30. Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Elise
“ U h, hi,” I managed to say past the nervous lump in my throat.
“Hi. Did you like my song?”
My mouth hung open. Words wouldn’t come. Cheeks' flaming, I finally said, “That was some amazing poetry. I knew you could do it.”
“Thanks.” He extended his hand toward me, and I caught another whiff of his cologne. “Come on, let’s dance.”
I bit my lip. With him looking and smelling like that, could I keep myself from falling under his spell? Then again, would it really be such a horrible thing to stop fighting this gravity that drew me to him? If I was ever going to surrender to anyone, wouldn’t it be best if it was him? I couldn’t think of anyone more genuine and kind, more trustworthy.
With Dylan grinning down at me, some alien force took hold of my legs. Before I knew what was happening, I was walking with my hand wrapped around his exceptionally hard bicep out onto the dance floor.
Over the speakers came the opening chords of another of my favorite songs, Needs by Collective Soul.
I was in so much trouble.
We reached the center of the dance floor, and Dylan drew me into his arms. My entire body ached to cave into the embrace, to melt into his warmth.
I tried looking everywhere besides his sexy, yet adorable face that hovered mere inches from mine.
The strings of lights overhead combined with the haze of smoke trailing from a machine gave the gym an otherworldly feel. Like we were floating on a cloud, dancing in the stars.
When my gaze finally locked with Dylan’s, he cracked a soft smile. He had luxuriously full lips for a guy. They probably made him an excellent kisser.
“You okay?” He breathed into my ear.
The heat left me tingling.
“Yes,” I rasped.
He pulled me closer, and I couldn’t help but sink into him, letting my contours mesh into his. Our breathing was rapid. I could hear his heart pounding a frantic rhythm in his chest.
For a moment, I closed my eyes and just existed. Safe in his arms. We spun a slow circle, rocking back and forth.
Dylan nudged the top of my head with his chin. I nuzzled him back. His heart beat a rapid rhythm against my ear.
I tipped my head up to look into those familiar blue eyes. They crinkled at the corners with his smile.
His gaze dropped to my lips. Was he going to kiss me? Would I let him? We’d already come this far.
The music was fading. Was he really going to let this moment pass?
Well, I wasn’t.
Lifting onto my toes, I closed the distance between our lips. Dylan pulled me fully against him. I threaded my fingers through his hair, pressing his mouth more firmly against mine.
“Elise,” he breathed, changing the angle of the kiss.
I rushed to reconnect our lips. I needed this. Needed him. This lighthearted, eternally optimistic, adventurous, funny, kind, dedicated guy lit up my dark world.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Dylan lifted his head, breathless. “For kissing you? The pleasure’s all mine.”
I laughed. “No, for being you.”
The last notes of the song faded. Gulping, I stepped out of his arms. “What just happened?” I asked on a laugh.
“Destiny, that’s what.” Dylan laid a soft kiss at the base of my neck before wrapping an arm around my back and leading me to a row of chairs.
“That was incredible,” he said in a low voice.
I giggled, a foreign sound compared to my usual subdued laugh.
Sitting up, he cupped my jaw and gently turned me to face him. “Elise, I’ve wanted to say this to you forever, and I’m not going to wait any longer. You are smart, funny, determined, caring, sensitive and passionate. Not to mention hot. I’ve wanted to kiss and hold you since the day we met. I want to take care of you. To be your best friend and your boyfriend more than I want anything else in the world.”
Tears pricked the back of my eyes. Until now, I hadn’t realized how lonely my life had become without Dad in it, always pushing people away. But even before I’d let him in, Dylan had seen me.
“Thank you for trusting me,” he whispered.
Tears pricked my eyes, and I tried to sniff them away. “Thank you for just being you. I’m sorry I’ve been so grumpy to you. I guess in losing my dad, I lost the part of myself that knew how to have fun and laugh, so everything you did that was silly or cheerful bothered me. I was the problem, not you.”
Dylan clasped both my hands in his. “Elise, you were never a problem. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose a parent. You can feel sad, or grumpy, or mad, and it’s okay. I’m here for you no matter what. And if you need someone to cheer you up or make you laugh, I’m your man.”
