Page 11 of Lady Luck's Kiss
“The day’s not over.”
“Are you gonna hurt me?”
“No? Why’d you ask that?”
“Well, I thought maybe that good luck kiss led me to you again – and yet here you are threatening to maim me when I’ve been on my best behavior. Maybe I should act different?” he teased, pulling her closer into his arms.
“I’m not going to maim you…I was talking about that crazy-looking bull from earlier.”
“Pity. A fellow can wish, can’t he?”
Fiercely blushing at the intimate tone in his voice, she smiled lightly at his sweet words. Jack Seguin was a charmer for sure. He could have been a complete jerk and his good looks might have swayed her, but this was heady. He was gorgeous and engaging, completely focused on her for some odd reason.
Becoming silent, she stared at his shirt in order to avoid those mesmerizing eyes and concentrated on her steps. Red and blue check with pearl snap buttons. Double stitching on the seams.Yup, nice shirt, she thought moving blindly as he guided her. The dance seemed to be fairly simple and easy to follow. Afew steps forward, a few shuffles back. A small turn and repeat. Before she was ready, the song was coming to an end.
“Think you are up to another dance?”
“I’d like that.”
“Good. Come here,” he invited and held out his hands. Instead of moving into the same position, he practically hugged her causing Charlie to stiffen up at the closeness between them. Glancing up, she saw him watching her carefully. “This one’s a slow song. Relax, little one, and look around. We are gonna do the same thing, if it’s okay with you?”
Nodding, she peeked at the others and saw several women with their heads rested on the other men’s shoulders or chests. Jack was tall, and her head reached the bottom of his chin easily. No wonder he called her ‘little one’. She was compared to him and liked the endearment much better than him calling her Lady Luck. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back into his arm and practically melted at the feeling.
“That’s perfect,” she heard Jack say as his throat and chest rumbled under her ear. She could hear his heartbeat and that drowned out any of the song for her. The combination of his cologne, the scent of his skin and the feeling as he held her was incredible.
His arms were wrapped around her waist and carefully rested on her lower back where it was appropriate. He seemed like a gentleman and she really liked it. They swayed for a short amount of time and, suddenly, the song was over.
She didn’t say a word when he didn’t let her go and instead continued to hold her for the next song without asking. They danced silently, and Charlie felt such peace in his arms. Hearing an uproar around them and feeling Jack’s arms loosen, she pulled back and recognized the music.
“Oh! I know this one!” she exclaimed happily, feeling like she fit in finally with the crowd.
“You didn’t know the last few?” Jack asked, laughing in surprise.
“Nope. But this one? This one, I love and have on my iPhone.”
“Show me what you got then, little one,” he teased at the upbeat music. Gaping, she stared at him.
“I told you I can’t dance.”
“Pretend you are alone, at home, and listening to your iPhone. What would you do?”
“Well, I’m certainly not going to whip out a screwdriver and sing to you!” she quipped bluntly, mortified at the idea of just cutting loose and dancing like a wild child to the quick paced country song.
His laughter rolled over her and made her grin. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her against him, where she could still hear the rumblings against her ear. Instead of dancing slowly, he took faster steps to meet the music but didn’t leave the gap between them like there once was. They danced the rest of the night together in much the same fashion until Beth found her.
“C’mon, Cinderella, it’s way past my bedtime and I have pumpkin ale at home screaming my name,” Beth yelled, yawning widely without a care in the world. She didn’t even bother to cover her mouth, giving anyone nearby a glimpse of her molars complete with one filling. Beth was always bold and relaxed. Charlie envied her and was willing to bet money that her friend had not shied away from letting loose on the dance floor.
Pulling away from Jack, Charlie smiled shyly. “I had a great time, but I drove tonight. Thank you for the dances.”
“Thank you for spending time with me and for keeping me safe today.”
“I don’t think I did, but you are welcome anyways.”
“Can I have your number?” he asked quickly. This surprised Charlie because she assumed he was travelling with the show and just enjoying the company for the night.
“Sure. What’s yours? I will call so you can just save it instead of searching for paper and a pen.”
Jack rattled off a phone number, surprising her with a nearby area code. Maybe he didn’t travel with the show after all? Dialing, she called and let it ring several times.
