He freed her wrist and stepped round to her side to politely encase her elbow in the warmth of his cupped hand. Winter was glad of his support. Her legs felt wobbly. They slowly descended the stairs along with the rest of the crowd. They didn’t speak as they emerged out into the night, both too aware of the sexual tension that was arcing between them.
When they reached his Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, Michael unlocked and opened the passenger door for her. His hand brushed her back as she slid in. Sparks of electricity shot through her where he touched her, and she shivered.
He shut the door and went around to get in on the other side. He started the engine. Then he glanced over at her, his expression enigmatic in the light from the dash. “It’s a beautiful night. Do you mind if I put the top down?”
“All right.” She watched as he pressed a button in the center console. With a faint whirring, the hood opened and folded down into a concertina onto the back. Michael swung the Porsche out of the emptying parking lot and onto the darkened streets.
The warm wind rushed over her, tugging at her hair and stirring the silky skirt of her gown. Winter let the wrap slide off her shoulders, baring her arms to the breeze. She was acutely aware of the man sitting beside her. She cast a quick sideways glance at him through her lashes. A lock of dark hair tossed across his forehead. The garish streetlights cast flickering shadows over the hard planes of his features, leaving his expression unreadable. His mouth was set in a firm line. The gleaming white shirt molded to his chest. His virility heightened her senses.
Michael rested a flat wrist on top of the steering wheel while he firmly guided the car with his other hand. She stared at his hands, particularly at his long tapering fingers, and remembered what they could do to her body in the dark on tumbled sheets.
She breathed in his familiar scent, a heady mix of male and spicy cologne, and desire slammed into her. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously. Anticipation hummed through her. There was crystal certainty in her mind that they would end up at his house.
They had left the city behind to cruise along a two-lane dark highway. Just when she began to wonder where they were going, she saw the muted softened lights of the metropolis spread out below them. The night was clear and the view spectacular. The deep shadows of rolling hills framed the shimmering, blue-white lights of downtown Austin.
“Oh, it’s beautiful.”
Michael pulled the Porsche over into the entrance of an unlighted parking lot, letting the powerful engine idle. He half-turned toward her. “This is Scenic Overlook. Do you want to get out?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Michael turned off the engine and set the brake. He got out then came round the car and helped her out. He shut the low car door behind her, but he didn’t step away. He slipped his arms around her, his hands lightly sliding along her spine and curving lower to clasp her buttocks.
Winter flattened her hands against his chest. She tilted her head, looking up at him uncertainly. “Michael?”
“It turned you on, didn’t it?” he whispered. “When I was doing this with all of those people standing around us?” A hard hand squeezed the underside of her ass cheek while the other sensuously traced the line of her thong through her dress.
Her body instantly reacted. Heat pooled in her belly. She flushed with embarrassment. What was wrong with her that he could so easily arouse her? She pushed hard against his unyielding chest. “Stop it!”
“You didn’t tell me to stop then, Winter. You liked it. I felt you shivering.”
“I… all right, yes! It was turning me on.” There was no point in denying it when he had read her reaction so well. She would never admit it to him, but he was doing a good job of turning her on right then. “Are you satisfied now?”
He gave a low laugh. “Hardly.” His hands continued their erotic play. He glanced into the dark night. “A car could come along any second and catch us in the headlights,” he remarked casually.