Page 22 of Heat Wave
Terry sets a drink in front of me, and I eye it cautiously.
“What is that?”
“Go ahead and drink it.”
“Last time I went ahead and drank it, you called your brother, and I wound up naked in his bed.”
Terry throws her head back and laughs. “Don’t worry. This doesn’t have as much alcohol in it as the other things did.”
How is she getting Landry to serve her all these drinks? And why does he keep doing it after Waylon threatened to throw him in jail last time, which I only know about because Terry told me the next day?
“I’m going to dance. Come dance with me.”
“I don’t know…I…”
“Come on.”
Terry gets up and drags me with her. The music is always great in Land’s End. Everyone comes here on Fridays and Saturdays to hang out and dance, and eat. It also has the best food around and not too many tourists wander in just because it’s set back a little way from the beach. Tonight is no different.
Several fast songs keep the dance floor full, and I drink more of Terry’s drinks than I probably should. For the first time in a week, I forget what’s happened and actually start to laugh and have fun. Then the music changes and the mood turns more…intimate. I start to leave the dance floor only to feel arms wrap around me. I’m pulled back into a hard body that I know too well. I shouldn’t, but I do.
I look up at him as he places his hand over my lower stomach, the warmth of it sinking into me. He lowers his head so it’s easier for me to hear him.
“Dance with me.”
“Um,” where did all the freakin’ air go? It feels like I can’t get enough when he touches me. “Aren’t we doing that now?”
“Hmm, maybe.” He turns me so that I am pressed up against his warm, hard body, and we are facing one another.
“Your sister is right over there.” I don’t take my eyes off him to find out exactly where she is in that moment. She could be on the dance floor right beside us, and I wouldn't have a clue.
“So.”
“So…should we be doing this?”
“This?” He leans down and brushes my mouth with his. “Or this?”
He skims his lips over my cheeks until he can nuzzle into my neck.
“Or this? What do you think it is we shouldn’t do, sweetheart? And why? She knows we kiss. Hell, the whole town knows we kiss.”
“Yes, but…um, this isn’t…,” I lose what little breath I have left when his knee wedges between my thighs and I am all but riding his leg as he moves our bodies together. I follow where he leads. Too many spots are being lit up at once for me to make any sense of anything.
When the music comes to an end, I reluctantly take a step back from Waylon. And immediately get a face full of stale beer.
“You whore!”
My mind goes blank, and all I can do is stand there as Waylon and his friends go for Tommy, who takes off running as soon as he throws the beer. My hand is grabbed, and I am pulled over to a table where Terry grabs napkins to try to wipe as much of it off me as she can.
“What an absolute shit!”
“He told everyone the only reason Waylon is going out with you is because Terry paid him, and that Waylon felt sorry for you.”
We both turn to look at Lucy, who is sipping on a soda.
“What?” Terry says it, but it’s on repeat in my brain.
“Yeah, like pretty much the whole town thinks Waylon is only dating you because he felt sorry for you after Tommy dumped you. Some even think you did all that shit to yourself so you could get his attention.”
