Where had that thought come from?
Then he stepped back and opened her car door.
The Corvette practically hugged the ground and she was glad the dress wasn’t any shorter.
Ronin slid behind the wheel and the car made a throaty purr as he started it. He smiled. “Hang on.”
So much for him driving with utmost caution.
After a few minutes of enjoying the ride, she said, “I’m surprised you have a sports car.”
“I don’t seem like the Vette-driving type?”
“You have a nice car, and a nice bike, and an awesome penthouse, but you don’t strike me as the kind of guy who cares about owning expensive toys to impress others.”
“I don’t.” He picked up her hand and kissed it. “But I do like things that go fast, and buying a Ferrari or Lamborghini seemed indulgent.”
Her mouth fell open. He could afford to buy those?
“Kidding. A guy I know got in over his head with this car and I took it off his hands before the bank re-poed it.”
“That explains the purple fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror,” she said.
“Those are mine. Needed to pimp it out a little.”
She laughed.
A few minutes later, Ronin said, “You’re quiet.”
“Nerves. This gala is a big deal to you—”
“The gala isn’t a big deal to me. The fact that you’re going with me is all I care about. And right now if you said let’s blow this off and have an intimate dinner, just the two of us, I’d do it in a f**king heartbeat.”
“You just want to get me out of this dress.”
Ronin flashed her a predatory smile.
They drove through a wooded area. Before she saw the venue where the event was being held, they joined a long line of cars waiting for the valet.
“Will you know very many people?”
“I’ll guess we’ll see.”
Amery watched attendees alighting from cars ahead of them. The women were wearing everything from full-length ball gowns to glitzy cocktail dresses. She tugged on the hem of her dress.
Ronin’s hand stopped the motion. “Don’t.”
“I’m nervous.”
“You’re with me. Doesn’t matter who else is here or what they’re wearing. We’re here to have a good time. And if it sucks, we’ll leave.”
“Okay.”
“That said, don’t be surprised if the women glare at you and the men lust after you since you’re stunningly beautiful.” He kissed the inside of her wrist. “And the dress isn’t bad either.”
It was starting to scare her how crazy she was about this man.
Ronin rolled down the window when the valet approached. “Good evening, sir. May I have your name?”
“Ronin Black.”
“Welcome to the Hidden Hills Resort, Mr. Black. I will need to trouble you for a picture ID.”
This event did have tight security.
He pulled out his driver’s license. The valet checked the picture on it against Ronin’s face and then he scanned it to make sure the ID wasn’t a fake.
Really tight security.
The valet smiled. “You’re good to go, Mr. Black. Brian is your assigned valet for the evening.” He handed over two tickets. “This is what will gain you admittance to the event, so take care not to lose them between your car and the front door.”
“Thank you.”
Ronin rolled up the window and muttered, “Jesus.” He looked over at Amery. “I can pull a U-turn. It’s not too late to get out of here.”
“I’ll hold the tickets.” Grinning, she snatched them from his hand and shoved them in her bra. “See? Perfectly safe.”
It took another ten minutes before they reached the valet stand, and Amery was getting antsy, but Ronin stayed calm. She wished his calm demeanor would settle her down. Immediately after he put it in park, both doors were opened. He said, “Stay put, I’ll help you out,” and exited the car.
What was that about? She heard him instructing the valet and then he skirted the front end of the car. He offered her his hand. Once they were on the sidewalk, a person with a clipboard approached them. “Good evening and welcome. May I please see your tickets?”
Ronin’s eyes were on Amery’s as he traced the line of her throat from her chin to her cle**age. A devilish smile lit his eyes as his fingers deftly slipped inside her bra cup and fished the tickets out. “Here you go.”
That flustered the girl with the clipboard. “Ah, thanks I just needed to see them. The tickets are actually being taken at the door.”
Ronin kept his hand on the small of Amery’s back and guided her to the main doors. The ticket taker scanned the tickets—as if checking for forgeries?—before smiling and granting them access.
“I think it would be easier to crash a White House party than this one,” Ronin murmured.
“So if we get the standard shitty rubberized banquet chicken, overcooked green beans, and warm cheesecake, I’ll be pissed.”
“That’ll make two of us. For the price of these tickets we should be served Kobe beef and Russian caviar for every course.”
The wide hallway teemed with people. Some of the dresses bordered on spectacular, and Amery wanted a closer peek, but it’d be a faux pas to gawk, so she feigned aloofness.
He slid his arm around her back and settled his hand on her hip. “Would you like a drink?”
“No, I’d like five drinks.”
“How about we start with one?” Ronin steered her out of the room and down the opposite hallway. He nodded to several people but didn’t stop to speak to anyone. A waiter held a tray of champagne.
“Ooh, I’d like some of that.”
He snagged two glasses and handed one to her. “May tonight be full of welcome surprises.”
Amery clinked the crystal flute against his and drank. Okay, that was really good. “This is not Brut champagne.”
“No, but don’t ask me what it is because I’m not a wine connoisseur.” His molten gaze drifted over her. “But looking at you, I know I have the absolute finest taste in women.”
Amery blushed.
“I’d like nothing better than to taste you right now. Suck the champagne from your tongue. Lick it from your lips. Pour it down the center of your body and lap it from between your thighs.”
Her belly swooped.
“I like that all I have to do is look in your eyes and I see what you’re feeling.”