Page 44 of The Princess and the Pizza Man

Will took a breath, surprised to hear it shake as he exhaled. He wasn’t sure if it was how Winter looked tonight or just the fact that it was the last night they had together, but he couldn’t suppress the urgency to be around her as much as possible. And even though he was a horrid dancer, he wanted her hand in his.

She’d made her way to Bells, and they were chatting animatedly, their voices easily the loudest in the room. Will liked that—that she was just as loud as his family was. He’d always been drawn to the quiet women in the past, but Winter’s boisterous personality was addicting to be around, comfortable, easy… It was like she embodied Alabama without ever setting foot there.

His feet headed over without his permission, his mind unsure of what would come out his mouth when he got to her. She met his eyes, and her brows lifted in what he hoped was approval at his suit and not amusement. Though he’d probably be okay if she made fun of the tightness of his jacket.

“Hey you,” she said playfully; the sore attempt at a southern accent was the cutest thing he’d ever heard.

“Wow.”

Winter let out a small laugh at his lack of vocabulary. “Well, thank you.” She brought a hand up to her hair. “I have Bells to thank.”

“I don’t know about that,” he teased, grateful some of his mind was clicking together. Bells hit him in the shoulder, hard enough that he had to rub it out. “You wanna dance with me, Frosty?”

Yep, his mind was definitely on a train somewhere, leaving him with just a stupid shell. No wonder Garreth seemed so clueless around Bells; he’d been absolutely enamored.

But then what happened?

Bells snorted. “You? Dance?” She looked to Winter. “Boy hasn’t danced a day in his life. You shoulda seen him with poor Ms. Vancouver just now.”

“It was bad, huh?” Winter asked, her smile full, her lips a light shade of pink.

“I think she’s icing her feet as we speak.”

Will nearly grabbed Bells in a much-deserved headlock and noogie, but he kept it well-mannered with just a grimace.

“That sounds exactly like my dancing,” Winter said, her fingers intertwining with his. “Let’s see who can put who in the hospital first.”

He laughed as she dragged him out to the dance floor, giving Bells a victorious and smug grin over his shoulder. Tingles erupted in his palm where it was connected with Winter’s skin, and they traveled all up his arm and pierced his chest. Winter waved her arm at the musicians in the corner, and after a nod from the pianist, the tempo picked up.

If she expected him to try to toss and twirl her around, she was definitely going to need a paramedic.

She dropped his hand, taking a step back and leaving a wide space between them. He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she just winked, then started flailing about like she was at a rave and not the middle of a ballroom dance floor.

The loudest laugh he’d ever let out came from deep within his gut, and he followed her lead. Cheers came from around them, and then more guests and actors joined in. Will got hot enough that he had to rid himself of that jacket, tossing it to one of the empty chairs around the room and loosening his tie. Winter wiggled closer, grabbing onto his tie and using it to reel herself in.

“You’re not so bad,” she said, eyes flicking up to meet his, her hand stroking the black fabric of his tie. “You’ve got the adorable, innocent dancing down.”

He brushed down the length of her arm with his knuckles, sparks pinging under his skin. “Well, jumping and waving my arms I can do. Just pretend I’m making a pizza.”

He took a step back and tossed invisible dough, much to everyone’s amusement. Winter followed his lead and made a very large New York style pizza.

“Gosh, you are nothing like I thought you’d be,” he blurted, and she titled her head.

“Good or bad thing?”

“Good.” He bobbed his head to the music, and she mimicked him. “I was pretty judgmental about this place. And you.”

“You don’t say,” she teased, then wiggled her rear end around in a circle. He laughed and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her up against him. It happened so quickly he didn’t realize until she was pressed against his chest, his pounding heart an instant giveaway to how he felt about her. He hadn’t even been sure until right then, looking into her spirited gray eyes. He didn’t want to let her go. He didn’t want to go back to Alabama, back to his pizza shop, back to Penelope… he would be content to hold her on this sweaty dance floor for the rest of his days and feel completely at home.

The thought rocked him on his feet, and he fell back slightly, taking her with him. They laughed at his clumsiness.

“I warned you about him!” Bells called out in passing, and then Michael grabbed her hand and spun her into him. Winter’s face fell as she watched his sister. And Will settled their dance into a slower, more fluid rhythm.

“I feel horrible about it, you know,” she said, frowning up at him. “She deserves a happy ending.”

“She’ll get one.” His hand splayed over the small of Winter’s back, pulling her up against him and making their bellybuttons kiss. “It’s not your fault it didn’t happen this week.”

“It is.” She put her hand to the side of her mouth like sharing a secret. “I’m Cupid, remember?” Her hand dropped to his chest, her fingers playing with one of his buttons. “I didn’t match anyone this week. If word gets out, they’ll think Cupid has left the building.”

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