Page 92 of Autumn on My Mind

“We’re technically still married,” he says, and I can’t help but notice how quickly the words come out of his mouth.

“Well, she will be your ex-wife, won’t she?” I say slowly. “Unless…” I look more closely at Maven, watching her for a second, until I see her gaze jump to where Ben and I are talking.

A sneaking suspicion pops into my mind then—that if Ben had his way, he and Maven wouldn’t get divorced at all.

“What’s going on with you two?” I say. “You were married, and then you thought you were divorced, but you’re still married and getting divorced again…?”

He hesitates, sighing. “It’s complicated. But honestly, your guess is as good as mine.” Then, rallying his spirits, he brightens. “What I do know is that a dance could be beneficial for both you and me.” His eyes dart to Dominic. “And I’d love to see how red Dom’s face gets.”

“His face doesn’t really get red,” I say absently, my gaze wandering to Dom as well. “His neck does, though.”

Ben laughs, and when I look back at him, he’s wearing a knowing grin. He grabs my hand and leads me to the center of the barn. “Look at that,” he says over his shoulder, his grin widening. “Dom is frowning already.”

I laugh too, despite my stumbling feet. “I don’t even know how to dance!”

“I’ve got you,” he says easily. “You’ll be surprised by your own abilities if I lead.” Then he raises his eyebrows at me. “So?”

My laugh lingers into a reluctant smile. “All right,” I say. “Okay. Show me how to dance, then. As long as,” I add quickly, raising my voice and speaking as sternly as possible.“As long as you tell Maven this was your idea. I am not a husband stealer. Got it?”

“On my honor,” Ben says, and then we’re off—my feet move easily beneath me, which shouldn’t be the case, but Ben was right. He’s great at this. He swings me around, pulls me close, maneuvers the two of us all around the floor until I’m laughing and completely out of breath.

We only slow down when Dominic approaches, his face suspiciously genial.

He claps Ben on the shoulder—with much more force than necessary, I might add, so that Ben winces—and then looks at him with a perfectly pleasant expression.

“Should I go ask Maven to dance, then?” he says.

Bennett’s eyes narrow, but Dom goes on, his voice still conversational.

“And I’ll hold her nice and close, or maybe swing her around for a few line dances?” He glances over at Maven and then back at Ben, raising his brows expectantly.

Ben grumbles and lets go of my hands, his face souring as he glares at Dominic. “You’re no fun,” he says, but when he turns his eyes to me before walking away, I could swear I see laughter.

“I was enjoying my dance with Ben,” I say lightly.

Dominic hums, placing his hands on my waist and pulling me close as the music slows down. “I could tell,” he says in a dry voice.

A pleasurable rush zips through me at his touch, and I slide my hands up his arms until they loop around his neck. Then I look up at him. “It was rude of you to butt in.”

“Noted,” he says, sounding not at all sorry. “I’m a rude man.”

“Presumptuous.”

He nods. “Presumptuous too. Got it.”

“And so penitent.”

His arms tighten around me as he ducks his head and laughs softly in my ear. “Rude, presumptuous—anything else, darling Reese?”

That name.

My heart stutters, and I try to keep my words steady, but I’m not sure it works. “Haven’t heard that one in a long time.”

He pauses, even stilling his feet for a second. Then he moves again, back to the slow dance we’ve been doing.

“There are a lot of things we haven’t said in a long time,” he says. “And yet…” He leans impossibly closer, until I can feel his lips brushing against my skin as he breathes, “You’ve made yourself very comfortable, pressed up against me like this.”

“And your arms could not be tighter around my waist,” I respond immediately. “Don’t pretend this isn’t mutual—whatever it is.”