Dolly began singing about why someone would come in here lookin’ like that. William tugged at Lucy’s hand.
“Spent the day cleaning up messes. Now, I’ve got a promise to keep.” He pulled her to the side of the dance floor. Lifting her hand in his, he adjusted her palm on his shoulder before running his hand along her back to her waist. Traces of cedar and the earthy smell of straw hay-bales amplified the woodsy scent that was his alone.
He nudged her backward, “Relax and follow me, yeah?”
She stepped on his foot. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“It’s fine. Relax. I’ll do the work.” He stepped forward as she stepped forward, knocking into him.
“Sorry,” she repeated. Geez, this is exactly why she never went to dances in high school. This, and the fact no one ever asked her.
“Take a breath. Watch my eyes, go backward, and don’t worry about your feet. They’ll follow.”
She couldn’t meet his gaze, not plastered this close against him. His thigh brushed intimately against hers, the movement pushing her along, his hand at her back to guide her.
Counting as he moved with her, she wouldn’t meet his eyes. He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, “I confess my day got a whole lot better when I walked into a barn in the middle of nowhere to find you looking like this.”
The barn was warm, but she shivered. He tucked her closer.
Nice.
“A natural,” he whispered.
She leaned her head back and grinned. He traced a hand along the curve of her back as one song blended into another, and another. Damn. Maybe she should have found someone to take her to a dance in high school. She clearly had no idea what she’d missed out on. He held her tight, her cheek resting against his chest.
For the first time in a long time, she found peace. Peace that had come in a loud, drafty barn filled to the brim with what appeared to be the entire population of Twin Lakes.
The music stopped, but she didn’t release her hold.
“Princess, song’s over.” His voice was husky, like it had been the night before when he climbed into bed at the cabin.
Right.
She started to step away, but he caught her and pulled her back to his chest so they both faced the stage. He settled his hand at her hip in what appeared to be a gesture of possession—a gesture that sent a stampede of butterflies straight through her.
“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we have a very special couple with us celebrating their honeymoon at Twin Lakes,” Dolly boomed over the speakers.
William’s fingers tightened. Lucy’s heart dropped. She glanced around, her gaze landing on Sarah near the bar. She gave Lucy two thumbs-up and a wink.
Oh no.
The room plunged into darkness. Lucy squinted as a spotlight focused where she stood with William. Dolly clanged a spoon against an empty wine glass. “What d’ya say? A kiss from the newlyweds?”
“Crap,” Lucy said to no one in particular.
Everyone watched. Lucy’s stomach felt like someone had danced right over it.
Okay. Not a big deal. It wasn’t like it was her first kiss or anything. And she’d only fantasized about this moment with William for, like, her entire teenage existence, so doing it in front of a room of strangers headed by a drag queen wasn’t a big thing.
Nope, it was a huge thing. Massive.
“Luce, breathe,” William whispered in her ear as the crowd began to clap.
He turned her so she fit in his arms face-to-face. His sharp, golden eyes softened. She curved her hand around the edge of his collar as he moved to erase the final millimeters separating them.
The applause on the dance floor increased, and with the added boot stomps, the whole barn moved. Or maybe it was just Lucy’s world tilting on its axis. She sucked in a shallow breath. And then, because she was clearly in an alternate reality, he tilted his head and the rest of the space separating them disappeared.
Holy. Crap.
