Free Rapture and Lace (Lace #3) (Lace Series) by Adriane Leigh

that I looked at him oddly when he opened the passenger door for me.  
      "It's Derek’s. Well, sort of. It stays here, and it's off limits when he's here, but when he's not, what he doesn’t know won't hurt him. When he's here he fawns over it, kind of funny to watch actually." A crooked grin spread across his face, and there was that playful boy I’d fallen even more madly in love with the past week.  
      "It's a 1968 Shelby Mustang. It's rare—an experimental model. They only made one," he said. My eyebrows arched in surprise.
      We pulled out of the garage and Carter drove with one hand firmly locked on my upper thigh. I rested my own hand over his and traced along his long fingers absentmindedly. We drove through town before turning up a quiet drive. The aspens shimmered golden and orange around us and there was a light dusting of snow that hadn't yet melted under the morning sun. I smiled happily and Carter peeked over at me with a smile on his face. He squeezed my thigh affectionately and then softly rubbed his hand up and down the denim. We wound through a wide drive until finally it opened into a huge clearing housing a lodge and a parking lot. I recognized it as a ski resort but the parking lot was nearly empty for so early in the morning.  Carter parked by the entrance and came around the car to open my door.  
      He walked with confident steps, my hand in his, through the front doors, straight through the lobby and to the back of the building where the gondolas ran up and down the mountain. He nodded his head at the operator, who smiled in greeting. We stepped into the gondola, sitting as the operator closed the door. Luckily I’d worn a sweater as the morning mountain air was cold and would only get cooler as we climbed up the mountain.  
      "I’ve never been in one of these before." My eyes darted to the cables running up the mountain with mild concern on the safety of these things. The gondola started with a jerk and I grabbed Carter's thigh tightly to steady myself. He laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder and kissed my hair.  
      "This is the longest gondola ride in the country. Eighteen minutes one way."
      I gazed out at the landscape as we traveled up the mountain. Thankfully the gondola was enclosed to keep out the blasting winds and cold air, but the metal seats were still chilly. I stood to get a better view from the window. The city of Aspen was now visible as we climbed further up in elevation. The buildings peeked up over the tree line, the cars traveling the road getting smaller as we climbed. The gondola rode smoothly as Carter stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and resting his head on my shoulder to take in the view with me.  
      "It's gorgeous." My eyes took in the autumn colors surrounding us. The morning sun lit the bight yellow and flaming orange leaves of the trees across the valley and on the mountains around us. In the distance the mountaintops were barren and dusted with snow, making the scene picture-perfect. The higher we climbed, the further away from reality we seemed to get. I breathed in the crisp air and smiled contentedly. Carter's arms squeezed me and he kissed along the line of my neck and nuzzled into my ear.  
      "You're not looking at the view." I giggled as he tickled me with his nose.  
      "I’ve got the perfect view right here." His hands slid down to my thighs seductively.  
      "You are a cad," I said with a smile.  
      "Only with you, Mrs. Morgan." He grinned and moved my hair off to one side so the back of my neck was exposed to him. He kissed along my tender skin and lightly blew his warm breath against my sensitive flesh, causing a chill to race down my body and land firmly at the apex of my thighs. I tilted my head to one side to give him better access as he ran his nose up my neck softly and dusted his teeth along the outer shell of my ear seductively. Just then the gondola ground to a halt and we were at the top