“You’re full of shit.” Marci laughed. “You’re a Led Zeppelin man through and through.”
“And when Lex has the balls to play “Stairway to Heaven,” I’ll be on the floor with my air guitar, baby.” He grinned and grabbed Elaine’s hand. “Let’s go.”
“Actually, Elaine promised me this dance.”
They all turned. Connor stood behind them. He’d taken off his suit jacket and had rolled up his shirtsleeves. Somehow, slightly rumpled, he looked even sexier than he had at the beginning of the night. The blue of his tie caught her eye, and she once again couldn’t help wondering if he’d chosen it because it was her eye color.
All of a sudden, the nervous high school girl appeared out of nowhere. It was like watching Lloyd cut through the crowd of popular students all over again.
A lump materialized in her throat. She swallowed it. “I don’t want to offend Bart.”
Connor’s gaze darted toward the wolf shifter. Bart’s nod was almost imperceptible, but Elaine saw it. A world of understanding seemed to pass between the two men.
Bart leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, whispering, “I’m not offended. I’ll see you later. I have a feeling Connor might monopolize you tonight anyway.” With a smile, he headed back to his mate.
“Dance with me.” Connor took her by the hand and led her onto the floor.
Elaine glanced over her shoulder at Marci.
Her friend smiled and mouthed, “Good luck.”
“I should just check on the kids first.”
Connor pulled her into his arms. “The kids are fine. They’re right over there, dancing with Suzan and the guys.”
Sure enough, Suzan and her mates, Percy and Byron, held hands with Layla and Andy and danced in a circle. They whirled the kids around, making them giggle.
“See?” Connor placed one of her hands on his shoulder and held the other hand. “They’re safe and happy. Stop worrying and dance with me.”
A respectable distance separated them as they swayed. She tried hard to keep her eyes trained on spots over his shoulder, rather than meeting his gaze. His shoulder muscles were tense under her hand but felt nice. Lloyd had been a bigger, beefier man, with a stature typical of bear men. Connor, on the other hand, was all great cat. While still blessed with large dimensions, he was harder, leaner, sleeker. She wanted to traipse her fingers across his back, noting all the little differences.
It was funny how she’d never realized just how broad his shoulders were. Her bear seemed to notice. The animal clawed at her insides, trying to get closer.
Beads of perspiration appeared on her upper lip.
Onstage, Lex crooned something about “guilty feet” and a lack of rhythm.
Oh, brother. Elaine stepped on Connor’s toe. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t know how you walk in those shoes. They’re so high.”
“I appreciate Gioia lending them to me, but they’re killing my feet.”
“Take them off.” Rather than stepping aside to let her slip out of them, Connor knelt before her. “Here. Let me help you.”
Aghast, Elaine had no choice but to let him. He touched a gentle hand to her first ankle and slid the shoe off. His thumb smoothed over her anklebone. The touch started a chain reaction of shivers up her calf. Connor set the shoe down and reached for her other ankle. As he removed her other shoe, his fingers grazed the sensitive bottom of her foot. Her skin on her legs broke out in goose pimples.
He looked up, his gaze searing. He’d noticed the change in her body.
For a moment, he didn’t move and remained on his knees, his gaze trapping hers and his hand on her foot. It seemed silly, but he made her feel precious, adored.
Like Cinderella in reverse.
“There.” He stood, his voice gruff, and brought her into his embrace once more. “Now I have to be careful not to step on your toes, lady.”
At least now, shorter by four inches, she could bury her gaze in his chest and avoid the heat in his eyes.
Lex must have sung other lyrics, but all she heard, over and over, was the bit about guilty feet.
