Free Palm Springs Heat by Dc Thome

transmission to
drive. A mere touch on the accelerator launched them like a rocket across the
hard valley floor.
    Lara remained cautious for the
first few thousand feet. But even as it approached ninety, the car seemed to
flow over the terrain. Smooth. Steady.
    Okay so far.
    “How’s it feel?”
    Great not to be in Junkerland
for a change. “It almost drives itself.”
    “Give yourself more credit than
that. You’re going one-forty.”
    One-forty?
    Lara wouldn’t have believed it, but
there it was on the digital display. She battled an impulse to yank her foot
off the gas as she edged from exhilaration to ecstasy. She was Lara the Brave,
living life, doing new things and liking it. She jammed the pedal almost to the
floor, and the booster rockets kicked in. A new sensation, but she still felt
in control.
    Of the car. Of the situation. Of
life in general.
    The walls of the valley loomed
closer with each passing second. Lara eased up on the gas and let the car
cruise before applying the brake and bringing the car to a stop.
    “All right!” Clay said. “You sure
you never drove a vehicle like this before?”
    “I never imagined.”
    “Want to try another setting?”
    Lara looked at the selector knob,
but she clutched the wheel too tightly to let go.
    Clay grabbed the knob. “You’ve
already done automatic. There’s sport, normal and wet.”
    “What’s the difference?”
    “Pick one,” Clay said. “We’ll find
out.”
    Clay’s confidence gave Lara the
confidence to focus more closely. “We’re in the middle of the desert. What if…”
    She twisted the knob to “wet” and
gave Clay a matter-of-fact look.
    “Why not?” Clay said. “This used to
be a lake.”
    Lara looked over the tops of her
sunglasses as she turned the knob to “sport.” She palmed the floor shifter,
licked her lips and pumped the gas pedal. The engine roared. The tachometer
raged red. Lara let the clutch fly, initiating a new launch.
    Dust filled the rear-view, only
this time Lara had no doubts about how she should feel.
    “So, how do you do a one-eighty?”
    Clay provided a ten-second how-to.
Lara dug her nails into the leather on the wheel as she mentally prepared for
the maneuver. Then she stomped on the brake and forced the car into a skid. She
almost overdid it, but her instinct to ease up just a tad corrected their
course. The car spun around, ending up facing the way they had come.
    Clay let out a whoop.
    Lara’s heart pounded as she ripped
off her shades. “That was fucking awesome!” She put a hand over her mouth.
    “I guess so, to warrant another
F-bomb.” Clay moved her hand away and kissed her.
     
    * * *
     
    Clay’s lips were firm. He had not
shaved, and Lara enjoyed the bristly feel on her cheeks. Clay tasted somewhat
salty, too, a reminder of where they were at the moment.
    But is it THE moment?
    It seemed they were heading toward
it. This is a good thing. This is the plan. Still, Lara found herself
looking down when their lips parted. Not to be demure. She was straining to
stay cool. To avoid revealing what was going on in her head—and other parts of
her body.
    Clay broke the silence. “Well.”
    “Yes. Well.”
    Clay’s hand dropped from Lara’s
face to her thigh, warming her leg as he stroked it through the thin cotton.
    “This is getting to be a much more
exciting day than I had originally planned,” Clay said.
    “What was your original plan?” Lara
could feel his gaze, but still averted her eyes.
    “Pick up a car. Drive around.”
    He kissed her neck. Right below the
ear. Ah, yes . Lara closed her eyes and tilted her head back to make it
easier for him. She felt herself sinking. Willingly. Into the car seat’s
embrace. Into a spell. Into the dark corners of her mind. Clay moved his hand
along the curve of her hip to her waist.
    Lara exhaled and sank even deeper.
“What is your plan now?”
    Clay tugged on the seat belt and grunted.
“Tight fit in here,” he said.
    Watching as Clay’s elbow