Spying Under the Mistletoe (Love Undercover #2) - Stina Lindenblatt Page 0,21
is a school night.
“I figure you’re the kind of woman who appreciates a great meal and a good time. And you can’t do much better than this place.”
“I’m not exactly dressed for this.” Not that the red splotch of paint on my top spells “dressed for this” in most dating situations…unless you’re going to a paintball center.
“You look great. No one’s going to judge your clothing. But if you want to go somewhere else…”
“No, this is fine.”
We enter the building. It’s everything I imagined it would be. Almost.
Like with most restaurants, it has a lounge to one side. It’s the dance floor in the middle of the restaurant that’s unusual. Several people are partner dancing, including an elderly couple and a few kids who are bouncing around to the upbeat song.
“Hi, y’all,” a woman in a black dress and cowboy boots says. Her dark hair is pulled up in a perky ponytail. “How many are in your party?”
“It’s just the two of us,” Landon tells her.
She glances at her device and grabs some menus from beneath the podium. “Follow me. How are y’all doing tonight?”
We tell her we’re doing fine, and she seats us at a table not far from the dance floor.
“Will Whiskey be okay with you gone so long?” I ask Landon.
“He’ll be fine. A friend of mine has been checking on him.”
The waitress comes to the table soon after that, and Landon and I both order burgers and fries.
The song changes, and there’s a stampede of people rushing to the floor. They move into position and start line-dancing along with the music.
Landon stands and offers me his hand. “Let’s dance.”
“I don’t know how to do that.” I gesture to the individuals, their movements perfectly synchronized.
“I’ll show you.”
I hesitantly take his hand and let him drag me to an empty spot on the floor. It’s obvious this isn’t Landon’s first time doing the dance. He moves to the music as if he were born doing the line dance.
Me? Not so much.
I’ve never been super coordinated. If there’s one word to describe me when it comes to sports and things like line-dancing, it would be awkward. Clumsy.
I bump into the man next to me because he went right and I went left. “Oof. Sorry.”
He dips the rim of his cowboy hat at me and grins. “Not a problem, miss.”
I move in the opposite direction and crash into Landon. He chuckles.
“Sorry,” I tell him.
It takes me another few minutes to finally figure out the moves.
Too bad that’s as the song ends.
Another one starts, and Landon takes my hand. He puts his other hand on my upper back and leads me through the upbeat song as best as he can, given my lack of coordination.
By the end of the dance, I’m laughing so hard at how bad I am at this, my cheeks ache. I can’t remember the last time I’ve smiled this much.
“Wow, you’re really good at this,” I say, still giggling.
The music switches to a slow song. I expect Landon to release my hand and for us to return to our table. Instead, he pulls me closer, and his free hand slides south, along my spine. More couples join us on the dance floor, and he and I sway to the music. His gaze drops to my lips, and for a moment, I’m positive he’s going to kiss me.
A longing stirs deep inside me, sweet and spicy and full of promise. I can’t remember the last time someone kissed me.
I drag my gaze from his mouth and focus on the wall on the opposite side of the room. Anything to distract me from his lips, his eyes.
His thumb brushes against the curve of my back, setting off a series of delicious tremors along my skin. My gaze flicks to his.
He leans in, and I have no idea what to do. Despite what he claimed, this isn’t a date.
My breath stalls in my chest, and I deliberated my options.
“Our burgers are here,” he says, completely throwing me for a loop. That wasn’t what I was expecting.
The air in my lungs escapes in a smooth whoosh.
“Oh, good,” I lamely say. “I’m super hungry.” Without waiting for him, I hasten to our table.
9
Landon
“How’s teaching kindergarten going so far?” Adam asks with a snicker, his voice coming through the speaker on my phone.
I dropped Chloe off at her vehicle after our date less than two hours ago, and then inconspicuously followed her home to make sure she got there okay.