Cody nodded and then smiled when she turned to Spencer with soft eyes. “Hi. How are you?” She had no idea how adorable she was standing there looking just a little tentative. Heath had hugged her earlier but that was it, and then Cody had gone all supernova with the hot kiss, and she was still unsure how to respond to Spencer, but it was important to her to include him. Maizy was investing emotionally in all three of them. That wasn’t a guarantee that everything would work out between them but it was a good start.
Cody could see the effect her gesture had on Spencer. His eyes were half-lidded as he wrapped his arms around her and held her as though she was the most precious thing in the world. She had them eating out of her hand already.
When she looked up at him, Spencer gently stroked her jaw with the backs of his fingers, as if he feared she might disappear before his eyes. “Hi,” he said before he wrapped her up in another gentle hug and kissed the top of her head. “You smell nice. I’m glad you came.”
She smiled up at him. “Me, too.”
Heath gestured with a thumb at the dance floor. “We got this, Cody. Go have fun.”
Cody took her hand, ignoring all the speculative looks they got as he led her through the crowd. The last song ended and Jason Aldean’s “Night Train” began to play.
Perfect.
He felt about ten feet tall. He was so proud to be there with her, even if it was only during a break. For just a few minutes he wouldn’t watch the club, he’d only watch her. He spun her as they reached the dance floor and smiled at her practiced response. She knew how to dance, all right.
The tempo was perfect but the music was louder near the dance floor so it was hard to talk. He pulled her close, letting his left hand slide down her back to the upper swell of her curvaceous ass, enjoying the feel of her supple body against his as she followed his lead. He gazed into her upturned eyes and tucked a stray lock of hair back from her cheek. “You look like you need to talk.” At her vigorous nod, he said, “I’d like to talk now but we’ll keep getting interrupted. Things are pretty fast-paced on Saturday nights. Would you think about coming home with us? Just to talk? I promise, nothing else will happen and we’ll take you home afterward.”
“I understand,” she replied as she reached up to his shoulder. “Can I just tell you one thing?”
“Sure.” He bent down so she could speak near his ear. No one else needed to be party to their conversation.
“I’m so sorry about this afternoon. I know I probably looked like a coward, scurrying back from you like that. I felt awful about it all day.”
Cody smiled as he pulled back enough to look into her sincere eyes. He stroked the hair at her temple, enjoying the wild mass of curls so much. Sliding his hand to the back of her head, he sank his fingers deep in the silken strands. On impulse, he kissed her as they kept dancing, and he felt her tremble against him. “There. That made up for it. I was sure you had a good reason for pulling back and I didn’t let it bother me. I knew you’d explain when you could.” He felt her relax against him and was glad. “The anticipation to see you has been building all day, as you could probably tell earlier…and now…I want you to know that it’s up to you if anything else ever happens. I want you to understand that. We all do.”
Her smile was radiant as she nodded. “I understand. One of the women in that group outside O’Reilley’s was Beverly Dumphrey. She’s a teacher at the elementary school and she’s on the school board. And one of the others, Tabitha Lester, is friends with several members of the school board. She’s done her best to make Lucy’s life miserable and she would do the same to me if she had half a chance. I know I have to be careful, but…” She leaned her cheek against his chest.
“But what?”
She looked up at him. “But I want this, too.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Then we’ll make it work.”
“It’s going to be harder than I thought at first.”
“You’re right, angel. We can talk about all of that tonight, if you’d like.”
She bit her lip, uncertainty in her eyes. “Just talk?” At his nod, she said, “Can I let you know? I need to check with the girls first.”
“Of course. And if you’d rather not, I’d understand. We can get together one day this week.”
He smiled when she frowned a little. Waiting wasn’t a pleasant thought to him either. He felt the same sense of urgency.
They held each other for the rest of the song, her body following his lead with as much grace as if they’d been dancing together for a long time. He wanted this to work out so much it was like a physical hunger that wouldn’t be satisfied. She looked up at him and he wished he could read her mind.