Chapter 7
chapter
seven
Flynn
I haven’t let my wife out of my sight very often tonight. She’s meshing really well with the other two wives. And she’s handled the guys’ teasing with humor and grace.
Fuckers.
The sun has begun to set and it’s showcasing all the twinkle lights put out around the fairgrounds. I’m man enough to admit that it’s definitely romantic out here. The dance floor has progressively gotten fuller as the bands have become better and better.
“Are you serious with this right now?” Temple asks.
Shelby laughs.
I glance up at the stage, but my wife’s surprise is lost on me. “Who is it?” I ask.
“None other than pop princess, Jess Munoz,” Temple says enthusiastically. “She lives here!”
“My sister-in-law,” Shelby says. “She’s married to Dane’s older brother, Grady. She is so down to Earth and amazing.” Shelby nods to the stage. “In a minute, another of our locals and one of her friends will get up there with her.”
“Who?” Temple asks, practically bouncing on the picnic bench next to me.
“Micah Stone.”
Temple playfully swats Shelby’s arm “You are lying.”
Shelby just shakes her head.
“Angel,” I say, getting to my feet. “Pass Piglet to someone and let’s go dance.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” she says.
Shelby happily takes the dog from Temple and I thread our fingers together to pull her out to the dance floor. Once my boots hit the harder surface, I pull her into my arms. I’ve got one hand splayed across her back and I’m holding her hand with my other. And I push her backwards into a classic Texas two-step.
She beams up at me. “I didn’t know you could dance.”
“You wound me,” I say. “Surely you haven’t forgotten all of our amazing dancing from the play?”
“Ah, yes, the first time you played my husband,” she says. “I remember all of it. But it was choreographed; I was so awkward.”
“You could not have been more awkward than me learning to dance in P.E. classes.”
She laughs. “Pretty sure they don’t let you leave high school in Texas without learning how to two-step.”
“Don’t forget the square dancing,” I say.
“How could I ever forget the Do-si-do?”
We dance in silence for a few measures before she speaks again. “I’d really love to know how to repay you for all the times you’ve saved me.”
“Unnecessary. I get the benefit of your company.”
“If you ever think of something though, promise you’ll tell me what it is?”
“Yeah, Angel, I promise.”
“Pretty sure they don’t let you leave high school in Texas without learning how to two-step.”
“And square dance!” she says with a laugh. “What was up with those P.E. classes?”
“I don’t know. Probably just old curriculum. But now we know how to Do-si-do.”
From this close, I can smell the citrusy scent of her shampoo. Not to mention I’ve got a spectacular view of her cleavage.
We dance well together, and I never considered myself a great dancer, so I’m guessing it has more to do with her skills than mine.
“So you and the guys are all wearing matching shirts. What’s up with that?” she asks.
“After I got released from the military hospital and then finished up my time working a desk, I came here. We all did. Liam got out a while back and had started a dog sanctuary. But he ran into some land problems with his ex and had to send the dogs here to Dane.”
“Ohhhh, thus Great Dane’s Dog Sanctuary. Clever.”
“Yes. I didn’t have anything to do with that cleverness.”
“So your whole team or unit or whatever moved here to run the sanctuary together?”
I nod. “Something like that. There are a couple of guys still on active duty, but this is the majority of us. And these are the guys I worked with the longest.”
“What all does the sanctuary do?” she asks.
“Right now we house more than eighty dogs. Dane has a huge piece of property. I’ve been working mostly with Jack to get structures built. But I’ve also been working on a program to help train the dogs for different services.”
“That’s amazing,” she says.
I swear, as she gazes up at me, I see pride shining in her eyes. So I do the only thing I can think of; I dip my head and move my mouth over hers. She’s so responsive as her lips part immediately. I take the opportunity and slide my tongue against hers. Her arms come up and around my neck, and I grip her hips as the fronts of our bodies fuse together.
I’m pretty sure we’ve stopped dancing at this point, and I’m just full-on making out with my wife. In public. Not my usual style, but I’m taking advantage of the environment.
Finally, I pull back and press my forehead to hers. We’re both breathing a little heavier.
“Did you see someone suspicious?” she whispers.
“What?”
“Like whoever my cousin might have hired?”
I shake my head. “Not exactly.”
“I have to admit,” she says. “When you kiss me like that, you make me almost forget this is pretend.” She chuckles. “So, I guess, well done, soldier.”
I give her bottom a playful swat as I lead her off the dance floor. “You never know who’s watching,” I say.