She filled with awe, knowing in her soul that there was more to this encounter than sex.
“Stop it.” He snorted with amusement.
“What am I doing?” she asked.
At the traffic light, he stopped the car and pinned her with a fierce look.
“You’re stumbling around inside my head.”
Oh, shit. So she wasn’t imagining things. What the hell did she do now?
“Stumbling? Well, crap. I envisioned something way more graceful and ballet-like.”
His reaction was a jerking startle. “So you know you’re doing it?”
There was nothing to do but let instinct take over and pray she wasn’t making a huge mistake.
“You’re making it difficult to pretend this is all perfectly normal. And I told you, I can hear your heart, so don’t act so surprised.”
Throwing it back to him seemed all sorts of clever until the golden god laughed. “Well, fuck. If that’s the case, why aren’t you repeatedly slapping my face?”
She smirked. “Because I like being worshipped. It turns out, there’s not much of a difference between goddess and slut.”
The light turned, and the car sped off. It appeared as though they were in a hurry. A naughty and very pleased smile made her lips tingle.
In the film version of this date, the car was on two wheels when they turned into the hotel driveway at a high rate of speed and came to a squealing halt at the valet stand.
She touched the door handle but stopped when Arnie growled.
“Don’t move.”
Commanded to obey, she surrendered to his will, triggering a shivering thrill to dance along her nerves. She’d never felt more powerful or female.
Her car door opened rather forcefully. She saw Arnie point at the uniformed valet attendant and tersely tell him to back off.
Ah, the forbidding tone and demeanor of a territorial male. Squee!
A hand moved in front of her face. She calmly offered her trembling fingers. When his larger ones engulfed hers and he pulled her out of the car, he murmured close to her ear.
“Only a golden goddess could survive the slut-fucking you’re in for.”
She gasped and searched his face.
“Oh, and please remember it was you coining the phrase. I’m just using your words.”
“Serves me right, I guess, huh?” Summer giggled.
Biting back a laugh took effort when Arnie barked at the valet and tossed the car keys to the guy. The testosterone exuded by her larger-than-life lover rolled off his big body in waves. Each surge pushed her farther and farther from shore, but she was an excellent swimmer.
He held her hand as they entered the beautiful hotel complex. She was struck by the significance of the sweet gesture. Handholding wasn’t something fuck buddies engaged in. It felt intimate and meaningful.
Arnie took big, fast steps. His man-on-a-mission vibe gave her the happy giggles, but she had to clutch his hand or end up face planting as she hurried to keep up with him. The stylish strappy shoes she had on were not made for sprinting.
“Hey! Slow down,” she cautioned when his speed caused her to hop over a display of terra cotta planters.
He stopped dead in his tracks. She body slammed him and grunted, “Oof.”
He might be older, wiser, and have a ton of experience, but the wildness in his eyes told her he was flying without a net. Through their connected palms, she felt a tremor move through his body. She gave his hand a slight squeeze and offered a small smile.
Their eyes held. “I know,” she whispered.
“Do you?”
She nodded. “Yes.” Her admission seemed to come as a surprise. “I want to be alone with you too.”
Some of the wildness in his eyes calmed. She leaned closer, and said, “But if I fall and skin my knees, it kind of puts a crimp in the sinful perversion plan my goddess slut side is imagining.”
“We don’t want that.” He chuckled.
His gaze was full of longing and lust. His self-confidence and sexual magnetism overwhelmed her. He was seducing her without trying. Thank god for the lacy boy short underwear she had on because no joke, if she wasn’t wearing panties of any kind, Summer was sure arousal would be dripping down her inner thigh.
A switch flipped, and he morphed into a charming, personable tour guide, pointing out architectural details and commenting on the hotel’s design. He walked slower and took his time, but there was little doubt that he was taking her someplace where they could explore the sexual perversions she teased him about.
There was simply no way to describe the gorgeous freestanding, private bungalow hidden in a lush jungle garden.