27. Daisy
27
DAISY
W e walk into the bar, and it’s the sound that hits me straightaway this time. Connor mentioned there was a band tonight, but what he failed to mention is that it looks like the entire town is here and the bar is packed.
“Ready?” he asks me as his hand slips around my waist, guiding me inside.
“Sure,” I say, not feeling sure at all. I mean, I’ve met some of these people, but not many of them, and I’m relieved that most of them are too busy chatting and dancing to even be looking my way. But just like last time, it’s almost as if Connor’s parting the seas when he walks in. People turn and look, smile, talk, some older ladies pulling him down and kissing his cheek, who get a wicked grin and a wink from him that has them swooning. It’s adorable, really.
But one thing I don’t miss is the fact that his hand remains on my back. Just like last time, he keeps me close, and we get a few looks, but everyone’s smiling. Connor introduces me to a few people as we walk through, and by the time we get to the bar, I’m thankful to perch up on the barstool, while Connor stands close to me, surveying the room.
“What’ll it be, boss?” a young guy from behind the bar asks Connor.
“My usual.” He nods, and then they both look at me.
“Oh, ummmm…” I’m not sure what I feel like.
“You came!” Victoria yells over the music. “Come on, let’s dance!” She pulls me from the barstool, and I laugh. Connor’s grinning as I stumble to the dance floor after her.
“Just follow everyone else,” Victoria yells, and I glance around me, seeing people move in time to the music. They’re lined up, boots on, hips swaying. They look awesome, and a smile takes over my face immediately. My love for live music and dancing is high, and I’m now in my element. I may be a big girl, but the Lord did grace me with a few key attributes. I happen to be a quick learner and have excellent rhythm. I watch for a beat, and my feet start to move. I make a few missteps, but after a while, I get the hang of it pretty well, and soon, Victoria and I are laughing and having a great time.
When I look back at the bar, Tanner’s with Connor, the two of them in conversation, but Connor’s eyes are firmly on me. It lights me up, knowing I have his full attention, and I move my hips with a little more sway just for him.
The songs change, as do the steps with each one, line dancing apparently very popular around here, but again, I pick it up quickly, following Victoria’s lead. I look around the dance floor, full of both men and women of all ages, and it’s nice to see.
As the song ends, I’m grateful to have a song next that’s made for couples so I can cool down a bit. I start to walk back to Connor, my smile wide, where he stands tall, waiting for me, but an older man steps toward me.
“May I have this dance?” a gentleman I haven’t met yet, who I think is Jeff, the local taxi man, asks. He’s an older man, more my father’s age.
There’s only one man I want to dance with here. “Oh, actually, I—” I start to say.
“Sorry, Jeff, she’s all mine,” Connor says from behind me, and I turn on my heel in surprise to see him on the dance floor. He stands protectively next to me, and I hear Jeff chuckle.
“Thanks, your dad now owes me a fifty,” I hear him murmur as he shakes his head and walks over to Tanner, and sure enough, the two of them laugh. I spot Tanner hand over a fifty-dollar bill to Jeff, the two of them grinning at us.
“Ahhh, what’s that all about?” I ask, my cheeks feeling even more flushed, and I see Connor’s eyes throwing flames at his dad.
“That’s my dad being a pain in my ass. Let’s go.” Grabbing my hand, he spins me into him before we start to dance.
“You dance?” I blurt out, shocked. In my experience, men don’t dance that much, and a man like Connor I thought for sure would never step foot on a dance floor.
“Apparently,” he grits out, and I laugh as we start to move. I can’t remember the last time I danced with a man. Maybe at school, but I can’t really remember. While I love to dance, it’s usually a solo endeavor, with friends or just in my room with the music blaring.
I raise my eyebrows as he moves, clearly very rhythmic himself and knowing all the steps. Before long, I get the hang of it, letting him lead as he spins me away from him and then pulls me close, and we sway for a little longer before he spins me out again.
I lose myself in the music. The song has a sultry swing to it, making my hips move, and Connor knows exactly what to do with me. I trust him completely as he starts to spin me out faster, pulling me back to him and catching me against his chest and our hips grind together.
“Who taught you to dance?” I ask, trying to ignore the tension brewing between us. Otherwise, I won’t be able to keep my hands to myself in a less-than-audience-friendly way.
“My grandma. And the ladies from the sewing club,” he says with a boyish smile, one that warms my heart and makes me giggle.
“Well, they did a good job.”
“They taught me the steps. It isn’t until you get the right partner that you feel the beats through your boots and your hips know exactly where they need to go,” he tells me, eyes on mine, and I suck in a breath.
“Well, I’m just following your lead,” I admit, although I’m not missing any steps. Instead, I’m giving up all control to the man whose hands haven’t left my body.
“I’ll never lead you wrong. I’ve got you.”
I look up at his eyes, and he gives me a sly wink before he spins me quickly, then back in, and I go with it. That is, until I feel myself falling backward, my heart stuttering before his hand catches me at the back of my neck and flips me to standing just as quickly. As he does, his hands remain, gripping in my hair as he pulls my face to meet his in a chaste kiss that has me feeling all kinds of things. My heart feels like it moves out of my chest, both with the speed of the move and the feeling of his lips quickly taking mine.
