Page 82 of Halstead House

Ana returned to our table, breaking the spell as she flopped down into her chair. “I’m glad you could make it,” she said to Lucas. “I think you’ll enjoy seeing what a skilled dancer Grace is.”

I rolled my eyes and blushed when Lucas looked back at me with curious eyes. “Really?”

I huffed. “No, not really. She told me I look like a monkey trying to catch a falling banana.”

When Lucas’s gaze swung again to Ana she snorted. “I really did, and I meant it too.”

“I have skills in other areas,” I protested.

“Which is a good thing,” Ana replied. “Still, she’s game for a dance if you are.” This she directed at Lucas.

A line dance was starting, and he surprised me by rising from his chair and holding out a hand. “Shall we?”

I stood, took his hand, and reached out my free hand to snag Ana. She trotted along behind us and fell into line. This was, thankfully, one of the dances I knew. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Lucas, but I should have known he’d be able to join right in. I doubted very much that he would have come out to the floor if he didn’t know the moves.

Halfway through the dance Ana took a minute to lean close and whisper, “What’d I tell you? He likes you just fine.”

“Stop it,” I hissed.

“I have never, and I do mean never, seen Lucas Halstead at the Warehouse on a Friday night, or any other night, for that matter. I’ll admit he knows how to line dance, but I doubt he learned it in a dive like this.” She was forced to stop talking as our rotation put Lucas within ear shot, but as we came around again, she picked up right where she’d left off. “He is a workaholic who doesn’t take time for social stuff, yet, here he is. He made his move by coming here tonight. Now it’s your turn. Make your move, Grace. No more sitting around watching life happen to you, remember?”

I bit my lip as I thought about what she was saying. She was right. Lucas had come for me. He had given his time to me. I squared my shoulders and nodded at Ana.

“You’re right,” I said.

“Usually am.” She quirked a grin.

When the dance ended I grabbed Lucas’s hand and walked toward the back doors to where I knew the veranda was. I could hear his low chuckle as he followed along obediently. The sound of it was like a pure shot of relief. He was okay with me stealing him away.

The veranda was crowded enough that I kept walking and took him down the steps. The shady area underneath, where Jonathan had taken me all those weeks ago, also had a few couples seeking privacy. I stopped and looked around for a minute before deciding an alley would do just fine.

Still Lucas said nothing as I dragged him around a corner and into a shady doorway. I stopped and turned to face him. His smile filled his entire face and shot straight to my heart. I’d had a few ideas of what I was going to say to him, but instead I put my hands on either side of his face, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him with everything that I had. I poured all my newfound determination into it.

The force of it caused him to take a quick step back, but he recovered immediately and pulled me fully into his embrace. At last he was kissing me how I wanted to be kissed by him. I sank into it, letting all my feelings pour out of me. One of my hands reached into his hair, the other ran over his close-cropped beard. I wanted to feel all of him under my fingertips.

Barely a minute later he unexpectedly tensed and pulled away. “I’m sorry, Grace,” he said.

“For what?”

“I didn’t mean to kiss you like that.”

“You didn’t kiss me like anything. I kissed you,” I argued, confused and grumpy at him stopping things.

“Still...” He ran a hand through the hair that I’d just had my fingers in, and the sight of it incited anger. It was supposed to be my fingers doing that.

“Still what?” My chest felt tight as a horrid thought took root. “Do you not want me to kiss you? Is that what you’re trying to say?” Had I been mistaken somehow?

“No, no.” He took my hands in his. “You should definitely kiss me.”

“So why did you stop?”

“We shouldn’t be kissing likethat.”

“Like what?” I replied, puzzled, still a little miffed, and sinking down into mortification. I had very little experience. Maybe I was doing it all wrong.

“It’s just... Grace... I’m trying to take it slow. You’re in a vulnerable place right now. This is a lot all at once.”

“So if a lessvulnerablewoman had dragged you out here, you’d kiss her without reservation?” I asked.

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