"Uh. No?"
He glanced up at the club's ceiling like he was seeking advice or help from above, then looked back down at her with barely-repressed hilarity in his eyes. "It's 'I guess we'll have to base it on sex, then.'"
For a moment, Briana was fairly sure her soul was simply leaving her body. She was pretty sure she felt it just rise right out of her at the same rate of speed her face went burning hot. Laurie was trying so very, very hard not to laugh, and she was justdying, and he smelled great and he looked good and he had proved himself to have a lot more depth as a person than she'd ever imagined, and so she heard herself say, "Sounds like a plan," right out loud.
The good news was, Laurie blushed as bright a red as Briana imagined herself to be. His jaw dropped and he stared down at her for several seconds, absolutely speechless and definitely no longer verging on laughter, until he managed to rasp, "You're sure that was just ginger ale?"
Briana laughed, high and soft and suddenly very nervous. "I am, yeah."
"In that case, I'm going to kiss you now, okay?"
Briana whispered, "Yeah," again, and Laurie curled his fingers at her jaw and kissed her.
The world fell away. The whole world simply fell away, leaving nothing but Briana and Laurie together in it, his mouth soft and warm and certain on hers. She slid her hands into his hair, tangling in the braids, and pulled herself closer, mouth opening to his, deepening that kiss until she was aching and breathless and wondering why thehellshe'd been putting this opportunity off for two entireyears.
Laurie's brown eyes were depthless and dark when they finally broke, his gaze searching hers before he whispered, "You want to get out of here?" like a man who wasn't certain the answer would be yes.
"That actually sounds great," she whispered back, and then Laurie had her hand and they were making a break for the edge of the dance floor, both of them giggling like teenagers. The night air outside the club was muggy and warm, but by comparison to the dance floor felt bright and fresh. Or maybe it felt that way because of nerves and excitement, but even Laurie took a deep startled breath and let it out like it was a relief. They ran across the parking lot toward Laurie's truck, though he hesitated, glancing back at her, and she shook her head. "I walked over. My Jeep's still at the fairgrounds."
"Right, I said I'd drive you back out there…" Laurie looked torn and Briana grinned.
"Well, we're not making out in the Harlequin's parking lot where everybody can see us and I have three housemates. Fairgrounds sound good to me."
"Right," Laurie said again, then pulled her close. Briana thought he would kiss her again, but for a moment he just held on, nose buried in her hair before he murmured, "For the record, I'm perfectly capable of being a gentleman who drives you toyour Jeep and sees you home again if that's what we're doing here."
"I'm almost sure that's not what we're doing here," Briana murmured back. "The more you talk, though, the more I think maybe making out in the Harlequin's parking lot is a winning strategy."
"That…that's…I'm not sure what to do now." Laurie laughed and did steal another kiss, soft and surprisingly sweet, then opened the truck door for her and actually gave her a hand up like a proper gentleman, before bounding around to the driver's side. By that time, Briana had decided in favor of making out in the parking lot, and crawled into his lap as he climbed into the truck. Laurie made a muffled sound as she kissed him again, and she shivered as his fingertips skimmed up her bare spine.
Then he groaned and put his hands on her hips, moving her back a little bit and gazing at her a long, hungry moment before groaningagainand putting his forehead against hers. "God, you're beautiful. I don't want to spoil the mood, but honestly, parking lot bad."
"I know, but kilt so convenient." Briana dropped one hand to his kilt, tugging at the fabric, and that time Laurie's groan nearly shook the whole truck cab.
"Kilt and short dresssoconvenient. Oh, God. No, this is a terrible idea?"
"Probably." It didn'tfeellike a terrible idea, though. It felt heated and sexy and funny and a little daring all at once. On the other hand, Briana also quite definitely wanted to get more naked than she was prepared to in a busy parking lot, a thought which made her laugh.
"What?" Laurie opened his eyes and smiled at her from up close, and she smiled back, crooked and wry.
"Just admiring how fast the mighty have fallen. I'm the mighty, in this case. Just to make it clear. You're…not what Iexpected, Laurie." Briana gave him another soft kiss, and felt him make a face against her mouth.
"I am," he admitted. "I just hope I'm also more."
Briana couldn't help taking the opportunity, and moved to roll her hips against his, murmuring, "You seem to bevery definitelymore."
Laurie groaned from the bottom of his soul and first lifted his hips into hers, then bodily moved herbythe hips, picking her up and putting her back on the truck bench seat beside him. "Fairgrounds here we come."
Briana squeaked, startled, as he lifted her. "Or nearby dark street. That would be good too. Nobody just picks me up like that!"
"You've been dating the wrong guys, then," Laurie said in a rumbly voice. "I can find a nearby dark street."
Two minutes later he pulled the truck into another half-lit parking lot, tucked it beneath the trees as far from the lights as possible, and slid himself across the bench seat toward Briana. She laughed breathlessly and swung herself back into his lap, though the way his hands landed on her hips said he'd have been happy to lift her again. Their mouths crashed together hard enough to knock teeth, and enthusiasm turned to winces and laughter before they met the kiss a little more carefully this time, hunger interspersed with, "Ow, my lip is swollen," and "I think you actually bit me," which made them both laugh again.
Laurie's hands skimmed Briana's spine again, sending shivers through her. "This dress," he said again, hoarsely. "You look incredible in it. Theback," he said with longing as his fingers danced to brush the dress's loose lower bottom curve. "I've never seen anything so tempting. I just want to…" He stroked her skin, tracing her spine until she arched. Then his fingers found the shoulder strap that kept the whole dress together, found the button there, and he whispered, "Can I…?"
Briana whispered, "Yeah," breathlessly, and he unfastened the button easily, bringing the top half of the dress down with his hands. Her nipples pebbled hard, sending a sharp twinge of desire through her, and he murmured something incoherent before catching one in his mouth and teasing her with his tongue. Briana groaned and arched, one of Laurie's big hands splaying against her back to hold her in place, and the other finding her other nipple to pull and tug at.
She was ragged and gasping when he pulled back, both hands covering her breasts now, the heat of his hands extraordinary, though nothing compared to the dark hunger in his gaze. He did, however, manage to say, "Escalating, this is escalating, is this good? Okay?" with such obvious effort that she crashed forward to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him fiercely.
