“That was painful to watch,” Hailey said.
“We danced. That’s what you wanted and now we’re going home.”
“Yeah, about that. Fran took my car key away like hours ago.”
“Because Drew and Ryan are driving people home. And, lucky me, Ryan will be our chauffeur this evening.”
“I’m going to flash the world climbing into that truck.” Hailey looked down at her short red dress as though trying to figure out what to do about it.
It turned out she didn’t need to worry about it because, obviously foreseeing that particular risk, Ryan was using Rose’s car to play taxi service. Lauren scooted into the middle of the backseat and Hailey slid in beside her. Carl, who cooked for Paige at the diner, got in the front seat after helping his wife in on Lauren’s other side.
During the drive to Carl’s house, Lauren swore Ryan’s eyes must have met hers in the rearview mirror a million times, and it was starting to piss her off. The guy couldn’t not look at her, but when he had the opportunity to touch her, he turned into a walking, barely talking plank of wood.
She narrowed her eyes at his reflection and saw him lift an eyebrow at her. Then she folded her arms and stared at the back of Carl’s head.
Once the cook and his wife were safely deposited at home, Lauren slid to the seat by the door, which made it easier to avoid looking in the mirror. She hoped she was next on his delivery schedule, but he turned toward Hailey’s house and she sighed. Logically, she knew it made sense since Hailey’s house was on the way to Lauren’s, but she didn’t really want to be in the car alone with Ryan.
When he pulled up in front of Hailey’s, he put the car in park and walked around to open her door.
“Call me tomorrow,” she hissed before climbing out of the backseat.
No, thanks. She didn’t particularly care to relive tonight. “’Night, Hailey.”
Ryan leaned down to speak to her. “You want to move to the front seat?”
“I’m fine right here, thanks.”
He closed the door and, after Hailey was safely inside her house, he got back in the car and put it in gear. For a minute he looked as if he was going to say something, but then he hit the gas and drove in silence.
*
Normally when he drove a woman home, especially if she’d been drinking, he’d get out of his vehicle and walk her to the door, as he had with Hailey. But Ryan was afraid if he got that close to Lauren again tonight, he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off of her, so he kept them on the steering wheel while she got out of the backseat.
After she closed the door, she walked around the front of the car, which made the headlights spotlight how freaking amazing her body looked in that dress. When she walked to the passenger door, he rolled down the window and she leaned in. If he was a gentleman, he wouldn’t look at the lace bra-edging the position gave him tantalizing glimpses of.
“Thank you for the ride. And for the dance.”
He wasn’t sure what to say to that. “I enjoyed it.”
“Really?” She tilted her head, scowling. “You didn’t seem very happy about it. Before the wedding, I kept thinking about what it would be like to dance with you, and it was a lot different in my imagination.”
Don’t ask, he told himself. She wasn’t sober. What he should do was shrug, wait for her to go in the house and then drive away. “How did we dance in your imagination?”
“Really slow.” Her voice was soft and a little husky. “And really close. Our bodies were touching and then you put your hand on my back and held me even tighter so my breasts were pressed against your chest.”
Every rational and responsible thought in Ryan’s head scrambled as her words formed an image in his mind. “And that’s how you wanted me to dance with you?”
“Yes, but I guess you didn’t want to dance with me like that.”
He didn’t even turn off the ignition or close the door behind him. Before his brain started firing on all cylinders, he walked around the back of the car. “I’m not very good with words, so I’ll just show you how I wanted to dance with you.”
She made a breathless sound that wasn’t quite an oh when he pulled her into his arms. Holding her like that, with her body against his, was even better than he’d dreamed it could be.
“I didn’t look happy, because it was killing me to have my hands on you and not be able to touch you the way I wanted to because my whole freaking family was watching. And not only would my aunt and Rose be scandalized, but if you shot me down, I’d never hear the end of it.”
She hadn’t thought about it like that. “How did you want to touch me?”
“Like this.” He cupped her ass with one hand, pulling her against him, while sliding his other hand up her rib cage. “And I didn’t hold you close because my dick was so hard it ached and I didn’t want you to feel it.”