she is, in the middle of the dance floor, alone. He proceeds to push up to the bar beside me and order two vodka sodas, one of those with three limes. That’s Maggie’s drink, and hearing him order it is enough of a push for me to leave the bar and move through the dance crowd until Maggie is directly under my nose.
“My turn.”
Her eyes snap to mine, and she takes an immediate step back. “Try that again.” Her words are fierce and clear. That’s not how you ask a woman to dance. We may not have known each other very long, but we’re both from a place where manners come first between a man and a woman, and my approach was one-hundred-percent wrong.
“Cut me some slack, Maggie. I’d really like to dance with you.”
“Why?”
Is she serious? “Because in two minutes, your dance partner will be back with your drink, and I’d like to remind you why you shouldn’t dance with him again.”
Her eyes freeze on mine before she follows up that cold look with a roll of her eyes. “Oh, really?”
I nod curtly. “Yes, really.”
“You are something else.”
I step closer and encircle my arms around her waist. She doesn’t pull away, causing me to smile. “It’s about time you think so.”
She places her hands on my chest and tosses her half-ponytail updo over her shoulder, all the while fighting the smile that’s already tipping up her cheeks. “It’s not a slow song, Desmond. Please tell me you can move those hips of yours like a true gentleman.”
I grin at her joke and pull my hands away. “Challenge accepted.” I start to move to the beat and wait for her to join in. I might not be the best dancer in the world, but I’ve got enough rhythm to hold my own. In fact, my love for dancing might just be a close third to my love for food and photography.
Maggie is full-on laughing now, but she’s dancing too. “Okay, okay. Does this courage have anything to do with that shot I saw you taking at the bar?”
I grin. “Sounds like someone’s been watching me. I’m only on drink number two, so my courage has room to grow.”
She groans. “How about you stop counting? Just for one night?”
I ignore her suggestion. That won’t happen. “How about you stop running your mouth and dance with me, gorgeous?” I find her hand and use it to tug her toward me. Her body slams into mine, and her smile widens, as if she couldn’t hold back her joy even if she tried. And her joy is contagious.
I hold onto the hand I tugged and wrap my other arm around her waist, holding her firmly against me while I move us to the beat. She follows well enough, despite my desperate need to see her smile and laugh again. Then I change direction when she least expects it, causing her to throw her head back and laugh. Everyone around us is bumping and grinding on the dance floor, and sure, we could do that too. But there’s something about Maggie that brings me back to my roots. To the days when I would hide away in my garage and secretly teach myself how to dance, all so that I could impress some girl at an upcoming dance.
I’m so lost in the moment, in Maggie, that I don’t expect the tap on the shoulder when it comes. Looking up, I register Justin’s face. Clearly, he can see that Maggie and I are having fun here, but he’s back anyway.
“Hey, Des,” he greets with a grin, like we’re the best of friends instead of acquaintances who happen to see each other at home football games. Then he grins at Maggie while reaching past me with her drink. “Just how you like it.”
Maggie accepts it with a smile, but it falters quickly when she looks between Justin and me. “Um…” she says, like she’s about to let us both down gently.
But then Justin holds out his hand, even though one of mine is still around her waist. “How about another dance?” he asks her, completely ignoring me now.
I guess that’s one way to steal a girl away without causing a fight—speak directly to her and ignore the guy currently holding her.
The rage inside me is building, but I know better than to take it out on a man with a crush. I’ve gotten into enough fights to know how this will end if I unleash that beast