Page 44 of Love on the Run

Anna ended the call and tiptoed out of the bathroom. Beau now had a blanket draped over his lower half while he tapped on his phone.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yep. Just going to sleep.”

Beau turned off his phone and put it on the back of the couch. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

Once she snuggled beneath the covers, she turned to look out the big window at the dark, starry night. Despite everything Tiffany had mentioned about Catherine’s behavior, the fear Anna alwayscarried around her mother started to drift away as if it had always been connected to her by a slip knot.

Chapter 13

Beau

“Absolutely not.”

“Absolutely yes,” Anna countered.

She might be cute and bossy, but she was not getting away with this one. He was in his thirties, and he wouldn’t cave to peer pressure.

Beau crossed his arms over his chest, settling into a stance that said he was putting his foot down. “I’m not doing it.”

“Then I’ll just drag you around like a doll. This is my dream. My dream,” Anna repeated with all the seriousness of a tiger cub.

Okay, serious Anna was kinda hot. If he didn’t get a grip on himself soon, she’d overpower him. “Why do your dreams have to include close proximity to another person?”

“Because I grew up making Barbie and Ken kiss alot,” Anna said as if her childhood role-playing had anything to do with the current subject.

Stand your ground, man.“How did I get involved in this Barbie-Ken drama?”

“You didn’t. You got involved with my drama, and now you’re seeing the pleasantly bright side of me you never knew about,” Anna said, propping a hand on her hip.

Why did she have to draw attention to her body? It was a weapon, and she was wielding it like a sword.

Beau rubbed a hand over his face. Why wouldn’t she just give it up? “I don’t want to dance.”

“But dancing with me is going to be fun. I promise we can laugh about it later.”

“Oh, there would be plenty of laughter. At my expense. And you don’t even care!”

Anna stepped closer and rested her hands on his crossed arms, lodging a breath in Beau’s throat.

Shoot. Now she was touching him. The alarms in his head were screaming “Mayday!”

“I do care,” she said, softly and tenderly, just inches away from him. “I also know you’ll overcome this struggle and come out stronger on the other side.”

Beau’s shoulders fell. “You’re acting like we’re going to battle or something.”

“Well, that’s how you’re acting too. This isn’t a big deal. One dance class. It’s two hours.”

“Two hours! That’s a lot of dancing.”

“No, it’s not,” Anna said with a wave of her hand, dismissing his fears like she was swatting away a mosquito. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

“Oh, so it’ll seem like ten minutes to you and an eternity to me.”

Anna rolled her eyes, but a pleased grin bloomed on her shiny lips.

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