Gabi snorted. ‘Thought you’d want to be out there,’ she said, nodding at the crowd.
Walker leaned next to her, surveying the dance floor which was in full line dancing delight.
‘Wanted to check you were okay—’ he said.
‘I can look after myself, you know,’ Gabi interrupted automatically.
‘And see if you wanted to dance,’ he said, stopping her in her tracks. That was unexpected, but in a very good way.
‘I’d love to,’ she said. The band started again, a slow song, and he moved in.
‘What about these?’ Gabi asked, holding up her crutches.
‘We don’t need those. . .’ Walker took them from her hands and leaned them against the table. She stood, balancing for a moment, and then hooked her fingers into his belt buckle, pulling him close. The spicy smell of him made her stomach flip.
‘I’ll need something to hang on to,’ she said.
‘Hold on to me.’ His voice was against her ear, and it flashed her back to the bookshop, evoking the same urge, the desire to rest against him. He wrapped his arms around her back and took her weight, ensuring she wasn’t putting pressure on her bad leg. She was cocooned against him, weightless as a trapeze swinger, her feet a few inches off the floor. Completely powerless. He walked them onto the edge of the dance floor and they began to move. She twisted her arms up and around Walker’s neck, as she’d wanted to the other day. His hands tightened their hold, and she heard her own breath. Being held by Walker was like jumping off a building.
The tiniest stroke of his thumb against the bare skin of her lower back made her ache in the pit of her stomach. She rested her head against his shoulder and breathed in the scent of his chest. Every cell in her body felt alive, hyperaware of every point of contact between them. The flat, hard muscle of his stomach. The press of his thigh against hers as he moved.
The song ended and they paused. Gabi felt a lurch of disappointment when it was replaced by a DJ, a fast beat. Walker’s arms relaxed and lowered her the half inch back down to the floor, supporting her while she took the weight again on her own feet. Her chest banged with excitement; her stomach was hollow with anticipation.
‘Thank you,’ she said, and it came out husky.
He looked down at her and, on impulse, she raised her face, tipping her mouth close to his. His surprise was momentary, she saw the flicker of his eyes as they widened, and then the softening of his jaw as his head inched tantalisingly slowly towards her. She felt her lips part in anticipation. She closed her eyes and felt the same anticipation as diving from a high board.
‘Ahem.’ Fox cleared his throat beside her. ‘I’m off.’ Walker straightened too quickly, and Gabi held on for dear life, unsure whether she could stand on her own. Fox lifted his cowboy hat and winked. ‘Sorry.’
‘Where are the others?’ Walker asked, scanning the dance floor which had spiralled into country chaos. Women rode on men’s backs, galloping across the dance floor. Toby and Jesse were do-si-do-ing, linking arms at the elbow and spinning in circles. People whooped, slapped their thighs, women lassoed men with their belts, and someone was shooting toy guns with the word ‘bang’ hanging out of them.
‘Etienne said something about checking Isabella’s coat into the cloakroom,’ Fox said. Gabi snorted. Isabella hadn’t been wearing a jacket. Obviously one cowgirl couldn’t wait long enough to get her man home.
‘And Amber said she had something to do.’
‘Something?’ Gabi snorted again. ‘More like somebody.’ She glanced at the stage and noticed the band was on its break. Alex was nowhere to be seen.
‘Anyway, sorry to interrupt, just wanted to tell you the bar bill’s paid,’ Fox said. ‘Enjoy the rest of your night.’ Fox picked up the one remaining bottle of champagne from the bucket and carried it by its neck through the crowd. Gabi watched him go and realised she was still holding on to Walker. And more to the point, he was holding on to her.
‘Shall we go?’ Walker asked.
She looked into his face and took a risk. Of all the risks she was used to taking in her everyday life, this one felt like quite a big one.
‘To mine?’ Gabi asked.
‘Definitely,’ he said with a smile. They turned as one to the table to collect the crutches she’d left leaning in the corner, but they were gone.
‘What the hell?’ Gabi looked around her furiously. They hadn’t slipped down underneath the table. They’d been pinched.
‘Hmmm,’ Walker said with a half-smile. ‘Only one thing for it.’ He dipped in front of her. She felt his arm behind her legs, and he scooped her up as though she weighed nothing. She gasped.
‘What are you doing?’ Gabi asked, leaning against his chest and looking up into his chiselled face.
‘Taking you home,’ he said, starting the walk across the floor. As they went, she saw two women galloping across the dance floor, riding one of her crutches each like a horse. She slid her arms around Walker’s neck again and said nothing at all.
Chapter Eighteen
Walker
