A Fare To Remember: Just Whistle\Driven To Distraction\Taken For A Ride (28 page)

CHAPTER SEVEN

T
HE MINUTE
J
OSH
climbed into the back of the limo with Pris, he realized he’d made a huge mistake. The lust he’d assumed was under control…wasn’t. Her perfume, her cleavage, her upswept hairdo and the look in those gray eyes took him right back to the days when he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her.

But those days were over, and in the meantime she’d become engaged to another man. She’d been ready to marry the guy until something had spooked her. Josh couldn’t assume that the old flame burned for her, as well.

So he did his best to treat her as a professional chauffeur would treat a client. Unfortunately, having the client stoop over in the back of the limo and present her backside to him so he could unfasten her bridal train hadn’t been covered during Red Carpet’s orientation. As he worked with the tiny buttons and loops, he remembered the times he’d had sex with her in this position.

“Are you getting it?” she asked.

He was getting hot and bothered, if that’s what she meant. “Almost,” he said. She had such a sweet little backside. Even through the layers of satin, he could see the outlines of the tush he used to love to cup in both hands while he—Oh, damn. He didn’t dare think about that.

“I’ll bet you’re wondering what happened to put me in this position.”

“You mean braced backside out against the seat of my limo?”

“Very funny. No, I meant the Great Wedding Escape.”

He’d come to the last button, so he stalled, pretending to have trouble with it. “I’ll admit to being curious.”

“Once I’m rid of this blasted train and I’ve made a trip to the bathroom, I’ll tell you all about it. You’ll probably laugh yourself silly.”

“I wouldn’t count on it. Running out on your wedding is serious stuff.”

She sighed. “I know, and I feel terrible about it. My poor parents—all that time and money wasted.”

He found it interesting that she’d thought first of her parents, rather than the jilted groom. He could hardly wait to hear what had caused her to bolt.

“Josh, are you still unbuttoning back there? I can’t feel your fingers moving.”

She used to
love
to feel his fingers moving—all over her body. “Just finished.” He resisted the urge to smack her lightly on the bottom, just a teasing little pat, like he used to do all the time when they were dating. “You’re done.” He pulled the train away and backed out of the limo still holding it.

“Thanks.” She stayed hunched over as she turned around, picked up her skirts and maneuvered through the door.

Tucking the train under his arm, he held her elbow to steady her descent. “Watch yourself. Don’t want you tripping on your dress and taking a header.”

“Believe me, neither do I. A trip to the emergency room with no ID would be a nightmare.” Finally she stood on the sidewalk. “People are staring,” she murmured.

“Really?” He glanced around and noticed that they were indeed the object of much curiosity. “Sheesh, you’d think they’d never seen a runaway bride before.”

Pris laughed. “Earlier today I felt guilty as hell for insisting on you as the limo driver, but…I’m glad you’re here.”

Josh warned himself not to put too much importance on that statement. But he must have, anyway, because his heart gave a lurch and started pumping faster.

“In fact, I’m very glad,” she said, giving him a melting look.

He gulped. A look like that always used to mean they were about to have some outstanding sex.

CHAPTER EIGHT

A
S
P
RIS MADE
her way toward the women’s bathroom, she smiled at the gawkers, amazed at how little they bothered her. Funny how that worked. She’d always avoided making scenes of any kind, and now that she’d made a huge scene by running out on her wedding, she felt free to do almost anything.

But when she wedged herself into a tiny stall, she had to amend that. She felt mentally free, but physically, she was dragging around a lot of excess clothing. At least she could get rid of the silk garter. She slipped it off and hung it on the hook behind the door.

She wondered if Josh would be interested in helping her ditch the rest of her wedding finery. She shouldn’t be thinking in those terms, but maybe she could be forgiven. For six months she’d gone without sex, believing that tonight was the night.

Maybe it still could be. She wondered if Josh was seeing anybody. But even if he wasn’t, and assuming he wanted to go along, there were risks. She’d been hooked on him before and she didn’t want to get hooked on him again.

No, it was a foolish idea. She grabbed the garter before she left the stall. After washing her hands and glancing in the mirror to check her hair, she tossed the garter in the trash on her way out the door.

J
OSH TURNED ON
the heater and let the limo’s engine idle after he parked in the truck zone. With evening coming on, the inside of the limo was getting chilly. However, he wasn’t chilly in the least, especially when he thought of how Pris had looked at him.

By the time she came out of the bathroom, though, he’d decided that sex with her would be a bad idea for many reasons. She had to be emotionally vulnerable, and that was a bad time to get involved. As for him, he was afraid he was still in love with her. Yeah, sex would be a big mistake.

He drove the car over to meet her, hopped out and went around to open the back door. “All set?”

“Much better, thanks.” She hesitated by the open door. “Do you think I could ride in front with you? We could talk more easily, and I wouldn’t feel so strange, being back there by myself.”

