I recalled what was under that shirt. I'd pressed my face against his naked chest how many times now? However many times it had been, it didn't feel like enough.
As if feeling the heat of my gaze, he turned his head in my direction. His gaze was electric, and he gave me a grin so heart-stopping that I felt my lips part as if waiting for a kiss.
"Baby," he said. "It doesn't matter what you wear. You'll be the most beautiful girl in that place." He turned his attention back to the road. "And you know what? If anyone gives you shit about what you're wearing, they'll have me to answer to."
I couldn’t help but laugh. "What are you gonna do?" I said. "Beat 'em up if they tell me no jeans allowed?"
In profile, I saw him smile. "Depends."
"On what?"
"How nicely they tell you."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, well the fashion police can be really brutal."
I was only half kidding. It was part of the reason I shopped at consignment stores. The clothes might've been secondhand, but they were almost always the right cut and label.
"There's this new place off Six Mile," he said. "A friend of mine's a bouncer there." He gave me a sideways glance. "And I'll tell you what, if he doesn't agree that what you're wearing is the sweetest stuff he's ever seen, I'll personally kick his ass."
I pretended to give it some thought. "I dunno," I said through laughter I couldn't quite contain. "He's not a big guy, is he? Because I sure don't want you getting hurt on my account."
As we pulled up to a red light, Lawton put a hand to his heart. "NowI'm hurt." He made a strangled, choking sound as the car came to a stop. "Might. Be. Fatal." He groaned. "Need. Mouth. To. Mouth." He flopped his head back onto the headrest and closed his eyes.
I glanced at the light. It was still red, but for how long. "Very funny," I said.
He didn't move.
"C'mon," I said with another nervous glance ahead, "the light's gonna turn."
He gave a low groan. "Almost. Gone."
"You are such a –" I laughed as I tore off my seatbelt and moved toward him. "Damn it, I don't know what you are." When our lips met, he came magically to life, moving his lips against mine in a way that sent a bolt of heat straight to my core.
I felt his hand in my hair and his tongue against mine. The next strangled moan was my own, as I felt my insides combust and my knees tremble.
A car horn sounded behind us, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I pulled away and looked toward the light, now green. There were several cars behind us. The horn sounded again, followed by another, probably from the vehicle behind them.
I jumped back into my seat. "Go!" I said.
"Not 'til you buckle up."
I fumbled for my seatbelt, listening to the cacophony of horns behind us. When the seatbelt snapped shut, Lawton floored it, leaving the other vehicles in the dust. I glanced behind us. The light was red again, and the horns were still blaring.
The driver of the car behind us was giving us the middle-finger salute. Lawton rolled down the window and gave the driver a casual wave.
"Oh my God," I said through choked laughter. "You're trying to get us killed."
He turned to give me a grin. "Never," he said. "The club's up here on the left. What do you think?"
I thought of how it would feel to have Lawton pressed up against me, our bodies grinding to the beat of whatever – slow song, fast song, hell, a damn polka. I wanted to feel him against me. And I didn't want to wait until we got back.
"Count me in," I said.
Chapter 39
The club was jam-packed with a line out the door – not that we waited in it. Whether it was because Lawton knew the bouncer or simply because of who he was, we bypassed the line and were ushered straight inside.
Behind us, I heard a few muttered grumbles of those left waiting, but Lawton took my hand, and we just kept going. A flash of cash and a few words from Lawton netted us a newly placed table right near the dance floor.
