Still, he had saved her life. Not just last night, but that night in Central Park too. Maybe he wanted to scare her, but Charley�s gut told her he didn�t want to hurt her.

Just the opposite, actually.

His eyes softened, and he let out a deep sigh. "You have questions only I can answer. I�m offering to do just that. But you need to show me a little trust too."

"I know. It�s just� a lot to process. You�re a lot to process."

He reached across the table and took her hand, stroking his thumb over her skin, sending ripples of heat up her arm. "Spend the day with me, love. Let me show you my favorite place in the world."

"Just talking, right?"

"If that�s what you wish, then yes. Just talking."

Charley drained the last of her coffee, then set her mug down on the table, decision made.

"Fine. But I�ve got a pre-condition." She smirked and nodded toward the door beyond the breakfast nook�the one that led out to the garage, where Dorian�s collection of priceless automobiles awaited. "I�m driving."

Sitting in the passenger seat of his red 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, Dorian wiped his damp hands on his pants.

I can�t believe I agreed to this.

"Don�t worry," Charlotte said, downshifting smoothly to take the next curve. She reached over and patted his knee as she accelerated into the turn. "This isn�t my first rodeo."

"But it�s not a rodeo, is it? No." Dorian removed her hand and placed it firmly back on the wheel. "It�s a priceless piece of machinery careening down a mountain road with a driver who may or may not be plotting my demise."

"Careening? Please. I�m in complete control." Charlotte laughed, her hair whipping around her face in the breeze. She took her hand off the wheel to brush away a few strands that had blown into her mouth. "I�m surprised you actually let me drive it."

"No more than I, believe me." When he�d led her into the garage, she�d headed straight for the classic red Ferrari, admiring it with such reverence that when she finally turned to ask for the keys, Dorian swore there were tears in her eyes.

There was no way he could�ve turned her down. Not about the car. Not about anything.

And that, frankly, scared the hell out of him.

Dorian opened his eyes as the engine whined, Charlotte waiting until the last possible second to shift into fifth gear.

"This car is unbelievable," she said. "So responsive. I feel like I could drive it with my eyes closed."

"I�d really prefer you didn�t." Dorian�s heart rate skyrocketed as they glided into another curve, the sun-dappled road cutting through a swath of eastern red cedars and paper birch trees. The power in the engine was unmistakable, and when Charlotte flashed him another smile, her whole face lit up.

He�d never seen anything so pure, so radiant.

They reached a long straightaway, and Charlotte gave it more gas. The car wasn�t built with a speedometer, but from the blur of scenery along the road, Dorian guessed they�d hit eighty.

"Do I make you nervous, Mr. Redthorne?" she asked.

As nervous as Dorian was, Charlotte's enthusiasm was contagious. He couldn�t help but appreciate her skill. She handled the car with such ease, such unrestrained joy, it was as if she�d been born driving it.

Not only that, but every time she wrapped her hand around the gearshift, a bolt of heat shot straight to his cock. JrNovels.com