Page 51 of Rocky Mountain Devil
“We good, baby?” she asked.
“We’re great,” he murmured. “You do know that kiss is going to get back to your parents.”
“Yup, I figured. Along with the fact I’m at a bar, drinking and dancing.” She took a sip of the beer in front of her. “Someone will feel the burden to inform them of my transgressions. Good thing my daddy’s church isn’t one of the strict ones.”
“Are you going to be in shit?” he asked. “Because we don’t need to—”
He was headed into a ramble, so she cut him off and kissed him again. It seemed the fastest way to stop his protests.
“Hmmm, okay, we don’t need to talk about that anymore.” He brushed his lips against her neck. “You said dancing?”
“Yup,” she repeated.
He finished his beer, motioning for her to do the same, then he rose to his feet and took her by the hand, waving their farewells to the rest of the table. “We’re off. Anyone else headed to the other side for a while?”
Trevor shook his head, and Becky waved goodbye, obviously content to stay in place. The others seemed happily occupied as well.
The only one to take him up on the offer was Jesse. He rose to his feet, his grin only getting wider when Rafe tugged Laurel to his side.
“Don’t get growly,” Jesse said with a laugh. “I’m not going to poach.”
“I’ll break your eggs if you try,” Rafe warned.
Laurel snickered at the pun, then let herself be led to the opposite side of the building where the music was a lot louder and the wooden floor was crowded with bodies.
Another first. She hadn’t actually been on the Traders dance floor before.
Rafe didn’t hesitate. He pulled her into his arms and guided her around the room.
It was nice to be held, but it had been a long time since she’d done this. “I’m not going to be very good.”
“You’re fine. I already know you like stepping on my toes,” Rafe reminded her. “We need some practice to remember what we learned during our high school phys ed classes.”
“My sister was so jealous I had you as a partner. All the guys in her year had two left feet, and the fact you had a sense of rhythm made you nothing short of a miracle.”
He pressed her closer, twirling them for a moment as they smiled at each other.
Rafe wasn’t the only Coleman on the floor. Joel and Vicki were there as well—Jesse’s twin and the youngest member of the Six Pack family—dancing with his long-time girlfriend. They moved smoothly like a couple that’d been together for a while, and they looked happy.
But according to the rumours Laurel had heard, trouble was only moments away.
She glanced over her shoulder, wondering where Jesse had gone. “This isn’t going to end well,” she warned Rafe.
They’d finished a few more turns before Rafe realized what she’d seen. He sighed. “Dammit, I wish Jesse and Joel would get past whatever the hell happened between them.”
It was like watching a giant tsunami wave roll toward them. Laurel spotted Jesse a few seconds later. He whirled the woman in his arms and came face to face with Joel and Vicki.
They froze for a second before Jesse’s smile tightened, then he turned and danced the couples apart.
“Better than usual,” Rafe muttered.
“Nobody knows what happened?” Laurel asked.
“Not unless you do.” He adjusted her tighter against him as the music slowed. “You seem to know everything else about my family.”
“Small towns,” Laurel offered as an excuse. “I was gone at the time, so I really don’t know what’s wrong. I’d like to find out, though…”
He kissed her. “You’re a busybody. Admit it.”
