Chapter 8

The warm spring rain started about mid-afternoon, just as they left the palace of French kings past. Laughing, Adrienne allowed him to hold the guide book over her head as they made a poor gallop to the car. At one point, Ross slid along the carefully tended lawn, but managed to keep upright by flaying his arms. His gestures only made her laugh harder, and she compared him to a manic mime. In the end, he lost both the guide book and the girl as Adrienne ran ahead to open the car doors.

Inside now, she turned up the heat to warm them up. Despite their damp and disheveled looks, Ross couldn't remember when he had so much fun in a downpour. Not since a toddler anyway, when the rain meant sloshing about in rubber boots two sizes too big.

"Ah, mademoiselle," he noticed, "you're shivering. Here."

After shedding his wet windbreaker, he placed his arm around her shoulders and drew her close, as much as the gear shift panel between them allowed. She snuggled against him, and then ran a finger down his cheek to trace the path of a tiny, errant raindrop. Her gaze met his, and Ross enjoyed the way her eyes narrowed to perfect ellipses of shining amber.

"Where to?" he asked after he cleared his throat, not sure if he felt uncomfortable or thrilled with her nearness, or maybe a little of both.

"My place," she told him without a hint of sexual innuendo. "I have coffee and tea, or something stronger if you wish."

"All right."

Returning to her seat, she started the car and put it in gear. She took them out of the visitor's parking lot and onto the main road before she spoke again. "What was the most unusual place you ever made love?"

Ross blinked, not sure he heard right; but when he glanced at the coy smile on her face, he knew he had. "Well, let's see. Understand I'm still fairly young, although I've done my share of sowing those wild oats. I'll have to say the backseat of my father's Mercedes, but since it was a sports coupe, we didn't have much room...or success."

"Amateur night!" she laughed. "You've never done it on a plane or in a moving vehicle?"

"No...and I don't think I want to try the moving vehicle. It's like eating and driving at the same time. Too dangerous."

"It depends on who is doing the eating, and with whom."

Ross laughed to cover his embarrassment. He never met a woman who could talk so candidly about certain subjects, and make it flow as naturally and benign as regular conversation.

Abruptly, Adrienne pulled over to the side of the road. The rain came down in a steady beat now, the car's wipers clocking a frantic sweep to clear the windshield. A low-lying mist stretched across the pastures and copse of trees; its fingers finally reaching and grasping the Citroën in its wispy grasp.

Ross tried an easy smile, yet inwardly he felt a pang of dread. Not that he had anything to worry about. His sexy companion seemed about as menacing as his dear, saintly grandma. Of course, he had cringed every time his grandma offered antiseptic embraces and dry kisses.

"Don't be nervous," she cooed. "I do bite, but not so much that you'll lose blood or need an antibiotic."

He tried a weak laugh. "Maybe just a shot of adrenaline or maybe a transfusion."

She moved closer and lowered her voice to a seductive purr. "We can always try. I have an emergency first aid kit in the boot."

"The boot?" His voice came out more of a squeak, and then he remembered the European name for the trunk. "Oh, you mean the trunk."

"Well, we can take off our boots first, if you'd like." Adrienne moved her tongue slowly between her lips, her mouth glossed a dark cherry.

Ross gulped. "I'm wearing loafers."

"Better yet. I have slip-ons."

Closing his eyes, he allowed her to cup his chin and covet his lips for a full, rich kiss. He savored her taste of lip gloss and mocha cream from the lattes they had ordered earlier. He opened his mouth further so she could probe and explore, and he soon joined her in a tender dance of tongues. Her fingers caressed his jawline and cheeks and made him shiver with her sensitive touch. In turn, Ross hesitatingly reached forward and discovered the lovely curve of her neck. The warmth of the car triggered the aroma of her perfume, where she had placed the dabs of her scent at the pressure points of her neck, her wrists and the cleft of her breasts.

Emboldened now, he groped beneath the hem of her top and discovered the smooth satin flesh beneath. His hands skated her flat abdomen and felt the outline of her lacy bra. He weighed and imagined the swell of her breasts, firm and full. Adrienne, in turn, undid the top buttons of his shirt and dug down to stroke his chest and tweak his nipples. Ross shuddered.

"Ouch!" She pulled back suddenly. "The steering wheel's poking me in the hip."

"Oh," Ross murmured as he retreated to the safety of his own seat. Sitting straight, he tried to control his breathing and staunch the heated flush that had worked its way from his forehead down to his toes. He certainly felt the rush of excitement between his legs.