She told me the whole story about how the brother had cheated on Delaney and then she decided she wanted to get over him by doing a bunch of things she’d never done before. One of those things was kissing a girl, and the girl she chose to kiss was James.
“That sounds like a movie,” I told her.
“I know, it totally does. A romcom, definitely.”
We watched the two of them for a little while and I turned to Lea.
“Do you want to dance?” I asked.
Her cheeks went pink and she clasped her bottom lip between her teeth in the most adorable way. That looked like a yes to me.
I stood up and held my hand out to her. “Come on.”
She came with me and we managed to find a clear space just for us. The song ended and a new one came on. This one was moody and slow, so I put one hand on her shoulder and clasped her hand in mine. Her spare hand went to my waist. I didn’t know if I’d ever danced with a woman like this before. Most of my lesbian experiences were horizontal. No dates, no dancing, none of this kind of stuff.
Lea looked up at me and her eyes were so big under the neon light, and I couldn’t stop looking at her lips. They were shiny and plump and eminently biteable and kissable.
The alcohol in my veins was making me feel more comfortable with looking at her in a certain way. Of maybe taking a risk.
We moved together to the throbbing beat of the music and I liked the way she felt in my arms. The way we felt together.
The room was warm, but the heat between us was so much hotter.
Lea gazed up at me and I couldn’t stop looking at her even if I wanted to. A bomb could go off in this bar right now and I’d stay exactly where I was.
“I like this song,” she said, her voice quiet, but louder than anything else.
I had no idea what song it was. Didn’t matter. Only thing that mattered was her.
Our sparkling moment couldn’t last forever and when the song ended, another came on that was much faster and more of a “jump around and sing at the top of your lungs” kind of song. Lea let go of me and smiled, jumping in the air to cheer about the new song, grabbing James and yelling the lyrics.
Bubble burst.
Chapter Thirteen
Lea
Dancing with Vailwas too much. Far too intense. Her touch burned my skin in a good way. Her scent surrounded me, overpowering all the other smells in the room, of which there were many. Vail wrapped herself around me, blotting everything else out and I couldn’t handle it, so the second that the song changed, I’d put some distance between us. I’d needed it to get my thoughts together.
It was impossible to function when she was dancing with me and looking at me like that. Taking me in. Every part of me. As if she could climb around inside, find all my secrets, and strip me bare.
That couldn’t happen, so I switched to dancing with James and Delaney and pretended not to notice when Vail went back to our table and picked up her drink.
I visited the bathroom with James and thought about splashing some cold water on my face to cool down after dancing with Vail, but I didn’t want to ruin my makeup so I just washed my hands with really cold water and then dabbed at the back of my neck.
Delaney was yapping Vail’s ear off when we got back, but Vail didn’t look like she wanted to escape, so that was a good sign.
James and Delaney shared a heated look and I had to glance away because it was…uncomfortable. It didn’t take an expert to know that they were thinking about going home and doing something that required more privacy than even the bathroom in the bar would allow.
“I think we’re going to head out,” Delaney said, gaze locked on James.
“Good to see you.” I hugged both of them and watched as James grabbed Delaney’s hand and she giggled while giving me a wave.
Then it was just me and Vail and I didn’t know how to talk to her anymore. All I could think about was the way we’d been dancing together. Her touch was burned into my memory.
“Do you want to go?” she asked, leaning close. Her scent enveloped me again. It was rich and almost smoky with a hint of sweetness. Unusual, but it worked for her.
“I’m okay, unless you want to leave?” I didn’t want her to stay with me out of obligation.
