Chapter 12
Holt
“You look fucking gorgeous tonight,” I say over the loud music in the bar.
“The boots are working for you?” Gia smirks.
“They’re definitely working for me. And so are the jeans. Do you know how fantastic your ass looks in those?”
“I’m well aware. That’s why I wore them.”
“I’ll need you to wear those more often.”
“Done.”
I wrap my arm around Gia’s waist from behind while we watch everyone dance in the middle of the room.
The Howling Wolf is crowded tonight. I know just about everyone here, and they’ve all tried to get the scoop on Gia.
I can’t lie and say it hasn’t been a little weird being out on a date with someone who isn’t my wife, but I’m also enjoying myself more than I have in a while.
After Gia and I decided to see what this could be, I told her I was going to take her out on a proper date. Getting ready tonight was more nerve-racking than I expected it to be. It’s been years since I dated, and I forgot about the pre-date jitters I used to get.
The girls are hanging out with my parents tonight. Mom and Dad were ecstatic to come over when I told them what I was doing. I didn’t specify I was going with a woman to save myself the headache, but I think Mom guessed.
She tried to wheedle information out of me when they got to the house, but I managed to avoid her probing questions. Dad helped to distract her, and I owe him big-time for the assist.
I didn’t tell the girls I was going out with Gia either.
They’d have been sad that they couldn’t come with me.
I also knew they’d blab to Mom the second she got them alone.
I’d rather not have her sticking her nose into my business before Gia and I get a chance to spend time together outside of sex.
“You know how to country swing?” I nod toward the couples dancing around the floor.
She raises an eyebrow. “Depends on your definition of swinging.”
I dig a finger into her rib cage, making her squirm. “You know what I mean.”
She laughs. “Yeah, I’ve tried it a few times.”
“You wanna give it a go?”
“Only if you do, Cowboy.”
I grin, holding my hand out right as a song comes to an end. Gia grabs on tight as I lead her out to the floor. We get situated right as the next song comes on. It takes a concerted effort to pay attention to the music instead of how good she feels in my arms.
It only takes a few seconds to realize Gia is very good at this. She follows my lead seamlessly as we spin around the floor.
“You were holding back on me, weren’t you?”
Her eyes sparkle with humor. “I was waiting to see if you were any good. Can’t have you getting a bruised ego on our first date.”
I give her a flat look. “Something tells me you don’t have any issues knocking down a man’s ego.”
“You’d be right about that. But see, there’s this super-hot cowboy I’ve been talking to, and I’d rather not hurt his feelings if I don’t have to.”
“Super-hot, huh? It’s the hat, isn’t it?”
“One hundred percent. And the muscles. And the personality.”
My grin widens. “You’re something else. Want to try a throw?”
“A what now?”
I explain the dance move and how to do it. Gia looks at me skeptically until I point out someone who’s been doing stunts with his girl all night.
“Okaayyyy. I’m putting my life into your hands.”
I chuckle. “I swear to protect it like it’s my own.” I walk through the steps one more time before we attempt it.
It goes about as well as you can imagine. Gia chickens out part of the way through, stumbling over the break in rhythm. I end up tripping over my own feet, gripping her tight to my body to keep us from falling.
Once we’re stable, Gia and I are both laughing too hard to speak. She swipes her fingers under her eyes to clean up a bit of her makeup. There’s a smudge left on one side, so I carefully wipe it off. She gazes up at me with a look I can’t quite decipher.
Her blue eyes look even darker in the dim light of the bar. She’s so fucking beautiful. I lean in to kiss her, needing her lips on mine more than I could express.
Gia’s eyes close as I sip at her mouth. She softens into my chest when I palm her cheeks to kiss her harder. God, she’s something else. I could get addicted to the feelings she stirs up in me.
“Hey, get a room, you two.”
I groan at the voice of my best friend. “Fuck off, Gray.”
Gia grins as she looks over her shoulder, where Gray is dancing with Kylie. They stop once they’re standing next to us.
“You must be the famous Gia.” She stiffens at his words, but Gray continues before she can say something. “Holt has told us a lot about you. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”
“You’re Grayson?”
“The one and only. This is my best friend, Kylie. She’s in town visiting her parents for the weekend.”
“Nice to meet you.” Gia shakes her hand.
“You too!” Kylie responds. She turns to hug me. “How are you, Holt?”
“Just fine, Ky. It’s good to see you.”
“It’s nice to be home for a bit.”
“Where do you live?” Gia asks.
“I’ve been in Seattle for the last few years. My husband works at a firm out there.”
“Damn, that’s quite the distance.”
“Tell me about it. But I try to come home a couple of times a year outside of holidays. It works.”
Grayson looks like he wants to say something to that, but he doesn’t. I know he misses Kylie when she’s gone. They’ve been best friends since they were in diapers. I joined their duo in middle school after Gray and I started playing football together.
“Well, we’ll let you two get back to your date.” Kylie grabs Grayson’s hand, pulling him into a dance before he can stop her. And he’s definitely protesting the move. I can see it on his face. I’ll have to thank Kylie later for distracting our nosy friend.
“Want another drink?” I ask Gia.
“Yes, please.”
We head to the bar together, snagging two open seats. I order our drinks from Will, who nods his head. I went to school with him. He was a couple of years older than me, but a pretty good guy. He owns the Howling Wolf now, after managing it for the past decade.
Once our drinks are in front of us, I turn to Gia to watch her expressions.
For a while, I thought she kept her emotions locked down tight to hide how she felt.
Now that I’ve had a little time to get to know her, she shares exactly what she’s thinking in her eyes.
I’m not great at reading her just yet, but I’m getting better.
“Will you tell me why you bristled when Gray called you famous?”
Gia’s eyebrows fly up her forehead. “You noticed that?”
“Of course I noticed.” I reach out for her hand. “You don’t have to tell me. I was just curious.”
“It’s just…being the twin sister of Virginia Miller isn’t always easy. I love my sister. She’s my best friend, and I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t have her by my side.”
“But?”
“But…being mistaken for her gets pretty old fast. If it ended in an apology and them moving on, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Instead, they either become insistent that I am her and just don’t want to fess up to it, they get creepy about us being twins—that’s mostly the men—or they ask me to introduce them to her.
If I push back or stand my ground at all, they get super annoyed that I’m not ‘nice like Virginia.’ They make their disappointment known, and it’s not a great experience for me. ”
“Jesus. That sounds miserable. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with such shitty people.”
“It’s not all of them. A good portion of them are kind, but there have been many who are the exact opposite.”
“I hadn’t even heard of your sister until the girls brought her up.”
Gia smirks. “I know. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to sleep with you.”
I bark out a laugh. “Fair enough. Although I felt like an epic piece of shit when I realized I didn’t even ask for your name.”
“I liked the nickname you gave me, which was weird. Most of the time, cutesy nicknames give me the ick.”
“It fit you that night. You had this thundercloud parked over your head, and then, when you laughed, it was like a rainbow after a storm.”
“That’s so cheesy.”
I lean in close, running my thumb over her pink cheek. “Maybe, but you like it.”
“Yeah, I kind of do.”