“Stop thinking,” Ty told her. “Stop worrying, analyzing, debating.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. “I tried. It worked for a second, then it all started again.”
He shifted her legs so that she was firmly on his lap sideways. His hand settled on her waist, and she was startled by how big it was, how much of the small of her back he covered with his spread fingers.
“I can make it so you can’t think at all.”
“I have no doubt of that,” she agreed.
He made a small sound, almost like a growl, and held her more firmly. “Say no now and I won’t do this,” he said.
Every nerve ending in her body was firing in anticipation and desire. She had the urge to both dig her fingers into his hair and wiggle her backside on his lap. Was she going to say no?
Yeah, right.
She’d worry about the awkwardness later. She’d stress about her thesis tomorrow. She’d examine why he was capable of creating such a total lack of control in her at some point down the road.
Right now she wanted him to kiss her.
“You’re not saying no.” His thumb was on the waistband of her jeans and dipping down into the gap between the denim and her panties.
“No, I’m not saying no.”
“So you’re saying yes?”
Imogen would have thought that was obvious, but she appreciated that he gave her time to change her mind, that he wanted to make completely sure she was on board with what was about to happen.
She was.
“Yes, I’m saying yes.”
Ty smiled, not a grin, but a slow, satisfied smile, as his amber-colored eyes darkened considerably to a rich chocolate brown. “Gentlemen, start your engines.”
Imogen paused. What did that mean, precisely? That she had the potential to start his metaphorical engine? That this was the beginning of a race? Or the beginning of a relationship? That . . .
She forgot to think the second his lips touched hers. Oh. My.
He didn’t hesitate, nor did he test the waters. He kissed her, and he kissed her with confidence and aggression. With fire.
It was the kind of kiss that had her mouth opening immediately, and her fingers clawing into his hair, and her ass pressing down into his lap. It was the kind of contact that stole the breath right out of her, made her inner thighs ache, and her head swim with a heady elixir of pheromones and excitement.
He swept his tongue across hers, and Imogen would have groaned if she could have gotten a breath. Instead, she just held on to his shoulders and gave it back. She didn’t think that in general she was uptight or reserved, but she was fairly certain she had never attacked a man so thoroughly during a first kiss as she was doing with Ty. She was pressing her chest against his, destroying his hair, sliding her tongue across his, and bumping her backside against his erection.
His hands were on the move, too, caressing her back, brushing against the sides of her br**sts, heading under her sweater at the small of her back as his kisses got more urgent and demanding.
Imogen broke away to suck in some air and stare at him in wonder. How could he do that? How could he make her so damn hot with just a few kisses?
Ty shifted underneath her, dumping her onto the seat. “That’s it. Time to go back to my place.”
“Really?”
“Really. After that look you just gave me, I could pretty much eat you right here in the car and that’s probably not a good idea.”
Well. “Okay.”
“Shit, sorry. I kicked your books again.” Ty, half-sprawled across the gearshift and her lap, reached down and picked up a book.
Damn. It was the marriage manual. Imogen winced and fought the urge to rip it out of his hands, which would probably only result in calling attention to it. He did glance at the cover, but he didn’t say anything, so she didn’t think he had bothered to read it, given the angle he was at. He just stuffed it in the general direction of the bag and continued to crawl across the gearshift into the driver’s seat, his tight butt in her face. Unable to resist, she tentatively touched him, sliding her hands over the worn denim.
“Hey, now,” he said, his voice rough. “Save that for when I can do something about it.”
“What are you doing anyway?” she asked. “This is my car.”
“But I know where we’re going.” Ty settled upright into the seat and turned her wipers back on. He shot her a grin. “Besides, I like to drive.”
She had no doubt of that.
Imogen swallowed hard and wondered what exactly she had gotten herself into.
CHAPTER FOUR
SO much for swearing off casual sex.
Ty had meant to stick to that conviction.
It wasn’t his fault that Imogen had tested his resolve a mere five minutes after he had made his decision.
She was definitely worth breaking the vow for, and somehow he just couldn’t think of her in the same category as Nikki or any woman he had randomly hooked up with in the past. Imogen was more than that.
It wasn’t just her physical appearance he was attracted to; it was her personality, her intelligence.
The way her mind worked fascinated him, and he liked her openness, her innate honesty. Whatever was going on in her head came out of her mouth, and that was a damn refreshing change. She was a logical little thing and didn’t seem prone to emotional outbursts. When was the last time he had dated a woman like that?
Never.
Ty looked behind him, put Imogen’s car in reverse, and shot out of the driveway way faster than he needed to, causing her tires to screech.
“Ack!” she said, grabbing on to the dashboard with one hand and reaching for her seat belt with the other. “Was that really necessary?”
“No. But I like speed as much as I like to drive.”
“Save it for the track, Mr. Checkered Flag. My car will self-destruct if you push it too hard.”
Ty grinned over at her. “Did you really just call me Mr. Checkered Flag?”
“Yes,” she said grudgingly. “I couldn’t think of anything better. But I’m serious. This car can’t go over sixty-five or it will start to rattle and vibrate. It’s old and cranky and seems to have some digestive issues.”
“I bet I could coax it to some speed, Miss Victory Lap.”
The ridiculous name he called her in return made her laugh, but she shook her head. “Don’t try it.”
“Watch me. We’ll skip the highway and take the back roads to my place.”
“It’s raining. The roads are slick.”