and wrapped his around it. It felt warm and protective in the crisp autumn evening. November had arrived, and the nip in the air was biting. Palm to palm, he warded off the chill.
Erin started to get nervous again when the driver climbed out and opened the back door for them. Colton got in and, not letting go of her hand, tugged her in after him. He didn’t move all the way over, and she took that as a hopeful sign.
Could she pull this off? Could she make him see her as an adult and not a lovesick teen? She’d prepared for an intense, exciting evening, but she hadn’t prepared for him.
‘Is the idea of going on a date with me so repugnant?’ she asked.
He silenced her once again with a hiss and hit the button to raise the tinted window that would separate them from the front seat.
‘Why are you acting like this?’ she demanded. He’d always treated her as Dustin’s little sister, but he’d never treated her like a child.
He twisted in his seat. ‘Because you are the last person on earth I expected to find there.’
‘Why? I’m single.’
His teeth clenched. ‘I heard that. I can’t say I’m sorry, but that’s no reason for you to go to these extremes.’
‘What extremes? I’m dating again. It happens.’
‘Dating?’ he snapped. He looked at her like she’d grown two heads.
‘At least I’m not going online or hitting the bar scene. I chose Luxxor for the personal attention.’
‘Personal attention is right.’ His eyes were fierce as he leaned towards her, and colour shone on his cheekbones as streetlights flashed by. ‘Luxxor isn’t Match.com, Erin. It’s an escort service.’
It took a moment for the words to sink in. When they did, her head snapped back so hard, it bumped against the headrest. ‘It is not!’
‘It is.’
‘No, it isn’t. Sienna works there.’
His eyes went wide. ‘Sienna Blakely? She’s mixed up in this too?’
What was he talking about? Where was he getting these insane accusations? Sienna wasn’t mixed up; she was their Communications Director. Although…she hadn’t wanted to tell her where she worked…or what Luxxor did…
No, he was wrong.
‘They’re matchmakers,’ she insisted.
‘Erin,’ he groaned. His hand tightened around hers. ‘Tell me this is your first night using them.’
Erin’s brow crumpled. It couldn’t be. Luxxor couldn’t be that kind of company. Sienna would never work at such a place, and that would make Nina a madam! No, the business was too high-class and expensive.
Sex sells.
The words whispered in her ears.
‘That would explain the detective’s interest,’ she mumbled as the pieces clicked together.
‘Erin,’ he said more sharply. Cupping the back of her head, he made her look at him. ‘Have you been out with their escorts?’
She glared at him. He was acting like Dustin, all bossy and overprotective. ‘I’ve been on dates.’
Fury exploded on his face. ‘How many?’ he bit out.
‘That’s my business.’
‘How many?’
‘I don’t know. Four or five.’
‘Same guy?’
‘Different men.’
For some reason, that made the fluttering pulse at his temple start to pound. ‘Tell me you didn’t sleep with them.’
‘Don’t be disgusting. I’m not a slut.’ Besides, there had been that no-sex clause in the contract. She hadn’t slept with any of those men.
But she had got cosy with one, rubbing against him, kissing him and dry-humping his leg…
The streetlights must have shown her blush, because Colton looked crestfallen. And then furious.
‘But you did something,’ he growled.
She folded her arms over her chest in a huff. ‘That’s none of your business.’
‘I’m making it my business. You’re done with Luxxor. Do you hear me? You’re not to set foot in that place again. I don’t care if Sienna does work there.’
Erin’s eyes narrowed. She’d had just about enough of other people deciding her life for her. ‘You can’t tell me what to do.’
Even to her own ears, she sounded like the petulant teenager she’d once been – and it set him off.
His hand tangled in her hair. ‘Erin, you are not going around town with male escorts!’
She glared at him. He’d disappeared from her life, but thought he could stroll back in and take it over? ‘Try and stop me.’
That was it. When you pulled a tiger by the tail, you were bound to get bitten. She let out a spluttering protest when he pulled her across his lap, but the sound turned into a surprised gasp when his hand connected with the curve of her bottom.
Had he just spanked her?
Fire spread from where the sharp smack had connected, and her body jackknifed. Her hips came up, and her feet searched for the floor. She pushed away from the seat, but his hand settled on her lower back and pressed her down. Another swift spank had her wriggling in distress and embarrassment and…something else.
‘Colton,’ she hissed.
‘Do you know what your parents would say if they found out what you’ve been doing?’
Four more swats came in rapid succession.
‘Ahh!’ Erin’s right foot lifted in reflex, and her heel pointed at the roof of the car. If she’d been upright, it would have looked like a little foot pop as he kissed her.
But this was no kiss.
She squirmed more desperately as the tingle in her bottom burned and sang. His muscled thighs pressed into her belly and against the underside of her breasts. They plumped up, and she felt her nipples go hard.
‘They’re not going to find out,’ she cried. He had her unbalanced with her hips lifted so high.
‘No. They’re. Not.’ Each word was accompanied by another stinging spank.
He was warming both her cheeks, and the prickle was making it hard to breathe.
‘Do you have any idea what could have happened?’ he snapped. ‘Do you know how far some of those escorts will go?’
Tears stung at her eyes. ‘I was the one who started it,’ she gasped.
She was punished with another sharp swat.
‘But I stopped it too,’ she yelped.
His hand stopped in its up-and-down motion. It rested against the curve of her right buttock with a familiarity they’d never shared before. He was nearly cupping her, his thumb settling precariously over the crease in her ass. Only the thinnest layers of material stood between them, and they’d offered no protection from the spanking he’d just given her.
‘You stopped it?’ Leaning down, he whispered into her ear. ‘Why?’
His touch made the fire singe, and Erin’s most private parts clenched. Oh, God. She’d never been spanked, not even as a child. But the way he was touching her didn’t make her feel childish. It made her feel naughty. Her nipples were hard nubs, and her pussy…Oh, God. She let out a moan.
He