Alex kept his eyes straight on the road, but all his concentration was focused on one small place. He took a deep breath and let it out, then slowly spread his fingers out on her thigh, edging an inch under the hem of her skirt.
She didn’t tense. She didn’t stiffen against him or clear her throat or nudge him with her clasped hands.
Alex slowed around another curve, then, as he straightened the bike out again, he slipped his hand a centimeter higher on her thigh. Then another.
His fingertips tingled from the intensity, the anticipation. And finally, he felt it. The smooth seam at the top of the stocking. The slightest rise of the edge. Then...bare skin. Bare hot skin.
She was wearing stockings. And a garter belt.
Holy shit. Something feral inside him roused itself.
His hand brushed the clasp holding the silk in place. He wondered if he’d know how to unhook it if he were given the opportunity, then realized he wouldn’t want to. He’d want the stockings on. He’d want to fuck her that way.
Alex let out the breath he’d been holding. She melted more fully against him. He left his hand just where it was. The clouds turned silver above the trees.
At first, he didn’t feel the change, but when Sophie’s hand flattened against his stomach, he realized she’d unclasped her hands. Now her fingers spread wider, feeling his body through the cotton of his shirt. Her other hand slipped up to trace over his chest. Nerve endings all the way from his neck down to his dick woke up and paid attention.
Adrenaline rushed into his veins, and if he’d managed to catch a chill on this ride, it vanished in an instant. His brain worked quickly, helpfully pointing out that there was a scenic turnout just ahead, in case he wanted to pull over and kiss her. And don’t you want to kiss her? his mind yelled.
Yeah. Hell, yeah, he wanted to kiss her. At least.
Alex slowed and cut across the highway, driving into a small dirt lot that overlooked the river. He cut the engine and toed down the stand, but he didn’t move. Her arms were still wrapped around him, her fingers still sliding slowly along his chest, mapping the shape of him. The only sound now was the water below them and a few crickets waiting for the first freeze.
He slid his hand back to her leg and heard a soft sigh. The sound made him close his eyes. Her other hand pressed tighter against his belly.
Jesus, this was insane. Locked like this with a woman he hardly knew and had never kissed, his fingers tracing the top of her stocking. He pushed her skirt a little higher and looked down to see her. The garter was pale in the moonlight. Not white, but the same color as her skin. The stocking just a shade darker.
He’d never seen them like that. Anytime he’d been lucky enough to be this close, the lingerie had been black. This was a subtler form of sexy, just like the rest of her. A nudge that dared you to find out more, if you were man enough to take the hint. He slipped his thumb beneath the strap of the garter belt and stroked the top of her thigh.
Yes. Another sigh. Alex took off his helmet, then felt her do the same. When he reached back, she handed over the helmet and slipped off the bike. His back was like ice without her.
He followed her slow walk to the railing and stopped behind her, keeping a few inches of space between them so she wouldn’t feel stalked. Her neck curved so delicately up from where his jacket hung loose around her. Two pale inches of skin between her shoulder and the sweep of her pretty red hair. She watched the water below them, dark and dangerous until it turned white against rocks. But he only watched her.
Finally, her head turned and she smiled at him. A demure tip of her lips. A coy glance. Alex stepped closer. His heart sped as he slipped his hands beneath the leather jacket and framed her hips. Then he slowly, slowly dipped his head and watched her face tip away, giving him access, letting him close until he could press a kiss to that soft skin just behind her ear.
Oh, she sighed again. A tiny, sweet sound. Alex opened his mouth on her. Just a little. Just enough to let her feel the heat, and this time her neck arched until he could brush his lips all the way down to the line of her shoulder and back up. As a reward, he scraped his teeth against her skin.
That got more than a sigh. She shivered and gasped and her hand came up to curl around his skull and pull him tighter. He sucked at her then, just below her ear, and Sophie’s whole body arched, pushing her hips back.
Hell, he hadn’t intended on pressing his erection against her ass that quickly, but he wasn’t going to push her away. Even if he’d wanted to, his hands had other ideas. They gripped her hips tighter and held her right there. Right where she’d wanted to be. The brush of her ass against his cock was a shudder of pure pleasure. He closed his eyes and let it wash over him. The sweetness of her.
She smelled good and tasted even better, but he wanted more of her. More.
Alex clasped her chin, turning her toward him so he could taste her kiss. She turned eagerly, offering her mouth to him, moaning into him as he kissed her. When she twisted toward him, he let his hands slide around her waist, turning her until he was holding her hips again. He tugged her belly against his hard-on.
Her tongue met his and slipped tentatively into his mouth.
Jesus, she was hot. A ridiculous mix of primness and eagerness that made him want to own her, dominate her, but with a few “Yes, ma’ams” thrown in out of respect.
He kissed her, carefully at first, getting to know her mouth and her taste. He knew he was a big, rough guy, and he didn’t want to scare her. But if he was trying to take care and go slow, Sophie didn’t have the same compulsion. Her hands freely explored him, sliding up his arms and over his shoulders. His ego swelled along with his cock when she made little noises of approval in her throat. He tugged her hips tighter to him and kissed her more deeply.
God, the pressure against his cock felt good. And her hands felt good as her fingers dug a little into his muscles, making him aware of his body. Of his strength and size and the way that might turn her on.
He backed her up to the flat wood planks of the railing. He could let go of her hips now and stay pressed to her. Her waist was a slight curve under his hands, and then her long, delicate back, and that arching neck. Then, finally, he cupped the back of her head and held her for a deeper kiss, his tongue working slowly against hers, letting her know exactly how he’d fuck her.
Her moan let him know she might like it.
But not tonight.
He was startled by the thought. He didn’t know where it came from. Not from her, but from some dark part of his brain. Not tonight. Not even if she’d let him. He felt...deviant, touching this woman, making her moan. He felt perverted and he liked it. He wanted to draw it out. Expose her secrets like layers of hidden need. They were there. He could feel it in the way she stretched up to take more of his tongue. More of him.
He’d give her more if that would make her happy.
Alex raised his head, pulling back from the kiss even as she tried to follow. He kept his hand cupped to her neck, holding her still as he feathered a kiss over her top lip. Then her bottom one. Then the crease of her mouth. The tip of her tongue licked at him, and he chuckled and tasted her again. He couldn’t resist it, but the kiss was quick this time, then he raised his head to look down at her.
Her face was silver in the moonlight, her pupils black as the sky when she opened her eyes.
“You shouldn’t be doing this with a stranger,” he said.
“This is a small town. You’re not really a stranger.”
Alex shook his head, knowing that wasn’t true. “No one here knows me anymore.”
She closed her eyes and raised her mouth, and when Alex kissed her again, she whispered against him, “No one knows me either.”
He could believe that. He understood that. She was a secret, right here among