Page 140 of Ignition

I was grateful for the need to wrestle the car so it wouldn’t slip into a drift, to control something, when all I wanted was to pull over and yank her over my lap—

My muscles stiffened with restraint and focus as the car climbed, clearing the highest point, and then we were descending, and her eyes glued to my hand on the wheel, teeth sunk into her bottom lip in a way that made me wonder what the hell she was imagining.

The overlook felt different, though little over two weeks had passed.

Tall pines curtained it on either side, and the lights from the city peeked through the haze of snow. I left the engine running, killed the headlights, and the buckle of our seat belts followed, a touch too loud in the quiet.

Snowflakes landed in her dark hair, before melting against her warmth almost at once. She reached to button her coat, but I got there faster, though I took my time doing it, nearly holding my breath with each one.

“Thanks,” she murmured, and I couldn’t help the slow smile tugging at my mouth that she’d let me do it.

Baby steps.

I tucked her hands in my pockets, curling my own over to keep them warm, and as one, we turned to the view, though I glanced sideways to her more often than I’d care to admit.

Her head tipped up at the falling flakes, and my breath caught and died. Her eyes lit up, and her grin split her face in two as a dazzled, almost child-like wonder washed over it.

I wanted to bottle it.

But I didn’t dare move or breathe, so I just watched for the longest time as silence blanketed us, the only sounds the soft snow piling up and the idle thrum of the engine.

Even my own heart was quiet.

Then, she shivered, and the spell broke.

In a blink, my hand unglued from around hers, yanked open the back door, while I nudged her towards it.

Her brows shot up, and I bit down on a scoff.

“You’re cold,” I murmured, low and hoarse, then cleared my throat.

“Get in. There’s a blanket,” I said, in a more authoritative tone that discouraged argument.

She frowned, opened her mouth, like she was going to argue, and then shut it again.

Good girl.

The warmth of the car and thicker quiet wrapped around us as I pushed the front seats forward to make more space, then reached back to search for the blanket, finding nothing.

Shit.

“Come here.” I eased her onto my lap, which earned me a startled little yelp as her hands snapped up to my shoulders.

My fingers worked, rubbing over her spine, over her arms, telling myself all I wanted was to warm her up, except her weight on top of me kicked up a vivid memory, making me bite down on a growl.

The hum of the engine vibrated in my bones as the opening lyrics of Cherry Wine by Hozier broke the absolute quiet.

Colour steadily returned to her cheeks, a deep pink that pleased me more than it should. The coats shrugged off us, landing on the front seat, and my fingers splayed over the dip of her waist, pulling her closer.

She nibbled on the corner of her mouth, and her eyes grew half-lidded, giving me only a glimpse of blown pupils, before I leaned my forehead against hers, breathing hard.

Her fingers speared into my hair, curling into it, and her scent wrapped around me, mingling with the strawberry sweetness coming from her lips.

On another night, I might have waited for whatever words danced on the tip of her tongue, but the ache to taste her was growing teeth, so my fingers dug into her waist, my eyelids drew shut, and I closed the distance, mouth slanting against hers and stealing her breath and a delicious little gasp of my name.

Chapter forty-four

Josh