“Till the second you get on that plane.”
“Good.” She dragged her nails over his back as Brett wrapped her hair in his hand and gently pulled, exposing her neck. He dragged his tongue and teeth over her flushed skin, and Penny gasped as her eyes rolled back in her head.
“Okay, I see how it is.”
Penny jolted and spun as Brett tensed next to her.
“Hi, Brett.” Andrea smirked and gestured at her neck. “You may want to give yourself a minute.”
Penny’s skin burned where Brett had been seconds before. She blinked. They were in a public garden. “Did anyone else—?”
Andrea shook her head. “Mom just asked where you were, though. Are you coming back in or . . .”
Penny nodded, then turned to Brett as Andrea started back up the path. “I should probably stay a bit longer.”
Brett nodded, his breath still coming in short bursts. “I’ll hold that thought.”
Penny laughed, her heart fizzing like buttermilk syrup. “Come in with me.”
He straightened his jacket, then adjusted his pants. “I might need a minute.” Penny grinned and ran her hand over the stubble on his jaw. “That’s extending my time out.”
“It’s dark in there. I don’t think anyone will notice.”
Brett frowned. “That’s not what a guy wants to hear, Penny.”
She laughed out loud. “Fine, everyone will notice your huge—”
He clapped a hand over her mouth, and she fell into him, breathing in citrus and spice. “Are you staying with Tyler and Sean?”
“I got my own room,” he murmured.
Penny lifted her head and nipped his earlobe before pushing back and dropping her arms. “Good.” She turned and walked up the path and heard a muttered, “Not helping,” as she reentered the dining room.
_____
Brett waited in his car, tapping his fingers impatiently on the wheel as he watched for Penny to walk out to the parking lot. When he finally saw her push through the doors, his breath caught. She looked like a Mediterranean Goddess wrapped in platinum gold. As much as he loved the dress, he loved the idea of it lying in a pile on his hotel room floor even more.
Penny searched the vehicles, and when she found his car, she waved and pointed to the front of the lot. He pulled up to the curb and rolled down the window.
“Amy said she’d take my car home. Can I just grab my toiletries and ride with you?”
Brett’s pulse somehow sped faster. “Please.”
Penny grinned and sashayed to her car. She tossed her heels in the back and put on her flip-flops, then grabbed her backpack and held up her dress so it didn’t drag on the asphalt as she ran back. She opened the door and jumped in. “Take me to bed, Bouchard.”
Brett pressed the gas, not realizing the car was still in park. His cheeks flushed as Penny laughed and threw her bag in the back.
When they arrived at the hotel, Tyler and Sean were standing in the lobby. Brett tried to get on the elevator before they noticed him but failed. Tyler launched into twenty questions about the party, knowing full well what an annoying bastard he was being by the smug smile on his face. Brett finally hit the button and pulled Penny into the lift mid-sentence.
She laughed as he pressed her against the mirrors and kissed her breathless. When the doors opened on his floor, he pulled her down the hall to his room and whisked her inside.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
“You’re about to be gladder.”
Penny hissed a breath against his lips. “Is that a word?”
“Are you seriously correcting my grammar right now?” He slipped his hands under the thin straps of her dress and dragged them off her shoulders.
