Page 58 of Wilde Ride

Her voice cut off when I spun her again, in a sad attempt to get her to forget where her train of thought was going.

“Do you like Emeline?” she asked as soon as I reeled her back in.

A bark of laughter slipped free. “Of course not! I just don’t want to see some jerk trying to take advantage of her, that’s all. Besides, getting involved with anyone isn’t something I’m interested in right now.”

She gave me an assessing look, those blue eyes of hers playful. “You know, Emeline’s had a crush on you since she was like fourteen. Maybe even before that.”

I rolled my eyes. “Your brother already told me, and I highly doubt she still does.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe not. But then, you don’t see the way she looks at you.”

“Ensley,” I warned. “We’re friends.”

A wicked smile appeared on her face. “There’s such a thing as friends with benefits, Levi.”

I groaned. “Stop it.”

The song ended, and as we headed back to the table, someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was Logan Miller.

“Dance?”

Right at that moment, Emeline and Lilibeth were making their way toward our table. I quickly grabbed Emeline’s hand.

“Emeline, I think we’re up next.”

Confused, she started to say something, but I quickly herded us back toward the dance floor. “I’m sorry, Logan. Promised this one to Emeline.”

Once we got to the dance floor, the next song started. I cursed when I realized it was a slow song.

I drew Emeline closer and tried to ignore the scent of her damn perfume. It was fucking intoxicating.

“Um, what was that about?” she asked as we shuffled together slowly.

“Logan Miller wanted me to dance with her.”

Something passed across Emeline’s face…and for a moment it looked like disappointment. But why she would be disappointed was beyond me. We danced for a few moments in silence.

“So who was the guy you were dancing with earlier? The one who liked to dip you?”

“Luke?” she asked with a laugh. “He works on the ranch. He’s been asking me out, I swear, since the first day he started working for us.”

I frowned. “Have you told him no?”

Her head drew back some at my tone. “Yes.”

“Maybe he needs to learn that no means no and to stop harassing you.”

Her brows flew up. “He’s hardly harassing me, Levi. He’s a nice guy, and if he didn’t work for my brother, I might go out with him.”

That admission bothered me more than I thought it should. All I could do was nod.

“Why didn’t you want to dance with Logan?”

I looked down into those blue eyes and realized if I stared long enough, I could get lost. Closing my eyes to break the connection, I turned my head before opening them again, glancing around the dance floor before looking back at Emeline. “For one, she’s way too young for me. Second, she works for my father, and will soon be working for me. That’s a line I do not intend to cross. Plus, I’m not the least bit interested in getting involved with anyone.”

Emeline smiled slightly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Yes, you keep saying that.”

We danced in silence until the song was over, then stepped apart.