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hot in here. The man radiated heat like a generator. Vivi had to fan herself. She did
not
want to go on TV all sweaty and red-faced. The climate controls were next to Connor, out of her reach unless she wanted to crawl across his lap, so she’d settle for cracking a window for fresh air.
    The windows on her side of the car didn’t seem to open, so that meant she’d have to open the ones on the other side. But Connor’s legs blocked easy access to those controls, too.
Who designed this vehicle?
She should just wake him up, but that would seem petty and she was
not
going to be petty.
    At least outwardly.
Inwardly
was a different situation.
    Vivi slid to the edge of the seat, pushed up, placed one knee in her seat and lifted the other leg over Connor’s. She was reaching for the handle on the other side to pull herself over without touching him when the driver braked hard, jerking her forward and then backward as the car came to a stop.
    Vivi lost her balance and fell back, landing hard and ungracefully in Connor’s lap.
    Connor had merely been dozing, but the sudden stop of the car jerked him awake a split second before Vivi landed in his lap.
    His arms went around her instinctively to steady her as she slid sideways, and his first ridiculous thought was that Vivi was a nice armful. She was small, but compact: the butt pressed against his groin was firm, and the thigh under his hand lean and strong. The curves he’d admired the other day felt even better than they looked. His body tightened and his skin heated at the contact.
    Vivi’s head was just below his shoulder, and the light floralscent that always faintly surrounded her filled his lungs as he inhaled. He could feel her heartbeat and realized that his
other
hand had landed directly on her breast; the soft curve filled his palm perfectly. Something flashed through him, landing in his lap with as much force as Vivi had.
    He moved his hand away, brushing her hair out of her face instead. “You okay?” he asked as he uncovered her mouth.
    “I’m fine.” She scrambled to an upright position and scooted off his lap into the seat beside him and began finger-combing her hair back into place.
    The privacy screen slid open and the driver’s concerned face appeared. “Sorry about that. Some idiot ran the light. You two okay?”
    “I think so,” Vivi answered, but her voice was a little shaky. “Connor?”
    “Fine,” he answered. While it seemed like Vivi had been in his lap for a long time, he realized only a few seconds had actually passed. Still, though, his body had reacted like a horny teenager’s, as if he’d never touched a girl before.
    This was
Vivi
, for God’s sake.
    He shifted in the seat, trying to find a more comfortable position while he got it back under control.
    Vivi’s face was flushed, and he noticed her hands were shaking the tiniest bit. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
    “I’m fine, really.” As the car started forward again Vivi moved to the other seat. “I was trying to get across to open the window when we stopped. Sorry I landed on you.”
    Maybe it
was
a little warm in here. He jumped on the excuse and pushed the button to lower the window. Fresh air filled the car, dispersing both the heat and the tension in the air. “Better?”
    “Much.”
    Vivi swallowed hard, and when she lifted her eyes to meet his and smile her thanks, he noticed how wide theywere. How the pupils had dilated until the blue was a thin circle. Color still flagged her cheeks, and her breath had a ragged edge.
    Vivi couldn’t hold the look or the smile, and she began to dig in her bag, emerging with lipstick and a mirror. Her hands still weren’t steady, and she concentrated on the task like it was the most important thing she’d ever done.
    He hadn’t been the only one affected by those few seconds, and it looked like Vivi was still riding the shockwave.
That
knowledge slammed into him, and the air felt warm again.
    “Oh, look—we’re here.” Vivi