“Key?” Seven asked.
The valet gestured politely into the interior of the car. “In there, sir. Cupholder.”
“Great. Thanks.” He smirked at the kid. “So now you have to walk back, or what?”
The kid nodded, shrugging. “It is a good night for a walk. I do not mind. Thank you very much, sir. Good night.”
“Night, kid.” He opened the passenger door, held my hand as I lowered myself in.
I wasn’t quite as graceful getting in this time, nor as assiduous about making sure my skirt stayed pulled down—and I noticed Seven wasn’t at all shy about letting his gaze linger on the long expanse of thigh that my hiked-up skirt showed.
He hesitated before lowering the door into place, his gaze raking up to my eyes, and then sliding slowly back down my body, lingering yet again on my thighs.
I just watched him looking at me, feeling my nerves sing, my desires rage. I was tempted to let my thighs fall open. Show him a little more. I wasn’t like this, usually. I didn’t play hard to get, but I didn’t give it away, either. Let them work for it a little, that was my game. Show me you want me, show me you’re willing to put in some effort.
Seven didn’t have to work, didn’t have to prove anything. With him, my needs were on fire, my desires at full boil. I wanted him.
Finally, he shut the door, and as he rounded the hood, I could see his mouth moving as if he was muttering to himself, and he scrubbed at the back of his head as if frustrated with himself somehow.
The drive back was much slower.
“I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable driving right now,” I said, by way of gauging his fitness to be behind the wheel.
He grinned. “I switched to plain soda water when you went to the bathroom that last time.”
I frowned at him. “And you didn’t tell me? I would’ve stopped then too.”
He laughed, shook his head. “Nah. Why do you think I didn’t? You don’t have to drive, I do. It’s all good.” He glanced at me as we stopped at a light. “You’re a very fun date, Autumn.
“I’m a fun date, huh?”
He nodded, his attention turning back to the road. “That’s a big compliment, in my book. Most dates are boring. To be perfectly honest, most of the dates I go on are just…an assessment to figure out if I have enough chemistry to go beyond the date with her. Meaning, I’m usually just tolerating boring bullshit conversation until it’s time to take her to her place and fuck.”
“But not me.”
“I enjoyed every minute with you, Autumn. Talking to you is more fun than I’ve had with clothes on in a long, long time.”
“You must not like rollercoasters, then.”
He burst out laughing. “No, not really. I take this beast to the track sometimes, and I open it up. That’s my idea of a rollercoaster.” His laughter faded, and the grin turned from amused to heated and predatory. “Are you a screamer, Autumn?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“A screamer.” He held my gaze for a brief moment. “On rollercoasters. Do you scream?”
I gulped. “Yeah, I am—I do. On good ones, at least. It’s not easy to make me scream, though.”
“Challenge accepted.” He was focused on the road, ostensibly, but I felt his attention on me. “Making you scream is going to be a hell of a lot of fun.”
“You’re going to take me to ride rollercoasters, next?”
“I am the rollercoaster, Autumn. I can even make you go upside down.”
Holy shit holy shit. That was very, very direct. Not even a pointed innuendo—that was a direct promise.
We arrived at my condo building, and he pulled to a stop in front of the doors.
I let out a soft breath. “You, uh, want to come up? For a nightcap, maybe?”
He put the car in park, pressed the button to shut off the engine. “Sure. A nightcap sounds good.”
Tommy, the doorman, had a smile for me, and a subtle assessing stare for Seven. “Have a good evening, Miss Scott?”
“Sure did, Tommy, thank you.”
He glanced again at Seven. “Ya’ll behave, now.”
Seven just regarded him steadily, pressed a hand to my lower back possessively.
The elevator ride was silent. I was feeling a thousand things. Nervous, eager…
Dizzy.
The last few Titos and soda were hitting me hard, suddenly. Which was bad timing, on my metabolism’s part. I’d had other plans for my buzz, and they didn’t include the wobbly, one-and-a-half vision, or the subtle nausea.
They included Seven, in my bed. Or maybe even my couch. Or the wall.
I didn’t plan on being picky.
I may not have wanted Zoe and the girls to put up that ad, and I had no intention of going through with the…deeper substance…of what the ad was about. But, it had brought a super sexy and intriguing man into my life, and at very least I could play that for what it was worth.
Namely, an orgasm or three, brought to me by the sinful sexiness of Seven St. John.
Now, if only I could get my inebriation level to cooperate.
I breathed slowly, through my nose, closed one eye. Focused hard on feeling normal. Feeling buzzed and good, not drunk and icky.
This is why I stuck with wine, also. I could drink red wine all damn day long, and as long as I put some water in with it now and then, I’d be buzzed but fine nearly indefinitely. Vodka? It was sneaking up on me in the worst way and at the worst possible time.
The elevator doors opened, and I gestured to the left. “I’m this way.”
I held on to his arm, inhaled his scent. There was something beneath the leather of his cuff and the cologne and the natural male scent. What was it? Vanilla? Cedar? Something, and it was delicious and I couldn’t identify it and it was, as I’d told him, making me unbearably horny.
If was a man, I’d have a hard-on right now. Being a woman, however, all I had to show for it was serious pair of headlights and a slick, warm, juicy feeling between my thighs.
I opened my purse and hunted for my keys, which had the unfortunate effect of making me stumble over my own feet. I felt Seven stiffen beside me, heard him sigh ever so slightly.
“You good?”
“Yeah,” I lied, “just had my heel catch.”
At my door, I managed to unlock and get in without embarrassment. Fortunately, I kept things pretty neat in the kitchen and living room, but if things got as far as the bedroom, I’d have to go tornado to clean up the discarded outfits I’d tried on.
I flicked on a few lights, set my purse on the counter. Was I moving more slowly than normal? I was focusing extra hard on walking in a straight line, and seeing only one of things.
I had a chance, here, with Seven, and I didn’t want to mess it up by seeming like a lush.
I put my backside to the island, one hand propped on the edge. Smiled at him. “Hey.”
He smirked at me. “Hey.”
I didn’t want another drink, but I’d invited him up for one. How did I get out of that?
“I’m good with water,” he said, his smirk shifting to a wry grin. “Or coffee. Or whatever.”
“I have an espresso machine,” I said gesturing at the sleek red machine on my counter. “I could make you a latte.”