“Sheik, I am honored. Thank you.”
Mo nodded and walked off.
Kenna grabbed Parker’s arm and followed Mo and Will as they made their way around the room. The orchestra started Dvorak’s Slovakian Dances. Kenna tapped her foot and found herself swaying to the music as the men talked football with the prime minister of Bulgaria, who was surprisingly fond of the American sport. She closed her eyes and took it in. The piece was a fast-paced dance that slowed to beautiful, almost playful movements before picking her back up and twirling her around.
She opened her eyes and found Will standing in front of her. “Mo has everything under control. Let’s dance.” He wrapped his arm around Kenna's waist as they went flying around the dance floor. His strong frame led her around and around, faster and faster. As he whipped her around the floor to the contagious music of Dvorak, the stresses and fears flew off little by little with every spin she made until all that was left were she and Will. She looked up at him and saw his face was flushed, his dimples shining as the music built to a fevered pace. They flew around the floor, twirling, stepping, and spinning. Her laughter rang out as her feet barely touched the ground. The song came to a dramatic end that left the people on the dance floor breathless and the crowd clapping.
The orchestra took a bow before starting a slow and beautiful violin piece. “May I have this dance?” Will took an elegant bow, making her laugh again. She offered him her hand and he led her in a traditional waltz by Strauss. “I know this has been a stressful night, but these are moments I will treasure forever. The feel of you in my arms, dancing and toasting with champagne… nothing has ever felt so right.”
She smiled and stepped closer to him, her breasts brushing against his chest as the couple took another wide turn. His leg slid between hers.
“I know it sounds strange, but all I feel now is relief. I should've told you and Mo earlier. Will, this night has been magical. I'm curious as to how a football player is such a good dancer.”
“It’s kind of embarrassing, but in college my coach made me take ballroom and ballet classes to improve my footwork when I was scrambling.”
“Well, make sure you thank him for me. This has been such a romantic night, excluding the exes, of course.”
“Well, let me take you home and show you what other moves I have.”
She laughed and shook her head. He couldn’t be perfect after all. If cheesy lines were the worst of it, she was pretty lucky.
Chapter Sixteen
Kenna snuggled into her pillow. Will definitely showed her moves she didn’t know even existed. She drifted off to sleep with Will wrapped around her while strands of their waltz danced in her head.
She dreamt of her and Will alone on the dance floor. He pulled her close, so close there was no telling where her body ended and his started. As she reached up to look into his eyes, she found the leering face of Chad.
She opened her mouth to scream, but no sounds came out.
“Ready to be taught how to be a good girlfriend?”
She tried to pull away, but his hands gripped her tight enough to break her arm bones. As he leaned forward to kiss her, she jerked back as hard as she could. Kenna woke when she hit the floor. The impact jarred her and knocked the lamp from the nightstand. She took a deep breath to steady herself and rubbed her bottom as she stood up. She looked around, embarrassed that Will might have seen her fall out of bed. But she didn’t see him.
She went to the bathroom and found a note from Will attached to the mirror, telling her he was checking on the farm before breakfast. He asked her to call him when she was ready to be picked up. Not wanting to bother him, she called Paige and asked if she could pick her up on her way to the party.
Kenna took a quick shower and applied her makeup. She slipped into the sage-colored sundress and tan wedges. She put on the matching Derby hat Paige had made and headed downstairs to wait for her. She only had to wait a minute before she saw Paige’s car pull into the drive.
“Good morning. You look amazing!” Kenna told Paige as she got into the car. Paige was highlighting her light brown hair and hazel eyes with a warm, orange-colored sundress. Her hat’s base was the same orange, but it was trimmed with a grass-colored green organza ribbon that was tied ornately in the back.
“Thanks, you too. I'm so glad that hat worked for you.” Kenna noted that Paige looked a little nervous, well, as nervous as someone as tough as Paige got.
“Is something wrong, Paige? You’re acting a little shy and you’re never shy.”
“Actually, there is. I know we just met a couple of months ago, but how could you not tell me you had this boyfriend up in New York while you’re chasing after Will? Does Will know about him?”