“Oh, so it’s about you,” I teased.
“Exactly, yes. It’s about me and what I want.”
“No barefoot hillbilly jokes if that’s what you’re doing,” I said, pointing at him.
“I would never. I’m from Indiana anyway. We’re half redneck,” he joked.
“Fair.”
His thumb pressed into the arch of my foot and I swear, I could have orgasmed on the spot. I let out a loud moan, melting into my chair. I caught my dad’s eye, who was dancing with his wife, smiling broadly when he saw me sitting with my feet in Nick’s lap. I knew what he was thinking: I was moving on. And really, I hadn’t thought of Roger since I got done with my speech. I gave a quick wave.
“Is that your dad?” Nick asked.
“How could you tell?”
“Your smiles are freakishly identical.” He continued kneading the bottoms of my feet. “You did a really good job on the speech,by the way. You could feel how much you love them. Really touching.”
I puffed out my bottom lip. “Thanks. We did it. We got ‘em married.”
The song changed to a One Direction song and Kitty’s signature scream could be heard from the dance floor. “Annie!”
“Looks like I’m back on duty,” I sighed. “Shall we?”
“I think we must.”
I lost Nick quickly once I got to the dance floor, the photographer getting some shots of Kitty, Violet, and me shouting the words of Harry, Zayn, Liam, Niall, and Louis with our sweaty arms around each other.
But not for long. Two arms slid around my waist from behind at the end of the first chorus, making me almost jump out of my skin.
“Don’t freak out,” Nick said low in my ear. “Pretend you’re in love with me. But I think you’re bleeding.”
He’d removed his jacket, tying the sleeves around my waist.
“Bleeding?” I whispered in his ear, leaning back into him as instructed.
“Like . . . menstruating? Your period?”
“Okay, you two!” Kitty shouted, pointing to Nick and me as we did this overly intimate charade, dancing together as he held me from behind, whispering in my ear.
Violet and Tania started in with some cat calls and howls.
“I know what my period is, Nick,” I hissed, trying to school my expression to stay pleasant. “It’s not time.”
“Well, there’s blood on your butt, angel.”
My brain worked at a breakneck pace. The scheme it hatched up was convoluted at best. I whipped around in his arms and pressed myself into him. “Kiss me, Nick.”
“Yeah, okay.” His head dipped as his lips met mine, the shouts from the others on the dance floor only getting louder. I’d kissed Nick before, less than twenty-four hours before even. So why didheat flood my body? Why did his hand cupping my neck and my waist feel so safe? Why were his lips so sweet and his tongue so wild and all of it just so him?
After I determined we’d made a convincing enough show, I pulled back. “Let’s get out of here.”
Kitty gave me a shocked and thrilled look when I turned to her.
I put my arms around Kitty’s neck, whispering in her ear. “Congratulations, babe. I apparently just got my period. I need to leave. Kissing Nick was a coverup.”
Kitty made a variety of expressions. “Sure, it was a coverup,” she laughed, then hugged me back. “You’re fine. Go. Thanks for everything. Sorry about your period.”
And turning back to Nick, who already had my heels in his hand, we headed back for the resort.
