Page 91 of As They Are
Even though I should have wanted to be alone.
I hung my head, wishing more than anything that I didn’tneedto be in this closet. She stepped forward and pulled my head down to her shoulder. One ear was pressed into her neck, and her hand moved to the other momentarily as if she was moving to run her hands through my hair. I grabbed her hand and left it there.
I could feel her heartbeat, but her neck and hand drowned out most of the sounds. I sagged in relief, taking in this moment of peace.
I could getfartoo used to this.
Time passed, one second after another. Slowly but surely, I felt like I was okay again.
“Better?” she asked as I pulled away.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m sorry. It was a tough day at work.”
“I figured,” she replied. “You came to the bar right after closing down for the day. Not everyone is built for that.”
“But most are.”
“You aren’t most people, though.” She tilted her head to the side. “That’s what I like about you.”
My throat went dry. Would she say that if she knew that this wasn’t a one-off thing? That this was my life?
I pushed away the thought, taking stock of how I was feeling. I was still tired, but I could at least think straight. The music wasn’t as pounding, and now that I thought about it, I wanted to prove that I could be just as fun as Jude was.
“Let’s go back out there.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes. I’m good now.” I reached down and grabbed her hand. “And I owe you a dance.”
Wren’s eyes narrowed, but she must have seen that I wasn’t lying because she nodded.
“All right, we can dance. But first, I have to do something.” She stepped back and moved some things around.
“Wren, what are you doing?”
“Making it look like we had a fun time in here.”
For me, this was nearly fun, but my cheeks grew hot as I thought about what she truly meant. I could see it all, me pushing her against the wall, hands all over her as I made her?—
I threw the thought out as soon as I had it. I highly doubted Wren would likethatside of me.
“Is that really necessary?” I asked as she ruffled my hair.
“There’s a good chance a camera is out there waiting.” She winked at me. “Let’s give them a show.”
She finished it off by flipping her hair and messing it up, then pulled me out of the closet.
Just as she had said, a camera waited for us.
“Whoops,” she said with a giggle. “Sorry. Had to have a private moment.”
My entire body was hot as we headed toward the dance floor. The music was still poundingly loud, but I was able to think through it as she turned to face me. I didn’t know how to dance, but neither did anyone else in town. Most of the people around us were either jumping or swaying to the music. I was planning on doing the second one, but Wren pulled me to her.
After what I’d thought about in the closet, it was easy to pull her close and move with the beat. She rewarded me with the same grin she got every morning when I kissed her.
I wasn’t completely drunk, but the alcohol was still very much in my system. Instead of trying to keep my mind blank, I let it wander. I let myself revel in the feel of her hip bones, of her neck against my nose when I leaned down. She felt incredible, whether we were in silence or in chaos.
Eventually, I twirled her, earning a laugh. She settled facing away from me, with my entire front pressed into her back. My thoughts ran wild as I pressed a kiss to her neck, keeping her tight to me.
