Page 47 of Caught Up In You

“We can keep it quiet,” Carson assures me.

“They’re calling it a pineapple,” Grace says.

“Excuse me?” Carson looks from me to Grace and back. “Isn’t that, like, the symbol for swingers?”

“Oh mygod!” Grace cries.

“No! Good Lord, the two of you are ridiculous. We’re not swingers, nor are we in a relationship. We’re just?—”

“If you say fuck buddies, I’m barfing in that punch bowl,” Grace warns.

“—not labeling things,” I say firmly. “And I definitely don’t want this circulating around all of Ye Olde Cardinal Springs, so we’re going to play it cool for the rest of the night.”

“And you want us to help with that?” Carson asks.

“I mean…” It hadn’t occurred to me that I’d need help, but as my gaze drifts across the dance floor to where Owen is twisting the lid off a beer bottle with a quick flex of his forearm, rocking back on his heels like the cat that ate the canary, I realize this is going to be averylong night. What am I doing here? Charity?Dancing? What’s my name, even? “Yes. Please keep me occupied so…”

“So the entire town doesn’t pick up on your seismic sexual attraction,” Carson finishes.

“Consider us your wingwomen,” Grace says.

Across the gym floor, Owen catches my eye and winks. It’s the wink of a man who knows what I taste like, and while I’m no virgin bride, I find the look on that man’s face downright scandalous.

Fingers snap in front of my face. “Are you sure you want us to do this?” Grace asks. “Because we can step aside and you can go, uh, do it like they do on the Discovery Channel or whatever.”

“Seriously, I have never seen a woman look so horned up in my life,” Carson says, laughing.

Oh god, I’m in so much trouble.

“Help me, Obi-Wan, and all that,” I mutter.

“Okay, then eyes on me, Hart.” Grace is using the voice she reserves for rowdy toddlers at the library. And you know what? It works. I snap my eyes to hers, and she’s looking at me like a general about to lead me into battle. “We’re going to dance our asses off.Awayfrom Owen. Capisce?”

I nod, resolute. “Capisce.”

For the rest of the night, we dance and snack and hype each other up to make it to seven a.m. Grace and Carson are true to their word, keeping me from drifting toward Owen whenever he’s on the dance floor, even though my body feels magnetically drawn to him. I find myself turning toward him like a flower finding the sun.

The only time he slips past their defenses is just before Corianne declares the dance marathon complete. We’re all gathered on the floor, a sudden surge of adrenaline battling with the yawns as we collectively realize how close our beds are.

I feel him behind me immediately, his warm, strong presence there just before I feel his breath on the shell of my ear.

“You good to drive home?” he whispers, his big hand drifting gently over the curve of my hip. The crowd is tight as we all gather near the stage, and I let myself lean my weight into him just for a brief, delicious stolen moment.

“I’m good,” I say, because the jolt of electricity I feel at the contact gives me enough energy tosprinthome.

“Good. Sleep well,” he says, then takes a gentlemanly step backward. I glance over my shoulder just in time to see his smile. “Tonight,” is all he says before disappearing into the crowd.

Exhaustion catches up to me as soon as I pull my truck into the driveway. I’m seconds away from having to hold my eyelids open with my thumbs. With my bed as my only target, I trip through the front door and begin shuffling down the hall.

“Pancakes?”

My mother’s voice slices through my fatigue, as does the smell of butter and vanilla and…something burning?

Against my better judgment, I veer into the kitchen to find my mother standing over the griddle, a spatula in one hand and a dish towel in the other. She’s attempting to wipe up the drips of batter rolling down the front of the oven and pooling on the floor. There are also spatters on the counter, a puff of flour on the cabinet door, and dripping eggshells lying near the sink.

And a burner spattered with pancake banner glowing, nothing cooking on top.

Suddenly I’m wide awake.

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