It wasn’t a question, not really. And it wasn’t really dancing, either. He moved with the grace of a natural athlete, though, and kept hold of her hands, pulling her up against him. That’s it, she thought. I’m a goner.
She lifted herself up on tiptoe and said, “My mother’s marrying Dino,” she said. “I just found out.”
“That’s great,” he said easily. “They’re terrific together.”
She watched her mother with Dino, who twirled her as if they were dancing on a cruise ship. “It’s a bit surreal, seeing my own mother fall in love.”
“Nah, it’s the real thing. Look at those two. Dino’s one of the finest men I’ve ever known. Dance closer,” he added, giving her no choice as he pressed her against him.
The feeling in the pit of her stomach intensified. “I liked your band’s performance,” she said. “You guys are not half bad.”
“Meaning we’re more than half good?”
“Exactly.” She smiled, feeling a wave of affection. “Why the bass guitar?”
“My older brother brought one home when I was a kid. Learned to play by ear, listening to old CDs.”
“You have a good ear, then.” She lifted her arms, laced her fingers behind his neck.
“Maybe. Eddie’s the one, though. Eddie Haven’s guitar playing can elevate anything. If we win, it’ll be because of him.” Bo smiled down at her. “At the moment, I feel like I already won something.”
“You have,” she said. They danced in each other’s arms, and it came to her again, the feeling of the world falling away. They were in a room full of people, and it felt like they were all alone.
“Yeah? You look happy tonight,” he remarked, his breath warm in her ear.
“I am happy tonight.”
“I could make you happier.”
She shivered, pressed herself closer. “I’ll just bet you could, Bo Crutcher.”
“And you’d be right,” he said, and pulled her toward the exit.
They didn’t even wait to see if his band won the battle, raising a nice sum for charity. She put her common sense in Park and rode home with him in a car that felt more like California than the Catskills. The dark and empty house welcomed them with a blast of heat from the furnace. At the bottom of the steps, he swept her up in his arms.
“Hey,” she protested.
“I’ve always wanted to do this.”
“You’ll hurt yourself.”
“Not a chance,” he said. “What hurts is putting this off any longer.” He made a slow and steady climb to her room on the second floor. Keeping his arms around her, he set her down, and they both took off their coats. “I promise I’ll stay awake this time.” Then he bent and kissed her, with a lingering heat she felt all the way to her toes. He pressed her up against the wall and kissed her again.
Suddenly it was all very real to her, what she was feeling, what they were doing, what they were about to do. Second thoughts crowded into her head. She was afraid, vulnerable. A memory of Lloyd flickered to life, but she snuffed it out. Then she banished it completely by looking into Bo’s eyes and seeing nothing there but tenderness. Still…she pushed her fists to his chest and gave a shove, but somehow, it came off as an invitation, not an objection. He took her wrists and gently held them against the wall above her head, bending to kiss her a third time. She knew if she raised a sincere objection, he’d let go. But she didn’t want him to let go. The things she’d felt at the fire hall only grew stronger with each passing moment.
When he lifted his mouth from hers, she looked up at him and said, “This isn’t supposed to happen.”
“Being my girlfriend is not the end of the world.”
“Perhaps not. But it’s going to end badly and people are going to get hurt. Not just any people, you and me. Unless we stop it right here, right now.”
“Not going to happen. Come on, if being with me is the worst thing that’s ever happened to you, then you’re one lucky lady.”
“I’m not saying it’s the worst thing. When it’s over—well, that might be the worst thing.”
“Then we’d better make sure it doesn’t end.”
Everything was so simple for this man. So simple and so possible. She wished she had a little of his optimism. “How are we going to do that?”
“We can start by making love tonight. Right now.”
His hand slipped down, found the hem of her dress and moved slowly upward, teasing and caressing. Still kissing her again, he did something simultaneously with his hand and tongue that completely shut down her brain. He lifted his mouth from hers, and she had one more chance to protest, but she didn’t. She couldn’t, because he whispered a suggestion in her ear that set a torch to her blood. Objections meant nothing. So what if this guy was every bad decision she’d ever made, personified? He had magic hands, and the things he whispered to her made her desperate.
“All right,” she said, tipping back her head while he kissed her throat. She was filled with the giddy relief of surrender. And it was relief, because until this moment, she hadn’t known whether or not she still knew how to trust a man. “All right…” She uttered no other coherent words for the rest of the night.
He slid her dress to the floor and she stepped out of her shoes. Impatient with lust, she peeled off his shirt and jeans, and her fingers raced over him, tracing his smooth skin and hard muscles, drawing him against her. She was mesmerized by everything about him—his amazing physique and the way he tasted, the sound of his breathing and the sigh of her name on his lips. They sank onto the bed, their limbs tangling. There were a
