Page 10 of Sincerely, Mr. Braden

Her breath hitches, and for a second our gazes hold, and the noise of the crowd fades. Then she laughs, shaking it off, but not enough to hide the lingering appreciation in her eyes.

“How about if we do it together?” I suggest.

“What do you mean?” She glances at a young girl shimmying under the limbo bar. “Everyone goes alone.”

“Not us.” I lace my fingers with hers, giving her hand a squeeze. “What do you say? I never lose.”

“If you do it with me, you’ll definitely lose.”

“Sorry, El, but your math is not mathing. If I’m with you, I’m already the winner.”

Stifling a grin, she arches a brow. “Is that your best line? Because I’d give it a seven out of ten. It could use some work.”

“I wasn’t aiming for a score. Just the truth.” I let that sink in, soaking in her sweet, surprised smile as I drag her into the limbo line.

As we wait our turn, she studies every person who goes before us. Her eyes glitter with the same adventurous spark I saw in my brothers when we were kids trying to outdo each other, and I wonder how often she steps out of her comfort zone. Which leads me to wonder other things about that comfort zone.

“Your turn!” someone shouts.

Eleanor hesitates, and the crowd claps and cheers, egging us on.

“What do you say, Ellie? Are we walking away or taking the crown?”

She groans, but her smile gives away her excitement. “This is insane. We’re going to fall on our asses.”

“I’d never let you fall.” I offer my hand. “Trust me?”

“I’d say you must have spiked my drink, but I haven’t had anything yet. Let’s do this.”

She slides her hand into mine, and it’s ridiculous how much that lights me up inside.

The music amplifies, and the crowd cheers us on as we step forward. “Give me your purse.”

“I forgot I had it.” She hands it to me.

I wind the strap around the small purse. It’s too big for my pocket, so I drop it down the front of my shirt. “King,” I say with a wink, and take her hand again.

“Wait until Taylor hears about this.”

“Don’t tell him all my secrets.”

She studies the bar, which looks damn low. The height usually calls for tequila to loosen up. Her fingers tighten around mine.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you,” I reassure her.

We face the bar, and when she gives me a nod and drops my hand, we shimmy back in unison. I could do this in my sleep, so I keep an eye on her, noting the clench of her jaw, the smooth line of her throat riddled with tension, and the arch of her back as she tries to balance.

The crowd claps louder as we inch under the bar. We’re about halfway through when Eleanor’s balance falters, and there’s a collective gasp around us. My arm shoots beneath her back, holding her up, and the crowd roars with excitement. Eleanor’s eyes find mine, wide with shock and disbelief. That’s right, gorgeous. I’ve got you. I hold her gaze, and her back, as we sneak beneath the bar and clear it. As we spring to our feet, the crowd erupts with excitement.

“We did it!” Eleanor shouts, and throws her arms around me.

I spin her around and say, “Told you,” against her temple, enjoying her elation. I keep her close as I set her on her feet. She gazes up at me, breathless and beautiful, and God help me, I don’t want to let her go.

Taylor

My heart is racing. That was so fun. I can’t believe Seth got me to do it. I don’t know what shocks me more, that we actually made it under the bar without breaking our necks, or how natural and incredibly good it feels to be in Seth’s arms. I know he feels safe because I’ve technically known him for years, but there’s nothing safe about the way being close to him makes my entire body tingle and burn. I feel high, and I haven’t had a single drink. For one crazy second, I imagine staying right here in his arms, our bodies pressed together, those blue eyes drilling into me like he likes this too, while the rest of the partygoers keep cheering us on.

But then the music shifts, and he releases me. He whips my purse out of his shirt and loops the strap across his body. Taking my hand again, he tugs me out of the circle with a sexy grin that does nothing to calm my pulse, and my excitement bubbles out. “I can’t believe you were able to limbo while holding me up!”