“Told you I’ve got you,” he murmurs against my mouth, his own pulled up into a sexy-as-sin smirk, which has my body now entirely under his control as my mind turns to mush.
We just kissed in public. I’m not sure if anyone saw. I mean, we moved fast, and we’re surrounded by other couples doing similar dance moves. No one else looks at me, other than Tanner, who eyes his son like he’s grown a second head. I get the feeling that Connor doesn’t dance very often. I’m not sure why, though, as he clearly has the talent. But that thought sparks a small flame of jealousy in my stomach, because if this is the way Connor dances, then I don't want any other woman experiencing it.
I’ve seen this kind of dancing on the internet. Country Swing, I think it’s called. I always loved watching it, but never in a million years did I think I would try it. Not only because you would be hard-pressed to find a place in New York that would have this kind of thing authentically, but also because being a bigger girl, all the spinning and lifting and quick steps, I assumed it would be a little more difficult.
But I was wrong, because while I don’t know all the steps, my body is just going with whatever Connor delivers. I spin out again, and he pulls me back to him, lifting me slightly, and grabbing my ass, wrapping my leg over his hip. Again, the move is not unusual to what the others around us are doing, but he squeezes my ass, holds me tight, and I swear this is starting to feel more like foreplay than actual dancing. Especially with how my core clenches and stomach flutters.
Connor, in his jeans and button-down shirt, looks like every woman’s wet dream. But I’m the woman he’s with right now, and he never once lets go of my hand.
We’re in perfect sync, and I shouldn’t be surprised; it’s almost like our bodies know exactly what to do each time we’re together. Whether it’s yoga on the lawn or oral pleasure in my bed this morning. As I think about him naked, I swallow, watching him watch me just as intently and the feeling between the two of us continues to build, his hands cupping my waist, before spinning me again, the beat faster, then he pulls me back in and we do some more hip grinding. This time, his thigh is between my legs, and I almost groan at the contact my pussy makes with his jeans, the friction needed yet also building more yearning inside me. He grins like he knows exactly what he’s doing.
“You’re doing that on purpose,” I whisper, eyes narrowed as I look up at him, feeling worked up.
“Hmmmm, if there is any time I can touch you, I’m going to take it.” he grits out, and I know he feels it too. My pussy is already pulsing.
“Even in a packed bar?” I sway my hips, deliberately sliding them across his and feeling how hard he is.
A hiss slips through his teeth. “Fuck me, Daise… you’re the one doing the teasing.”
“Just giving you some of your own medicine.”
“You could give me any damn medicine, and I would take it.” He spins me around, making me gasp at the sudden movement, then places his hands firmly on my hips, bringing us back to swaying together.
“Really? Maybe I should buy you some water wings?” I tease, loving this caring side of him. The gift itself was small, but the feelings behind it were clear, and that’s what makes me giddy about this man.
“They’re called arm inflatables, and they’re for your safety,” he says with a serious look on his face.
“Potato, potahto,” I say, grinning, and he pulls me closer.
“Maybe I just need to lock you up so you don’t go near the water without me ever again.”
Quirking my eyebrow, I ask, “Are you worried for my safety, cowboy?”
“What can I say, you do something to me that I can’t explain…”
I hold my breath, the words he says starting to feel too real.
“When I hold you close, I feel no pain…” he says before he smiles wide, and I roll my eyes at him.
“Every beat of my heart, we got something going on…” I say, completing the lyrics to “Islands in the Stream,” even though other music blares around us.
“Do you always refer to Dolly and Kenny when you’re on a date?” I ask, given the last time we were here, the lyrics to the song were featured in our conversation.
“Weirdly, it only seems to happen when I’m with you.”
That has me smiling wider. “I’m glad I bring out the music in you.”
“You sure bring out something, baby girl.” His low and rumbly voice skims over my skin, making goosebumps break out on my arms.
I take a quick look around, wondering if everyone’s eyes are on us, because right now, it feels like we’re so into each other that it may not be safe for public consumption, but everyone’s smiling and having their own great times, not paying us any mind.
“What are you thinking about, baby girl?” he asks as the song slows, and he pulls me in tight to him.
“I’m just thinking about Whispers and how much I love it,” I tell him honestly, barely able to talk, and his smile is instant.
“Hmmm, I think Whispers looks good on you.” His hand grabs mine, and I don’t answer as I take in some breaths.
“You know what else would look good?” he asks, his gaze alight with a look filled with desire. It makes me shiver in the best way.
“What’s that?” I sound breathy, my heart racing.
“You naked, in my sheets, in about ten minutes. You want to go?” he asks against my ear, and I swallow as I nod.
I had a great night. Danced for over an hour, I think, and now as Connor leads me out of the bar, I realize I didn’t even have one drink. But as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking, Connor swipes two bottles of water from the bartop on our way out.
“You’re leaving so soon?” Tanner asks him as we walk past, a smug grin on his face as he eyeballs his son.
“Got better things to do,” I hear Connor say to him.
“Oh, payback is too good.” Tanner laughs, and I frown, not really understanding what they’re talking about, but with anticipation between Connor and me building, and the heat flowing through my body, I really don’t care.
Because Connor is dragging me out of here like the place is on fire, and I know exactly what’s going to happen next.
We both want it. And tonight, there’s no stopping us.