“I’ll give you a ride.” He passes a piece of paper to one of the kids, and they jog off into the dark toward the area at the back of the property my parents use for parking any time they have a party like this.

“I already ordered a ride but thank you.”

“Cancel it.”

Smiling at the quiet demand rather than bristling—which would be my normal response to anyone else—I shake my head. “It’s really okay.” I rub my arms, which are suddenly covered in goosebumps. It’s much cooler than it was earlier, and my dress is doing nothing to fight the chill in the air. “They’ll be here in twenty minutes.”

“It’s too cold for you to be standing out here for twenty minutes.”

“I….” I start to tell him I’ll just wait inside but stop when he swings his jacket out and wraps it around my shoulders, enveloping me in warmth and the smell of his cologne.

Adjusting the lapels, his fingers accidentally brush over the tops of my breasts. The innocent touch should not cause the muscles in my lower belly to twitch or my breath to catch, but I can’t stop the reaction.

“Cancel the ride,” he repeats, his deep voice sounding different, gruffer, and more raw. Lifting my gaze to his, the moment our eyes lock, the air around us thickens and swirls with an electricity I have never in my life felt or experienced before.

“Okay,” I whisper, knowing I’d probably give him anything he asked for if he spoke to me like that in his deep, gravelly voice and looked at me the way he’s looking at me right now.

“Okay,” he repeats, seeming to get closer, and I almost think he’s going to kiss me, but the sound of an engine roaring severs our connection, and we both turn to watch a silver sports car come up the road toward the house, going fast.

Recognizing Matthew’s car immediately, I wonder what he’s doing back here, since I haven’t seen him for a while and assumed he went home. As he comes to a stop in front of the steps, I check the passenger seat for his date. She’s not with him, so he probably dropped her off, likely so she didn’t miss her curfew.

I fight the urge to smile at the thought as he opens his door, waving off the kid who runs over to meet him.

“I thought you might need a ride,” he says, meeting my gaze over the roof of his car, and I shake my head. Did he really come all the way back here to drive me home?