Chapter 11
HARDISON
The old barn had been strung with white lights and garlands, glowing like a beacon against the chilly night sky. Music spilled out the open doors, a fiddle carrying the melody of a song I knew by heart. The sound of boots on wood mixed with laughter and the rhythmic calls of the bandleader.
Emberlynn tightened her hand in mine as we walked up the steps to a local favorite tavern.
I could feel her nerves radiating. She didn’t grow up with this—hay bales pushed against the walls, red-checked tablecloths, the smell of spiced cider and barbecue.
This was my world, and she was stepping straight into it.
“You’re smiling like you’ve got a secret,” she murmured, looking up at me with that half-daring, half-shy glint that always made me want to bend her over the nearest flat surface.
I squeezed her hand. “No secret. Just proud. Bringing you here felt… right.”
Inside, couples were already moving in neat rows, stomping and clapping along to the beat.
Line dancing. Hell, I hadn’t done it in years, but it was like riding a bike.
Once you got on, you knew the right amount of shuffling and kicking required to complete the dance.
As long as you had on boots, were with a pretty lady, and knew how to tip your hat, you were good to go most of the time.
I had something extra to go with it. I knew how to keep rhythm and wasn’t afraid to yip when the music touched my soul.
“You’re not really expecting me to do that, are you?
” she whispered, wide-eyed as she took it all in.
Complete with jeans that hugged her ass just right, boots I’d bought her, and a frilly shirt that gave me a marvellous view of her breasts…
damn right she was about to get on that floor with me.
No way she was getting out of me seeing her move that glorious body of hers.
“Oh, sweetheart,” I said, tugging her closer, bending so my lips brushed her ear. “You’re dancing with me tonight. Whether or not you like it.”
Her sharp inhale told me she heard the promise beneath the words. My dominance wasn’t confined to the bedroom—it followed us everywhere, simmering in every look and every command.
I led her out onto the dance floor, ignoring the curious looks from the locals. She stumbled the first few steps, laughing under her breath. I steadied her with a firm hand at her waist, correcting her posture, guiding her boots with the pressure of my own.
“Left foot,” I said quietly, my tone edged with steel. “Trust me. Just follow.”
She obeyed. One step, then another, until the rhythm caught her, and she moved with me like she’d been born to it. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright as she glanced up at me. Ooooh darlin’.
“See, kitten?” I teased. “Told you I wouldn’t let you fall.”
We danced through one song, then another. She loosened, laughing when she missed a beat, groaning when I spun her a little too fast. Every misstep only made her cling to me tighter. I wasn’t complaining. If I could make her fuck up the entire song just so she would touch me, I would.
I let her rest after the third dance, leading her to the edge of the floor.
I got her a drink, and when I returned, that’s when I noticed two women watching me from across the barn.
They were locals—I recognized them from around town.
Pretty enough, both wearing their best jeans and boots, but the way their eyes tracked me made my jaw tighten.
Gutsy, they came over to where we sat at a high-top table.
I moved to stand behind Emberlynn, wondering what they were up to.
At first they stood nearby, but then the situation escalated.
One of them leaned toward Emberlynn, her smile sharp. “He dances well for a city boy. You sure you can keep up with him, honey?”
Emberlynn stiffened, surprised. I didn’t give her a chance to answer. Sliding my arm around her waist, I pulled her flush against me and pressed a kiss to her temple.
“She doesn’t need to keep up,” I said evenly, meeting the other woman’s gaze until she looked away. “Kitten has her own set of moves that makes me fold every time.”
Emberlynn’s breath hitched. I felt her soften against me, her head tilting into my shoulder as though she couldn’t quite believe what she’d heard.
“Hardison…”
I tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at me. “Dance with me again,” I said, low enough for only her to hear.
Her lips parted. “Bossy.”
I grinned. “You like me bossy.”
Back on the floor, the music slowed. I gathered her in, one hand spread across her lower back, the other holding hers to my chest. We swayed under the lights, the crowd around us fading into nothing.
“This,” she whispered, eyes searching mine. “This feels like home.”
And right then, with her in my arms, I knew there was nowhere else in the world I’d rather be.
Her words cut deeper than she probably realized.
Home. I’d chased that feeling most of my life—through deployments, through chaos, through nightmares that never seemed to end.
And here she was, pressed against me, giving me something I never thought I’d get back.
“Good,” I murmured, brushing my thumb over her knuckles as I guided her through another slow step. “Because that’s what you are to me, Queen. Home.”
Her breath caught, and her eyes shimmered like she was seconds from tearing up. I leaned down, kissed her softly, then deepened it just enough to let the whole damn barn know where I stood.
The music picked up again, a quicker song, and I spun her out before pulling her back in, her laugh breaking free. That sound—it cracked open the tightness in my chest. She wasn’t some outsider fumbling her way through. She was mine. And she was keeping up, better than she gave herself credit for.
Around us, other couples clapped and stomped, but all I saw was her. Emberlynn’s cheeks reddened from the heat and the movement. My Queen—right in the middle of country life, glowing like she’d belonged here all along.
When the song ended, I kept my arm around her and guided her outside, into the cool night air. The stars stretched endlessly over us, the barn lights casting a warm halo behind her. She looked up, breath puffing white in the chill, and smiled.
“You’re staring,” she teased.
“Damn right I am.” I pulled her closer, my voice rough. “You’re the most beautiful thing in this whole town tonight. Don’t care how many women tried looking my way—none of them compare to you.”
Her lips parted, and for a moment she just studied me, as though she couldn’t believe how raw I was being. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Sweetheart, I’ve never meant anything more.” I cupped her jaw, forcing her to see every bit of truth in my eyes. “I don’t give a fuck about anyone else. You’re it for me. And I’ll make sure everybody here knows it.”
The music shifted inside, louder now, the fiddles and steel guitar blending into something wild and fast. I smirked, grabbed her hand, and tugged her toward the edge of the porch.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Hardison—”
“Don’t fight me on this.” My grin widened as I spun her right there, in front of the whole damn barn. “You said you wanted to experience country life. Well, Queen, this is it. Dancing under the stars. Boots in the dirt. My hands all over you.”
She laughed again, shaking her head, but she followed my lead. Barely a beat later, we were moving to the rhythm spilling out from the barn, our bodies finding that same magnetic pull that always bound us together.
I bent low, lips brushing her ear. “I can’t wait to be inside you later tonight.”
Her fingers curled into my shirt, anchoring herself to me like she never wanted to let go. “Sounds perfect,” she whispered. “I can’t wait to feel you too, Hardison.”
And standing there, with her body molded to mine and the whole damn town just a blur in the background, I couldn’t think of another damn reason to stay.
We’d had our fun with the music, dancing, a drink, and even the drama.
It’d been one hell of a night, and now it was time to go home so I could show her some more moves.
Ones that the town wasn’t prepared to see.