“No one,” Walter said, as I figured he would.
“But your victory dance the other day was perfect,” I teased.
“I could have been a very good dancer if I put my mind to it.”
“Best in the IRS, I bet,” I said.
He laughed. Walter actually laughed. Finally. These last few days, he let the lighter side of him shine through the grouch.
“I can go,” Rio said, giving me a tiny smile over Walter’s head, knowing this question was intended for her to begin with.
When we dropped him off later, he patted Rio’s shoulder. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“Pretty sure that’s a lost cause,” she mumbled as Walter shut the door behind him.
I laughed and grabbed her hand. “You’re with me?”
“Of course.”
The trust she put in me—then and now—I knew how precious it was. I never took it for granted.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
I pulled up in front of a small dance bar in San Luis, the neon sign bright against the night.
Rio shot me a look. “A dance bar?”
I shrugged. “I don’t really dance, but I want to have all the possible dates with you.”
Her expression softened. “I like it.” She then smirked and tugged me out of the car. “Well, if we’re doing this, I’m leading.”
Inside, the music pulsed with a slow, sultry beat.
Rio grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the floor through the dim lighting, the people swaying, the mix of perfume and alcohol in the air.
I slid a hand to her waist, drawing her close. “So, you’re in charge, huh?”
Her arms looped around my neck. “Always.”
I let her lead, move against me. All I wanted was to feel her and forget everything else.
She spun, her body brushing mine, and I caught her, holding her tight against me.
I leaned further in, my lips hovering over hers. “Your name is Rio and you’re dancing on the sand,” I quoted her song before closing my lips on hers.
Rio’s laughter drowned in our kiss that became more and more heated, right there in the middle of the dance floor. We kissed and swayed together, our bodies moving in sync, as if the rest of the world had melted away.
I didn’t care. No one cared. Here I was just a guy loving a girl.
31
Rio
OWEN CRASHED INTO MYlife like a storm—wild and unpredictable, stirring up everything I wanted, everything I was, everything I’d given up on. I used to think that for me, love would end up being something quiet, soft, drama-free.
But loving him wasn’t quiet. It wasn’t easy.