I gave an embarrassing snort that almost turned into a sob. My emotions were so close to the surface right now. Clearing my throat, I squeezed his hand. It was time to change the subject before I broke into tears and smeared all my makeup.
“You’re never going to believe what I found when I hacked into the team’s old email,” I said, pulling out my phone.
I logged into the account again, then paused. There was a new message titled “We need to meet” sitting in the inbox. Dylan leaned over me, resting his head on my shoulder. His face was so close to mine, his breath warm against my neck. If it weren’t for Principal Hodges watching us with a little too much interest, I would have caught Dylan in another kiss.
“What’s that about?” he asked, nodding to my screen.
The message read,
T,
We need to meet. You’re fooling yourself if you think you can get away from this. Tell me a time and place if you don’t want me to just show up.
Sven
“T’ is referring to Tara,” I explained.
I showed him the other email for clarification.
“Huh. So Tara’s hiding out somewhere, and this Sven guy must have a way of tracking her down. Any other emails she’s left around that could help us sniff her out?”
“Unfortunately, no.” I returned to the inbox to see another email waiting to be read.
T,
You have one hour to answer before I hunt you down.
This message had no signature.
“Sounds like Tara’s in trouble. Do you think we should call the cops?” Now I was the one biting my nails.
“I don’t know. There’s nothing in those emails that says he’ll actually hurt her. Hunting her down could mean just finding her and having a chat.”
“Or it could mean a lot more.”
Dylan rubbed my back. “You don’t know that. Besides, if we tell this to the cops without more for them to go off of, I don’t think there’s much they’ll do about it. We can watch for Tara’s response and see if she does actually set up a meeting with him. That’s about all we can do for now.”
I gave an absent nod. Was Tara actually in danger, or did she have these kinds of conversations often? She’d obviously tangled with these guys before.
“Come on, one more dance before I have to go back onstage.” He stood, then helped me up as well.
This time, we kept to the edge of the room where there was more privacy. A modern remake of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” played while we spun. The song was soothing, but my muscles stayed taught.
“Hey,” Dylan pressed a gentle kiss to my worry-wrinkled forehead. “Tara will be fine. She’s probably dealt with this kind of thing a lot.”
He was right. I gave a nod, then rested my head on his shoulder, relaxing into the moment.
Dylan reached for my hand and lifted it to his lips. They brushed as lightly as feathers against my knuckles. My legs wobbled, and I had to concentrate to keep from collapsing.
Dylan leaned down to kiss my cheek, but I caught his face and covered his mouth with my own. His lips smiled against mine for an instant, before he placed his hand gently at the base of my head and drew me more fully into the kiss.
“Hey, I hate to interrupt, Dylan, but it’s time to finish out our set,” a male voice called.
We both turned to see the band’s drummer, Austin, standing with arms folded a few feet away. The rest of the group was already onstage and also staring at us. Heat creeped up my neck.
“Hold that thought.” Dylan gave me a squeeze and a light kiss before hurrying to join them.
Man, it was hot in here. Someone needed to turn up the AC or bring in a fan. I staggered to my spot beside the computer and carefully lowered into the seat.
This last song had two and a half minutes left, and then, I would shut off the music and let The Lactic Acid Junkies finish out the night. Hopefully, Dylan had more energy than me. This whole romance thing was exhausting.
Not surprisingly, the band resumed with another classic from the nineties, Dylan grinning like a kid with a bagful of candy.
With a soft laugh, I signed back in to the old team email. Tara had responded to Sven’s message.
Meet me at the store at ten-thirty.
I checked my watch. It was nine-o-three. The Lactic Acid Junkies had twenty-seven minutes left before they ended their performance. Dylan would need some time to put away his guitar and clean up their equipment.
Assuming Tara was referring to her nursery, we were about a quarter-hour’s drive away. We should be able to get there long before their meeting started.
Get there and do what? We were a couple of unarmed college kids who had zero experience with this kind of thing.
Time to call in some help. Sighing, I moved to the side door. I looked up the number for Rancho Invitado police dispatch—no way was I calling Detective Jerkface.
Here’s to hoping the dispatch operator actually took me seriously.