“Sure. We’ll have to stuff your dress in, but it should work.”

She slapped her forehead. “I should have taken my slips off while I was in the bathroom. That would help a lot. Oh, well, I’ll do it now.”

“Now?” The Pris he knew would never consider taking off undergarments in the middle of a parking area.

“Just let me scoot around behind the car door, and you can block me from the other direction. Besides, I’ve already made a spectacle of myself. This’ll just give them all a better story to tell.”

“Okay.” Which is how Josh ended up watching Pris shimmy out of three petticoats. He wondered if she realized how much the movement made the tops of her breasts quiver above the low neckline of her dress. Finally he had to look down at the pavement to keep his erection under control.

“There.” She tossed the petticoats into the back of the limo. “I should fit in the front seat much better now.”

She used to fit him like a glove. He swallowed and opened the front-passenger door. “In you go.”

She glanced up as she tucked herself into the car. “You can take off that cap if you want, Josh. It’s only me.”

“Yeah, but you’re paying for a chauffeured limo. That rates a cap.”

She held his gaze. “Then let’s pretend we’re friends, out for a drive.”

“All right.” He took off the cap with a feeling of inevitability. He’d never been just friends with her. He doubted he could hold that line now, even for one night.

CHAPTER NINE

“M
UCH COZIER
,” Pris said as they cruised along the highway in the twilight. More like the old days. They’d never made out in Josh’s vintage T-Bird, but she had fond memories of his New Haven apartment.

Then she noticed a cell phone clipped to the dash. If she called her folks now, she’d probably get their machine. “Can I use the cell?” she asked.

“Be my guest.”

Picking up the phone, she dialed and, fortunately, got the machine. She told them she was fine, she was with Josh, and she’d talk to them in the morning.

Josh made no comment on the call. “Are you hungry?” he asked, finally. “It’s getting close to dinnertime.”

“A little bit, but a hamburger from a drive-through is fine.” She thought of how they used to grab fast food on their way to his apartment to make love.

“I guess we’d make an interesting couple going into a regular restaurant.”

She laughed. “We’ll make an interesting couple at the drive-through window.”

“Good point. I can park the limo and go in to pick up the order.”

“And spoil the fun? Josh, if I really wanted a restaurant meal, I’d say so. Being outrageous is starting to appeal to me.”

He glanced at her. “Then I guess you’ve changed in the past six months.”

“Try the past six hours. Until this morning, I was the same old conservative Pris. And then Brad’s ex called.”

Josh groaned. “Don’t tell me he’s been fooling around on you with the ex.”

“Nope. She asked if I’d had sex with Brad, and I said no, because—”

“What?”

“Brad thought we should wait until after we were married.” Which sounded dumb now.

“Are you saying you’ve gone six months without sex?”

“It hasn’t been easy.”

His laugh was bitter. “Tell me about it.”

She looked at him in shock. “You mean, you haven’t—”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been busy with work.” He seemed embarrassed that he’d let the comment slip. “You know me, trying to get lots of hours in. So what’s the story on your fiancé?” he asked, as if wanting to shift the attention away from himself. “Don’t tell me he’s gay.”

“Nope. According to his ex, he’s very quick on the trigger.”

Josh coughed. “She could have been making that up out of jealousy.”

“I know, so I asked him. And from his reaction, it’s true. But he said he hadn’t told me because he didn’t think it was important.”

“The hell he didn’t think it was important!” Josh looked ready to spit nails. “That’s why he put off having sex with you! No wonder you ran out of that church like your dress was on fire. What a jerk!”

“I didn’t know what else to do. I could either run out or stay and explain to the guests that I wasn’t marrying him because he’s terrible in bed.”

“He deserved to have everyone know, tricking you the way he did.”

“Maybe so, but there were kids in that church, and Brad’s great-grandmother. I thought if I ran, I’d buy myself time to figure out how to answer the questions.”

“So here we are.” He paused. “And neither of us has had sex in months.”

“Looks that way.” The past few hours had made her much bolder. “What do you think we should do about that?”

CHAPTER TEN

W
ITH HIS BRAIN
full of thoughts about sex with Pris, Josh decided he was an unsafe driver for this houseboat on wheels. Bedroom on wheels was more like it. And temptation was sitting beside him wearing a white wedding dress.

He put on the turn signal and took the next exit. “I think we should get a hamburger and talk about the situation,” he said.

“You’re right,” she said immediately. “I didn’t mean to come on like some sex-starved woman. I just—”

“You are a sex-starved woman.” Josh watched for a hamburger joint, any hamburger joint. “And I’m a sex-starved man, and that’s an explosive combo. I had no idea that you’d been living like a nun ever since we split up.”

“You probably think I was stupid to agree with Brad’s idea.”

