"Notonlythe truck." Her voice softened. "The guy driving it's pretty special, too."
If I wanted to tease her, I might've pointed out that I wasn't currently driving, and that the truck was old enough to be her dad. But what I really wanted was more of this – her fingers curling tighter in my shirt, her knee nudging between mine, her breath brushing my jaw like she wanted to be even closer.
She wasn't bluffing.
I knew this.
She knew it, too. I could feel it in the press of her hips and the tempo of her breathing, in the way her body stayed poised as if waiting for my next move.
She didn't need to wait.
With my hand steady at her back, I turned my face to hers and kissed her – slowly at first and then deeper. Her fingers slid up my chest as our mouths moved, and my pulse surged in all the right places.
Somewhere outside, crickets chirped and the night wrapped around the barn. But all I could feel was Tessa – warm and willing – molding herself against me in a perfect fit. I slid my other hand along her side, tracing small, lazy arcs that made her breath stutter.
She pulled back to whisper, "A question…"
"Yeah?"
"The popcorn gremlins – they're not coming back, are they?"
I chuckled against the smooth skin of her neck. "Not if they know what's good for them."
"I'm serious," she said. "I mean…Iwant to see you naked, but iftheysee you naked, I'm pretty sure I'll have to kill 'em."
I loved her voice, especially at times like this when she was soft and unguarded. "And why's that?"
"Maybe I don't wanna share."
"Me neither," I laughed. "And those gremlins of yours?"
Her voice was a near whisper. "Yeah?"
"They're not coming back 'til morning."
She let out a soft, relieved laugh and tipped her head to study my face. "You're sure?"
"Very."
Her smile turned slow and knowing as my thumb dipped just beneath the edge of her shirt. She leaned into my touch, and her breath hitched before she said, "Good thing. I'm not sure the gremlins could've stopped me." And then, as if to prove it, she set about removing my shirt.
She tugged at the fabric with more enthusiasm than strategy, and when the shirt snagged at my elbow, she gave an adorable huff. "Hold still."
"Iamholding still."
She giggled. "Then hold stiller."
"Are you sure you don't want a flight attendant to walk you through this?"
She snorted as she finally yanked the shirt over my head. "Like I'm gonna share you with a flight attendant." She ran a hand over my bare chest. "And besides, it could be a dude."
I laughed. "Then forget it, because you know what?"
"What?"
"I'm not gonna shareyoueither."
"That'sa relief." Still smiling, she leaned in again, kissing me like she meant it. Her fingers slid into my hair as she pressed closer, and the truck rocked slightly beneath us.
