“What do you mean?”
“It sounds silly, but it’s more magical. The lights and the music. It feels different.”
She was right, I had noticed how the air had changed since we left the restaurant. The stuffiness was gone. The pretentiousness of the priceless menus. The perfect dripless tapered candles. All of that was staged elegance and romance.
The jars that flickered with lobbed over candles. Colored lights that hung on whatever hook was in the path. Music that came from the radio. It was real here.
We strolled in the direction of the hotel, stopping along the way to watch the boats pass under a bridge.
“I’ve never seen San Antonio like this.” My fingertips stroked her shoulder. I had almost memorized the freckles on her skin here.
“Why not?” She studied my face.
I turned her, so her back was pressed against the stone railing of the bridge. The tree branches barely stretched out this far.
“I’ve been asking myself that all night.”
“Maybe you work too much,” she scolded.
“Now you sound like Eden.”
“I think she’s right.” Her hand snaked around my neck, and my breath almost stopped.
I leaned into her, aware that I was getting ready to kiss her. I didn’t give a damn about the street cleaner or the couple strolling behind us. I saw her lips and wanted to feel the firmness of her mouth, taste the margarita on her tongue.
I bent toward her. She tilted her chin and for a second I felt like I was tumbling off the bridge. Her mouth was sweet and warm. My hands circled her back, pressing her against me. She aligned her body, fitting her curves into the open spaces against me. I wanted her. She started to purr and I knew I had to get her back upstairs.
“Come on.” I tucked my hand around her waist, walking next to her.
“It’s really beautiful down here.” She stopped in front of the gate that took us through the lobby entrance of the hotel.
“If I haven’t said it enough, I think you’re beautiful.”
“You might have mentioned it.”
“I’m probably going to mention it again.” I unlocked the gate, and offered her my hand. The steps were uneven and some were covered in moss.
“I wish I could rewrite my feature article on you.”
“What do you think you left out?” I pulled her into the shadows of the courtyard. As much as I wanted to get to the suite, my need for her was strong now. I cradled her face between my hands.
“I left out the charming part. And the gentleman part. And then there’s the thoughtful part. I need to rewrite the whole thing. There’s more to you than demolition.”
I smirked. “I don’t think I want people to know that. You’re going to make me sound like a philanthropist or something awful.”
I could smell her perfume when the wind picked up her hair. “Afraid your competitors will think that’s weak?”
She was driving me wild. Stalling, talking, pressing her hands against my chest, then backing inches away.
We were completely covered in the darkness. The fading sounds of the Riverwalk behind us. “No.” I buried my head in the curve of her neck, blistering rough kisses along her throat. “I take what I want.”
She kicked her head back, and a soft moan slipped through her lips. My hand was under her skirt, rubbing between her legs, feeling the heat from the motion.
“You have to stop,” she breathed.
“Why? No one can see us.” I moved the lace fabric out of my way. My fingers sank into her, and she groaned.
She panted harder as I pushed against her. I kissed her, knowing things were getting out of control.
“Please, Mason.”
I moved my hands reluctant to stop, when suddenly her hand landed on mine.
“That’s not what I meant,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to stop.”
My chest tightened. I felt her fingers twine between mine as she moved my hand where she wanted it under the cover of her dress. I nestled my nose in the curve of her neck, listening to her breathing change over to quick pants. She moaned my name as my fingers moved faster, spreading wider, finding ways to take her to the edge. Her hands locked around my neck and a long moan escaped her lips, then she was still.
She pressed her forehead against mine. I felt the dewy perspiration of her skin.
I helped straightened her skirt. We both took a breath, before walking into the lobby.
As we rode the elevator to the suite, my hand rested on her lower back. I could feel the heat of her skin through the sundress. I had no intention of her wearing it past the living room.
She stood next to me, while I grabbed the key card from my wallet. The tequila making both of us feel relaxed and eager. Her fingers ran along my arm, I couldn’t get the door opened fast enough.