He didn’t wait for her to fulfill his demand, he pulled her over the console and into his arms. His mouth covered hers. Gentle at first, then devouring. Hungry. He kissed her as if his life depended on it. He kissed her as if there was no tomorrow. He kissed her the way she’d always dreamed he would. With lips as sweet as wine. She tangled her fingers in his hair, clinging to him, giving herself completely to his kiss. Her entire body vibrated and tingled with pure joy.
Journey wanted to preserve these moments in amber for eternity.
Honk! Honk!
Reno was reluctant to release her. Now that he’d found her, he didn’t want to let her go. “What’s with this horn blowing thing?” he whispered against her lips. When she smiled, he could feel it. He kissed her again.
“Uh, they want us to know they see us kissing. It’s mostly in fun. Like saying, ‘hey, get a room!’”
He chuckled. Even a man of his century knew what was meant by ‘get a room’.
Journey started to slip back into her seat, but Reno prevented her from doing so. He rubbed his lips over hers, then pressed soft kisses from the corner of her mouth down to nuzzle her neck. “You smell so sweet.”
She shivered so hard, he felt it, his arms tightening around her.
Honk!
This time, he laughed, letting her go.
She found her place behind the wheel, but she could barely lift her arms to drive. Journey was weak from the emotional storm, the deluge of sensation that came from being held and kissed by Reno Black. “I’m a little disoriented,” she confessed softly.
“Take your time, love. We’re in no hurry.”
Hearing his words gave her a tiny jolt of energy. The day was still young, and they were together. She started the car and continued the trip.
Soon, they were nearing the west side of Austin. Reno was excited, taking it all in. “There’s a lot of wealthy people here, aren’t there?”
Very astute. “Yes, Austin is a trendy place. Full of history. Has a world class college. Many high-rise buildings, skyscrapers they’re called. It’s still the capital of Texas, of course, and it’s also known as the live music capital of the world.” By the time she finished her descriptive spiel, the skyline came into view. “Look.”
Reno froze. “Holy shit. Go closer.”
She exited off 71, then took South Congress to head downtown. The farther they went, the taller the buildings became. As they were crossing the bridge, she told him where they were. “This is still the Colorado River, but downtown it’s called Lady Bird Lake to honor the nation’s 36th First Lady who was from Texas. She’s the one, Lady Bird Johnson, who we have to thank for all the beautiful wildflowers growing on the sides of the roads. This bridge also has the largest urban colony of bats in the nation. It’s a sight to behold when a million and half of the little creatures come flying out in a black cloud.”
“I want to see everything.” He told her. “How do I roll down the window?”
She demonstrated, then grinned as he hit the button, leaning out as far as he could to look up at the tall buildings. “Like what you see?”
“It’s amazing,” he told her with a huge smile. “You’re amazing.”
Journey thought she might just burst from happiness.
After letting him look his fill of downtown, she got back on 71 to head east to the Austin Bergstrom Airport. They didn’t go all the way, she found a place to pull off in a field of wildflowers, close enough that he could see the big jets taking off and landing.