“Not stupid. I’m surprised, that’s all.” Shell-shocked was more like it. All along he’d been tormented by thoughts of Pris in bed with some other guy and nothing had been happening. “So you only kissed?”

“Uh-uh. He said if we started making out, we wouldn’t be able to stop.”

“Oh, sure. It’s more likely he realized that once you started making out, he’d embarrass himself. I know what making out with you is like, and if this guy had no control to begin with, the first time he got beyond kissing, he’d be toast in seconds. I had my moments when I wondered if it would happen to me.”

“You did?” She sounded pleased to know that. “You never told me.”

“Then I should have.” There were lots of things he hadn’t told her, including those three all-important words of love. “You’re very hot, Pris.”

“I thought I was that way because of you.”

“I’m flattered. But I think you’re naturally hot-blooded, especially if you’re with a guy who appreciates that quality.”

She sighed. “I guess Brad didn’t.”

“Oh, I think he did appreciate it.” Josh spotted a drive-through. “I think he was hoping that you’d help him solve his problem. But not telling you and disguising it by saying you should both save yourselves for the wedding night is despicable.” Satisfyingly despicable. He had no remorse for helping Pris escape from Brad-baby.

But now he had a decision to make, and it wouldn’t be an easy one. Beside him sat a powder keg of sexual needs, and he wasn’t in any better shape. This fast-food run would give them a little time to consider their actions. He eased the big car off the street and swung it into the order lane, miraculously without running over any curbs.

“I still feel like a fool for letting Brad get away with his little trick,” Pris said.

“It’s just that I know how important sex is to you, so I would think you’d have wanted to make sure all the spark plugs were firing before you said
I do.
”

“I probably agreed because I felt the need to put space between having sex with you and having sex with him.”

“Oh.” He’d felt exactly the same way, and that’s why he hadn’t dated anyone for six months. “I get that.”

“Josh, was sex between us really that good, or has all this deprivation made it seem better than it was?”

“I don’t know.” But he could think of one surefire way to find out.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

P
RIS COULDN’T SPEAK
for Josh, but she was going crazy thinking about the possibility of having sex with him again. He, however, seemed to be relatively calm. Or so she thought until he spoke into the intercom on the menu and asked for two Big Macs.

“Josh.” Laughing, she shook his arm.

He glanced over at her. “What? You want chicken instead? I thought you said hamburgers, and we always used to get—”

“Josh, this is Burger King.”

“Oh.” His face grew red. “I knew that.” Clearing his throat, he turned back to the board and asked for two Whoppers, a large order of fries and two chocolate shakes.

It was the meal that had become a tradition with them on nights they could hardly wait to get back to his place and strip naked. They used to eat in the car on the way to his apartment, so they wouldn’t lose any time. Any of the fast-food hamburger places had been fine with them, whichever one had the shortest drive-through line.

Pris wondered if Josh remembered all that. Tonight they weren’t anywhere near his apartment, and even if they had been, the days of automatically assuming they’d go there and have sex were over. Six months ago she’d given him an ultimatum—either marry me or I walk. He’d chosen option B.

No matter how hard he’d worked in the past six months, he wouldn’t have saved enough to realize his dream and buy a limo company of his own. She’d had time to think about that goal of his. Giving her up to pursue it hadn’t been easy for him, and she grudgingly admired him for sticking to his plan.

So if she and Josh had sex tonight, it couldn’t be about anything except mutual gratification, a roll in the hay for old times’ sake. She didn’t know if he’d want that. She wasn’t sure if she could handle it, either.

For the time being, they couldn’t talk about it because Josh had his hands full inching the car around the sharp curve that led to the delivery window. “I don’t think they figured on a stretch limo when they built this part,” he said.

“No, and the kids who are working this shift are getting a real charge out of watching you struggle.” Pris saw two of them hanging out of the delivery window, big grins on their faces. Pris decided to wave.

At last they drew alongside the window. “Awesome,” said the teenage girl who handed them their food. “Did you, like, get married in your chauffeur’s uniform?” Other crew members crowded around her to peer at the limo.

“Uh, no.” Josh handed the bags over to Pris and gave the girl some money.

“So you changed into your uniform for the trip? That is so cool! Chauffeuring your bride on the honeymoon! I love that!”

Pris leaned down so she could see the girl’s face. “Actually, we’re not married. I ran away from the wedding, and he helped me escape.”

The girl’s mouth rounded in a big O. “Wow,” she whispered. “Just like Julia Roberts.”

“Except Pris is better looking,” Josh said. “Hey, thanks for the food.” He hit a button and rolled the window up.

“Oh, yeah.” Pris grinned at him. “Better looking than Julia Roberts. You are so full of it.”

“Actually, I meant every word. You’re gorgeous.”

Her heart warmed in a way it never had with Brad’s compliments. “I could kiss you for that.”

He glanced at her. “Better be careful. One kiss, and it’s all over but the shouting.”