Page 31 of Heart in Waiting
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Music filled the ballroom, echoing around them. Dinner had been a tedious affair, but somehow everyone made it through until the end and left the table immediately afterward. Her mother had been her usual sardonic self. She was the type that drowned the cheer out of a room with one word. Reese refused to let her ruin the night though. As she’d dressed for the fundraiser, she’d made a decision. Maybe things weren’t perfect with Dane and her, but she wanted to have something with him. She wasn’t entirely sure what that something would be...
He’d looked so handsome in his dark suit and disheveled tie. She couldn’t help herself and had to touch him in some fashion. Fixing the tie had been a nice excuse to do it. A part of her wished she could mess it up so she’d have the chance to right it all over again. Though stripping him of the suit held an appeal too. There was something sexy about a man in a mussed-up suit. Maybe she could remove the tie, remove the jacket, then unbutton and untuck his shirt for the full come-get-me look. She chewed on her bottom lip and stared at him, the idea becoming more and more appealing with each passing moment.
If she wanted to do it though she’d have to pull him away from Carter. They were engrossed in a conversation and didn’t seem to notice anyone around them. That was not sitting well with her at all. She wanted Dane to dance with her at least, and maybe she could enact some of the fantasies she’d been having all night long.
“Those two are delectable,” Olivia said as she came to stand beside her. “I realize this is something you may not want to hear, but I fully intend to get that brother of yours naked tonight. Want to help a girl out and peel that man of yours away from him so I can make it happen?”
The corner of Reese’s mouth tilted upward. “You’re a woman after my own heart.” She placed her hand over her chest. “I always knew I liked you. Go distract Carter, and I’ll lead Dane onto the dance floor.”
“They’re entirely too serious right now,” Olivia replied. “They need something to shake their world up.” Her smile took on a sultry appearance. “I’ll go first.”
Olivia headed toward the two men. Neither one looked up at first, but then Carter did a double-take. She had a sway when she walked that was almost hypnotizing. If she were a man, Reese would have appreciated it. Hell, even as a female she did. Olivia had something about her that made people look. Reese wished she was even half as sexy. She glanced over at Dane, fully expecting him to be watching Olivia’s spectacle, but his gaze was on her instead.
Reese’s breath caught in her throat, and her heart beat heavily in her chest. He wanted her, and only her. There was something heady in that realization. Maybe she didn’t need to have that tantalizing sway to her hips like Olivia. She had everything she needed without it. Dane didn’t care about what Olivia did to catch Carter’s attention, and probably every other male in the room... No, Dane’s desire had fixated on her, and Reese reveled in it.
She moved toward him, and he met her half way. His arms went around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Reese glanced up at him and smiled. “Hello there.”
His lips tilted upward at her greeting. “Care to dance, pretty lady?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Dane led her to the dance floor. The strands of a melodic saxophone reverberated through the room. The lyrics were soothing and romantic. She barely noticed them after Dane pulled her into his arms and started to twirl her around the room. After the dancing began, her sole focus was on him and the feelings he enacted inside of her. A flutter of sensations spread throughout her belly and dipped lower with each touch. She was so captivated that the world disappeared around them. No one and nothing existed except them and the dance they shared. There was nothing she wanted more than this moment between them. How could anything be better than this?
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered against her ear. “I can’t believe I’m dancing with you again.”
That’s right... They had danced at the prom. It hadn’t been as wickedly sexy as this one though. She’d offered to dance with him then out of pity. He’d been picked on relentlessly, and she’d wanted to give him something good. Maybe that had been a little self-centered of her to think she could be special to him, but it had seemed to cheer him up. Had he appreciated the dance more than she anticipated? It wasn’t something she thought about much and forgot almost entirely as the years went by. That didn’t say much about her as a person that she hadn’t given him much consideration even when she’d dated Nolan.
“This one is better,” she said.
“Oh, I agree,” he said. He shifted his head to stare into her eyes. Heat filled them and spread through her in rapid succession. “It might be even better later when we’re alone.”
It seemed as if she wasn’t the only one picturing them naked together. She liked the idea of him stripping her dress off and trailing kisses down her heated skin. Maybe they should leave now and explore that idea in its entirety. The benefit was mostly over anyway, and she didn’t have a reason to stay any longer.
“Do you want to go home?”
“Let’s finish the dance first,” he said huskily. “I seem to get this pleasure once every decade. I’d like to enjoy it a while longer.”
What must he think of her? She had damn near ignored him after that night. She didn’t see him again after that until she’d started dating Nolan, and look how terribly that had ended. She’d dated a psychopath and hadn’t realized it until he’d terrorized her sister. That had been a wakeup call she had needed. She hoped, if something similar ever happened again, it wouldn’t be so drastic. Why did she have to be so damn stubborn?
“This is nice,” she agreed.
“You’re sweet.” He pulled her closer as they swayed to the music. “And smell oh, so tempting.” Dane kissed her jawline, trailing his lips over her cheek, then her lips. They were light chaste kisses, yet they were more erotic than any she’d ever had. Something about him made her feel more, want more, and it drove her insane. Was this what it was like to be in love? Had this been the something that had been missing with every other man, and why she had been so reluctant to agree to Nolan’s marriage proposal?
The strands of music ended, but they kept dancing a little longer afterward. When they finally stopped, she looked up at him and he held her transfixed for several heartbeats. She licked her lips and then said, “I’m going to use the ladies room, and when I come back we should say our goodbyes.”
“Oh, yes,” he agreed. “I’ll be waiting here for you.”
She wrenched herself away from him and slowly turned to leave. Reese liked being in his arms and didn’t want to leave them for anything, but she needed a few moments alone to catch her breath. He was intoxicating, and she had to figure out what it all meant. She wished she could say she knew he was the one right from the start, but that would be going back to when they were no more than kids. She didn’t know her own heart then, and sometimes she doubted she understood it now. There was one thing that she did discern from their dance. She wanted to take a step closer to him and a possible relationship. Time didn’t stand still, and if she didn’t start living, she’d miss everything.
She headed down the hall to the ladies’ room. The sound of footsteps echoing behind her made her pause. She glanced over her shoulder, but no one was there. Maybe she was imagining things... It had to be nothing. Who would follow her to the bathroom? She shook her head, and the uneasy feeling away as she resumed her trek. When she reached the door, she stopped again.
“I must be losing my mind.” She glanced around and still saw nothing out of the ordinary.
The door swung open and she jumped. “Ah...” She held her hand over her racing heart. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry,” Lana apologized. “I swear I’ve spent more time in this room then the ballroom. The unfortunate side effect of pregnancy: I have to pee every five seconds.” Lana rubbed her belly lovingly. “This critter will be worth it—I hope.”
