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He tugs our interlocked hands toward him and leans down to kiss mine before pressing it into his chest, right over his heart. “Will you do me the honor of dancing with me?”
Pressing my lips together, I roll my eyes to feign annoyance. “Only if you stop talking like you’re in a stupid romance movie,” I mock.
His head tilts back as he lets out a laugh, and I can feel the thump in his chest getting heavier. When he meets my gaze again, he nods. “Deal.”
He doesn’t release my hand as he stands, hauling me to my feet with him. There’s the goofiest grin on my face as we make it to the floor, the stress of Paul’s presence melting away as Spencer wraps my arms around his shoulders and his hands settle on my waist.
“So, how am I doing?” he asks as we begin to sway to the music.
My forehead creases as I meet his eyes. “With what?”
“The date. How does it compare? Am I wowing you enough to secure another one? Because I’d like to take you out again, somewhere you aren’t already required to be.”
I bite down on my bottom lip, trying to contain my smile. How does he compare? Even if I had something to compare this night to, I’m positive this one would rank at the top of the list. Not that I’m ever going to tell him that.
“Are you asking me to commit to a second date before the first one is even over? Isn’t that cheating?”
He shrugs. “I suppose it is a little against the rules, but you aren’t exactly the rule following type. Besides, when you know what you want, what’s the point of waiting?”
His choice of words seem to come as a surprise even to him, his face contorting in contemplation as he huffs.
“Well, it’s hard to argue with that logic.”
“Is that a yes?”
I purse my lips as if seriously considering his offer, then sigh. “Well, if memory serves, you’re into delayed gratification. So, I think I’ll make you wait.”
He snickers. “Touché.”
Spencer
My arm is wrapped around Lori’s waist as we say our goodbyes to her co-workers. I assumed there’d be a little weirdness tonight, that we might both need some time to adjust to the idea of dating, but it’s been better than I could have ever hoped for. Everything has gone so smoothly, felt so natural. Oddly enough, it seemed like a bigger transition when I started dating Cat than it does now.
Lori’s boss, Jack, extends his hand to me, and I shake it as he tells me again how glad he is to meet me. “Yes, it was nice to meet you too,” I say, giving him a quick nod.
Her co-workers have fussed over the two of us all night. They weren’t shy about telling me she’s never brought a date to a work function before either. Which made me feel ten-feet tall.
As we begin to make our way toward the exit, I lean over to whisper in Lori’s ear. “I can’t wait for this night to be over.” She scoffs as her head swivels in my direction, her mouth open as she glares at me with hurt eyes. I chuckle and pull her close again, nestling my nose into her temple. “I’m dying to kiss you,” I explain.
Her cheeks are fuchsia as I lift my head to meet her gaze, and I feel like I’m walking in the clouds as we continue toward the doors.
We come to a stop again as a man steps into our path, his smile a little sinister as he eyes Lori. The man, who looks to be in his fifties, seems familiar, though I can’t place him. Perhaps it’s because he reminds me a little of Colin Firth with his salt ’n’ pepper hair and dark-rimmed glasses.
“You weren’t going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?” he asks Lori. Her body stiffens as she presses herself closer to me, her arm wrapping around me now. “It feels like you’ve been avoiding me all night.”
There’s a tone of warning in his statement, and my hackles go up as she shakes her head, her hold on me getting tighter. “Of course not.”
His attention turns to me. “Hi, I’m Paul Eastman.”
The name rolls around in my head, and I realize where I’ve seen him before. Paul became somewhat of a celebrity in our small town when his novel was published several years back. I’ve personally never read his book. I couldn’t even tell you the name of it. It could explain why he seems to have such an arrogance about him, though.
I nod my head in greeting. “Spencer Duncan.”
“How do you know my sweet Lori here?” he asks, winking at Lori.
My jaw clenches at his description of Lori as I turn to her, but she keeps her vacant eyes on him. “Oh, well…I suppose that’s a bit of a long story,” I answer, giving him my attention again. “How about the two of you? I’m afraid Lori’s never mentioned you before.”
Paul’s eyes slide to her as he lets out a pretentious laugh. “I’ll try not to take offense to that,” he says, giving me a smug smile before continuing. “I’ve known Lori since she was in high school. She came to me looking for a mentor. I guess you could say I taught her everything she knows.”
