expected her to say.
He straightened. “You want to what?”
“I want to dance,” she repeated softly, “with you.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet as a rock and roll classic pounded through the speakers.
“Justin, are you sure you want to do this? Dance with me?”
“More than anything.”
That was a lie. What he wanted to do more than anything was kiss her, but her smile, wide and full of life, captured him. It was the first time he’d seen that smile in almost two weeks. In fact, the last time was when she’d held his son’s simple crayon drawing in her hands.
His son.
Thanks to a delay from the laboratory he’d found out just this afternoon that Jacoby was indeed his flesh and blood. Justin hadn’t been surprised. Deep inside, he’d known the boy was his. The sudden urge to share his news with Gina filled him, but he decided to wait until they could talk without music blaring. He tightened his grip on her hand and led her to the crowded dance floor.
When she turned to face him, he said, “Are you sure about this? Two-stepping is more my speed. I don’t think I can swing, or jitterbug, or whatever kind of dancing goes with ol’ time rock and roll.”
Gina pressed her cheek to his, her lips moving against to his ear. “Like these kids do? This music belongs to their grandparents. Just have fun!”
It was fun, all of it, from the crazy songs to the teenagers bouncing around them, to being able to hold Gina’s hands in his as they did their own version of cutting loose. It took him until the second song before he stopped caring if others watched, and as he’d advised the teens, he enjoyed himself. He hadn’t relaxed like this in a long time and being able to share it with Gina made it even more special.
When a slow ballad finally came on, Gina slipped into his arms. He wanted to press her close, to feel her curves against his chest. Then he noticed they were being watched by her brother and sister who were close by, dancing with their dates.
“We’re not officially chaperones,” Gina said. “But we should probably display the proper decorum.”
“Have you checked out the couples around us? No one else is dancing with enough room between them for a third party.”
“Would you like to sit this one out instead?”
Justin grinned and shook his head. “No, I have a much better idea.”
Chapter Eleven
Justin kept Gina’s hand in his as he led her off the dance floor. Moving her in front of him, he steered her back to the table, but only long enough to grab his jacket. Gina shot him a look but kept walking. They slowly made their way around the outer rim of the tables until they reached a shadowed cove between the stacked bleachers.
She halted. “Where are we going?”
“Trust me.”
He tugged on her hand and made his way to the double doors he’d used years ago to sneak out of school. Only one thing could get in the way— Ah, still no fire alarm attached. Perfect.
In fact, the doors had been propped open to allow a cool breeze to enter the stuffy gym. He eased outside, pausing to make sure they weren’t interrupting someone else with the same idea. Nope, they were alone.
The night air felt good against his heated skin. “Much better.”
“Where are we?” Gina shivered slightly in the light breeze. “And why?”
He let go of her long enough to drape his suit jacket over her bare shoulders. “The far side of the gym. This road leads from the front parking lot to the athletic fields around the back.”
She tucked her tiny purse into the inside pocket of his jacket, then slipped her arms into the sleeves. Justin grinned as she rolled the long cuffs back to her wrists.
“And the woods are beyond that,” she said. “Something tells me you’ve used this exit before. Reliving a bit of your youth, Mr. Dillon?”
Justin took her hand again and moved back into the shadows. “No, I never snuck out here with a pretty girl.”
The music from inside the gym was muted but could still be heard. He dragged her up against his body, putting one hand beneath his jacket to the small of her back, and pressed her close. He brought their joined hands to rest against his chest. Her free hand went to his shoulder, her touch warm through his shirt.
Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.
Hell, he