If the music wasn’t so loud, I think everyone could hear me swallow as I give a small nod. As I place my other hand on his shoulder, his palm warms the skin between my shoulder blades, and the muscles beneath his hand tighten.
He feels it and smiles. “Focus on me, I’m right in front of you, lepa.”
Tipping my head back, I lock my eyes on his and my body relaxes a little. Before I know it, we’re taking small steps in unison on the dance floor and other people join us for the slow song,Can’t Help Falling In Love, which the bride and groom chose.
His voice is soft when he says, “Mogao bih da te gledam u oci ceo dan.” [I could look in your eyes all day]
My interest is peaked, and I catch myself smiling when I ask, “What did you just say?”
I didn’t think it possible, but his normally alert, icy-blue eyes soften, “I said I like this song.”
The crowd of people around us is forgotten. Listening to him speak a different language is fascinating. “You do it so effortlessly, how do you know Serbian?”
“I know many languages. It started out as something that came easy for me, and then it turned into part of the job.” He looks around at the people closest to us and dips his head alittle closer to my ear. “But I was born in Serbia, my family came to the states when I was twelve.”
“So that’s the accent I hear sometimes?” He lifts his head back up and nods, when his eyes meet mine warmth spreads through my chest. “Say something else.” I smile and wait for him.
He leans a little closer and whispers in a teasing tone, his eyes shining. “Moje srce je bilo tvoje u prvom trenutku kad sam te video.” [My heart was yours the first moment I saw you]
My smile grows. “Tell me.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile so big. “I said you are an excellent dancer, light as a feather.”
With a chuckle, I say, “Again.”
He looks over my head with a slight grin and looks in the distance and takes a breath, like he’s thinking. “Uvek sam tu za tebe.” [I am always here for you]
I don’t even ask, my eyes volley between his as I wait for him to translate.
He leans closer, his voice lighthearted. “It means that the song is over now.” He lifts an eyebrow as he smiles at me. “You danced beautifully, lepa.”
The smile falls from my face as I look around and realize I danced the whole dance without thinking once about the people around me, who are now turning toward the band with applause. Until just this moment, I’ve been totally relaxed, not obsessed over that fact that someone is touching me.
My head swings back in his direction, in surprise, to meet his eyes that are looking down at me with something I don’t know how to name. His smile is warm, and it spreads to his eyes before he winks at me. When my dad or my brothers look at me like that, I call it affection, but there is something else there, something that gives me butterflies.
An unfamiliar but very pleasant warmth spreads acrossmy center.
“How about a dance with your brother, who hardly sees you?” Tucker’s deep voice next to my ear pulls me out of my thoughts with a start, and I realize I was staring at Jax.
With a smile, I turn to my younger brother, who towers over me, as Jax lets go of my hand and executes an exaggerated bow as he backs away. Tucker just laughs and spins me once as I put my other hand in his.
The next song starts, and Tucker is leading me in a flawless two-step on the dance floor. Out of all my brothers, Tucker inherited more of my mom’s auburn coloring. One of my fondest childhood memories is of brushing my mom’s hair in the evening while we watched TV, she had beautiful auburn hair down her back and the kindest hazel eyes, another feature of my mother that he, Gray, and Kinley got.
Mason, Breanna, and I got our dad’s blue eyes.
Tucker’s just as tall as Mason and built the same, but he’s the smartest of all of us. He was in advanced classes starting in the fourth grade, the school sent home a letter letting my dad know he was too advanced and bored in class. From that day, my dad encouraged him to follow where his brain took him instead of working the ranch.
We all thought he might go into college after school and study something that would be a cush, easy-money career. Instead, he joined the Air Force right out of high school and excelled quickly in the ranks into the Air Command. When I asked him once why he didn’t do something easy, he told me he’s too much of an introvert for a nine-to-five job, but he gets bored and enjoys the extreme life the Air Force provides.
“How are you, Tuck?” I ask, smiling up at him.
His smile turns serious and his eyes volley between mine. “I’m fine, but Kinley called and told me what was going on around here and I’m more concerned about you.”
Mentally cursing Kinley, I cut my eyes to the side, but Ishould have expected it, she and Tucker were close growing up like me and Mason since they were closer in age when mom died. I think Kinley needed someone to take care of to take her mind off her grief, and Tuck was just young enough that he needed to be taken care of.
Kinley can be an overly independent brat sometimes, but I know she told him about the fire in my stable a few months ago because she loves me and is worried.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me girlie, did you think no one would tell me about the fire? Or about your nightmares since then?”
