Page 49 of Yours to Keep

She dragged me onto the dance floor with her, her hair now loose and her dress swishing. People cheered when they joined us, but not those sad, pity cheers. These were real cheers, and it made me smile to see how much support this awesome girl would have over the next few months.

She’d need it. I knew that much for sure, but since tonight was about helping her cut loose and have fun, I kicked my shoes off under the nearest table and didn’t look back. Sullivan hovered at the edge for a while, talking to relatives and accepting handshakes and claps on the back like he’d just pulled off a successful heist.

At some point, during Gives You Hell by the All American Rejects, he ended up next to me, watching Liana spin, jumping up and down. She was shouting along to the lyrics, occasionally pausing to take another sip of her champagne.

“She’s okay,” he said after a few moments, like he’d needed to say it out loud but had also needed time to convince himself it was true.

“She is.” I smiled up at him. “You did good today, Sullivan.”

He brought his gaze to mine. “You did better.”

I chuckled. “That’s high praise.”

He hesitated, then held his hand out. “Dance with me.”

“Really?”

“Really. Why not?”

I could think of at least half a dozen reasons, but I took his hand anyway and laughed when he spun me into him. Surprisingly, he wasn’t stiff or awkward like I’d expected. Instead, Sullivan Crowne turned out to be a pretty darn awesome dancer.

He moved easily, confident without trying. One hand was at my waist, respectful but still tighter than the way one friend might touch another. Not that we were friends.

He guided me a little further away from the group Liana was dancing in, then bent his head closer to my ear. “Thank you for what you did today. For helping her.”

I swallowed past the stab of lust I felt at the sensation of having his low, smooth voice so close to my ear. “You don’t have to thank me.”

“I do,” he said. “You really stepped up today, Bree. I’m not sure what we would’ve done without you.”

“You would’ve figured it out.” I truly believed that. “No one ever plans for these moments, but they always get through them.”

“I might owe you an apology.”

I laughed. “Might?”

“I misjudged you,” he said. “I thought you were reckless.”

“Wow.” I looked up into his eyes, feeling a smile curve on my lips. “How romantic.”

He laughed, his head shaking like he couldn’t quite believe what he was saying. “It turns out you’re just brave, and really good at your job.”

The compliment burrowed into a place inside me that felt dangerous. “Maybe I misjudged you too.”

“Oh?” His brow lifted.

“Yeah. It turns out you’re not just an asshole.”

He winced. “I never denied that part. What else am I?”

Before I could respond, Liana barreled into us and wrapped her arms around both our waists. “This is the best day ever.”

Sullivan leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “That’s the champagne talking.”

“It’s still true,” she said, then spun away again, taking the hand of an older woman and laughing when she twirled her to a victorious Taylor Swift anthem.

Sullivan pulled me closer again and I looped my arms around his neck, finding those piercing, intense blue eyes locked right on mine when I looked up. Somewhere around the third song, our dancing changed into something that wasn’t quite fit for public consumption anymore.

The music was loud, the lights were low, and the room buzzed with champagne-fueled rebellion, but then the beat shifted into one much slower and dirtier. His hand slid a little lower and mine curled tighter in his shirt. He’d lost his jacket and his tie ages ago.