Chapter 19 #3
Before Norma had even started singing, Ben had another partner.
This time, it was Liv Rawlins. Tate stood at the edge of the dance floor with his arms crossed and his mouth fixed in a straight line.
He hadn’t inherited the Walker brother trait to pass out smiles willy-nilly like the other three, but even taking that into account, Tate looked exceptionally bugged.
Which, knowing how the brothers loved to tease each other, was likely what Ben was going for.
Two birds with one twirling, cavorting stone.
Thankfully, Doug was back by the end of that song, and I gladly handed his fiddle back to him. Compliments about my playing followed me to where Penny and my mom waited.
Penny threw her arms around me as I approached. “You were amazing! I want to learn to play like you!”
I smiled, almost forgetting my irritation at the troublesome two. “You want to learn to play the violin?”
She nodded. “And the fiddle. Will you teach me?”
I squeezed her again. “I would love that!”
“I still have Maven’s first violin in the office closet,” Mom said to Penny. “She was your age when she got it, so it should be the perfect size.”
“And one day”—I sent Mom a pointed look—“you’ll be able to play in front of the whole town without having practiced the songs in ages.”
Mom took hold of my hand. “You did wonderfully. But just so you know, I wasn’t the little bird.” Mom’s gaze flicked to Penny. “When they took a quick water break between songs, she was so excited to tell Doug you played the fiddle.”
How could I possibly be mad at that?
Penny nodded. “I didn’t know they’d ask you to play, but I’m glad they did.”
“I am too.” Ben’s familiar voice was right behind me.
“I bet you were,” I said, glancing at him. “Who was that first girl you danced with? The brunette? She was darling.”
He grinned. “Reese Berkeley.”
That’s who that was—Liv’s best friend. What was it about the water in Autumn Ridge? It seemed statistically impossible to have so many young, attractive people come from one small town. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
He raised his brows at my sarcastic tone, but before he could say anything, I turned to Penny and reached out a hand. “Want to go get a drink with me?”
Ben took hold of it first. “If you think you’re getting out of dancing with me, you’re going to be disappointed.” He pointed at Penny. “Though I’ll be coming back for you soon. Okay?”
She smiled and nodded her head.
Ben led me to the dance floor and took both of my hands in his.
Before I could even ask him if we were doing the two-step, the tension in his hands guided me forward, then away.
And suddenly, I was turning and dancing and laughing as he spun me across the dance floor like I knew what I was doing.
His hand would press against me with a gentle firmness, and the pull and push of his touch seemed like a language I’d never spoken but that my body inherently knew.
When the song ended, my chest was burning, and I felt like my cheeks were going to cramp from all my smiling and ridiculous giggling.
“All those nights out dancing paid off,” I said, grasping to keep the last walls protecting me from crumbling.
It was impossible not to think about the countless women Ben had partnered with over the years.
That they could be there when he hadn’t given me the opportunity.
The next song was slow, and he lifted a hand to me again.
“What about Penny?” I asked.
“She won’t want to dance this one with me,” Ben said. “She’ll want a fast one so I can twirl her.”
Accepting that he was right, I took hold of his hand. Instead of doing any sort of leading, he just pulled me toward him, wrapping his arms around my waist like he’d done so many times. I settled my arms around his neck, relishing the way it felt to be so close to him.
“I didn’t go out dancing last week,” he said. “I have a project I’ve been working on.”
My heart gave a little flutter of relief. “What’s the project?”
He just smiled.
I shook my head. “And here you were, so close to falling back into my good graces.”
“What if I tell you Dominic has a thing for Reese Berkeley? That I only asked her so he would? Which he did.”
“And what about Liv? Trying to force Tate’s hand too?”
“I figured it had worked once. Why not try it again?”
I studied him. “So annoying me was just an added benefit?”
His smile increased at my admission. “I thought it didn’t matter who I danced with?”
Standing here with Ben’s arms around me and his eyes drinking me in like they had so often done, I was suddenly sure the heartache I’d feel when our lives pulled us in different directions again would be worth taking advantage of these last few weeks we had together. “Turns out I was wrong.”
He lifted his brows. “You were wrong?”
“Don’t let it go to your head. But maybe for the rest of the night, you should stick to dancing with your wife.”
His eyes narrowed, like he wasn’t sure if I was teasing or not. I maybe should have been, but I wasn’t. He gave a satisfied smile. “I’m not sure how Penny’s going to take that news.”
I released an exaggerated breath. “Fine. But she’s the only exception.”
“Deal.” His arms tightened around me, and I rested my head against his chest and breathed him in. Yes, this would definitely be worth the heartache.