Page 35 of Pictures in Blue
“All three on one condition,” he says slowly moving around the table until he is right in front of me.
“And what’s that?”
“You dance with me,” his tone is soft and his hand is reaching out in front of him, palm turned upward, much like Jacob’s was a few minutes ago. Was that only a few minutes ago? I feel like hours have passed since then.
“Deal.” I put my hand in his, reveling in the rough skin I feel there, wanting to feel it everywhere.
He pulls me by the hand, navigating his way through the crowd. Eyes follow us from every direction, heads dipping to their neighbors whispering and not so subtly pointing our way. I’m not sure what is happening, but from context, I don’t think this is something Hudson Waters does very often. Even Sky and Jacob have stopped dancing together to stare at us. Elias and Sophie are staring from the bar with a supportive grin spread across Elias’ face. He raises his half full glass of beer—apparently unbothered by the fact he was supposed to be getting us one—and nods his head at me before taking a long sip from it. I offer him a small smile before Hudson pulls me in front of him, completely oblivious—or choosing to ignore—the curious eyes around us.
I take his lead and focus on him as his hand comes to rest on my lower back as he pulls me closer until my chest is flush against his. I am living the daydream I had earlier of what his chest would have felt like if we had actually collided at the inn.
His chest is firm against mine and my mind wanders to what it would feel like if we were skin to skin. One hand is on his shoulder and the other one is safely encased in his, hovering in the air beside us. I follow him as he leads us in circles, feet moving in time with the beat. And I am…surprised.
Hudson didn’t strike me as a dancer, yet, here we are, dancing in a crowded bar like we’ve been doing it for years. A couple on their 50th anniversary dancing to their wedding song. Our heads gravitate closer to one another, our cheeks almost touching as we breathe in the scent of each other. I want to lay my head on his chest and close my eyes, feeling his body wrapping around mine in a tight embrace. Part of me wonders if he is thinking the same thing, because his hands tighten and then hesitate to pull me closer. I pull back slightly so I can meet his eyes. His breath hitches and his eyes flick to my lips before coming back to mine.
For a second, it seems like he’s going to close his lips over mine, but before he can, the music shifts from calm and slow to upbeat and loud, breaking our spell. Hudson leads me back to the table where Sky and Jacob are already standing, ignoring the shift in the atmosphere, playing quarters. From the looks of Jacob’s almost empty glass, Sky is winning. Sure enough as we approach the table she lands her quarter into the empty glass in the middle of the table. She throws her arms up and lets out a “Woooo!” as Jacob downs the rest of his beer.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hudson whispers in my ear and turns to leave the bar, leaving me alone with his sister and her supposed best friend.
“Bye!” Sky sarcastically calls after him. “Good to see you, prick!”
I point my thumb behind me in his direction. “Does he do that a lot?”
“Leave? Yeah. He doesn’t like to linger once he gets what he wants.” She raises her eyebrows a few times as if to indicate I was what he wanted.
And for once, I let that wash over me, basking in the feeling of being wanted by someone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
HUDSON
My heart is racing as I leave the bar, fighting the urge to go back in and pull Avery out with me. The feeling of her body so near mine lingers, her perfume sticking to my senses. I’m not sure I want to think about how it felt to have her so close to me. The way my heart beat in a steady rhythm with her steps, her breath.Her.
The way she felt in my arms…I enjoyed it more than I should have. But I want to feel it again. I want to feel her again.
And suddenly, I regret leaving so quickly. Part of me wants to rush back into that bar, pull her close and never let her go again.
I run my hand through my hair, pulling it up in a bun on the top of my head and turn toward my house. There’s no sense in sticking around if all I am going to do is stand outside.
I don’t even resist the pull when I grab my phone from my pocket and immediately open up our text thread. Picturing her face and the way she felt in my hands, I start typing.
Thanks for the dance.
Three dots appear almost immediately and my heart jumps straight to my throat.
Sunshine
Come back and we can do it again ;)
Oh, she’s definitely flirting now and I suspect it’s Frank’s beer that is giving her the courage to do so.
I have to go take care of the dogs. But maybe another time.
Sunshine
How many dogs do you have?
Five.
