mean.
Julie slid inside the cab and across the seat, out of the overhead light. She drew her arms into her body while rubbing her hands together, her breath heaving when she looked back over at him. “It’s colder outside than before.”
He was slower to get inside and shut the door. When the overhead light darkened, Julie sidled up next to him, scooting so close she lifted his arm to drape around her shoulders.
“You are cold.”
“I told you,” she said, her smiling face beaming his way. He brought her in closer, lowering his head for a soft kiss on the lips. He’d intended to keep it light, but Julie turned, ran a palm over his chest, and opened her mouth. She was just too tempting; he couldn’t help but take what she offered. Man, he could get lost in this woman. Only the loud clearing of a throat penetrated his senses, and Connor tore himself away from Julie as he looked around the cab, then through the side window. They were at the hotel. How had two blocks already gone by?
“How much?” he asked, his voice hoarse with need. He’d made the critical mistake of looking down at her pretty, upturned face again and got a little lost in her beauty. It took effort, but he reached into his back pocket for his wallet, never taking his eyes off Julie, with her body still plastered enticingly against his.
“Twenty-three,” the cabdriver said.
“Twenty-three dollars? We went two blocks.” He had no problem dragging his gaze from her and focused on the little man in the front seat who was clearly cheating him.
“I have cash,” Julie said and reached for her purse.
“No, that’s not the point. I have the money, but it’s a block, maybe two,” he said, digging out the cash to keep her from trying to pay.
“It’s not the drive. We’ve been sitting here several minutes.” The driver tapped the timer on his dash. It had almost ten minutes logged.
What? Ten minutes?
Julie’s hand reached across the seat as she extended two twenties in the driver’s direction.
“I have the cash,” she said sweetly, her full lips curving into a patient smile. She then did the most remarkable thing. Chuckling, she lifted and kissed his cheek before saying, “You have that fierce look again.”
He reserved the look for the times he tried to intimidate. It usually sent a very clear message, but not to Julie. She lifted her fingertip and slid it across his wrinkled brow.
“I got it. Don’t take her money,” he said to the driver somewhat gruffly, his whole attention focused on her. Only because she seemed to make everything in life a little better, Connor added a five-dollar bill to the money he’d pulled out of his wallet. “Keep the change.”
Julie put her money away with only a slight shake of the head and finally moved off him. She wrapped herself in the jacket, pulled the hood over her head, and moved across the seat toward the other door while he waited for his receipt. She didn’t wait for him as she opened the door and stood on the sidewalk, pushing her hair away from her face. Slower, he followed and shut the cab’s door as she dug for something in her purse.
“You guys doing all right?” a busy valet called out. Connor gave an absent thumbs up before turning back to see her wearing a thick pair of reading glasses that dramatically changed the way she looked.
“You wear glasses?” he asked.
“Sometimes.” She hadn’t moved and didn’t look like she planned to. He stood there in the much colder wind, trying to block it from her, tucking his hands in his pockets while she zipped up his jacket as far as it would go. “Okay, let’s go.”
She took off in long quick strides toward a side entrance—a single door to the right of the entry. She reached for the door handle and he barely managed to get there before she stopped abruptly and turned back toward him, crowding them together at the entrance. “Can we walk straight to the back elevators?”
“As opposed to…?”
“Good answer!
Julie slid inside the cab and across the seat, out of the overhead light. She drew her arms into her body while rubbing her hands together, her breath heaving when she looked back over at him. “It’s colder outside than before.”
He was slower to get inside and shut the door. When the overhead light darkened, Julie sidled up next to him, scooting so close she lifted his arm to drape around her shoulders.
“You are cold.”
“I told you,” she said, her smiling face beaming his way. He brought her in closer, lowering his head for a soft kiss on the lips. He’d intended to keep it light, but Julie turned, ran a palm over his chest, and opened her mouth. She was just too tempting; he couldn’t help but take what she offered. Man, he could get lost in this woman. Only the loud clearing of a throat penetrated his senses, and Connor tore himself away from Julie as he looked around the cab, then through the side window. They were at the hotel. How had two blocks already gone by?
“How much?” he asked, his voice hoarse with need. He’d made the critical mistake of looking down at her pretty, upturned face again and got a little lost in her beauty. It took effort, but he reached into his back pocket for his wallet, never taking his eyes off Julie, with her body still plastered enticingly against his.
“Twenty-three,” the cabdriver said.
“Twenty-three dollars? We went two blocks.” He had no problem dragging his gaze from her and focused on the little man in the front seat who was clearly cheating him.
“I have cash,” Julie said and reached for her purse.
“No, that’s not the point. I have the money, but it’s a block, maybe two,” he said, digging out the cash to keep her from trying to pay.
“It’s not the drive. We’ve been sitting here several minutes.” The driver tapped the timer on his dash. It had almost ten minutes logged.
What? Ten minutes?
Julie’s hand reached across the seat as she extended two twenties in the driver’s direction.
“I have the cash,” she said sweetly, her full lips curving into a patient smile. She then did the most remarkable thing. Chuckling, she lifted and kissed his cheek before saying, “You have that fierce look again.”
He reserved the look for the times he tried to intimidate. It usually sent a very clear message, but not to Julie. She lifted her fingertip and slid it across his wrinkled brow.
“I got it. Don’t take her money,” he said to the driver somewhat gruffly, his whole attention focused on her. Only because she seemed to make everything in life a little better, Connor added a five-dollar bill to the money he’d pulled out of his wallet. “Keep the change.”
Julie put her money away with only a slight shake of the head and finally moved off him. She wrapped herself in the jacket, pulled the hood over her head, and moved across the seat toward the other door while he waited for his receipt. She didn’t wait for him as she opened the door and stood on the sidewalk, pushing her hair away from her face. Slower, he followed and shut the cab’s door as she dug for something in her purse.
“You guys doing all right?” a busy valet called out. Connor gave an absent thumbs up before turning back to see her wearing a thick pair of reading glasses that dramatically changed the way she looked.
“You wear glasses?” he asked.
“Sometimes.” She hadn’t moved and didn’t look like she planned to. He stood there in the much colder wind, trying to block it from her, tucking his hands in his pockets while she zipped up his jacket as far as it would go. “Okay, let’s go.”
She took off in long quick strides toward a side entrance—a single door to the right of the entry. She reached for the door handle and he barely managed to get there before she stopped abruptly and turned back toward him, crowding them together at the entrance. “Can we walk straight to the back elevators?”
“As opposed to…?”
“Good answer!
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