Page 24 of The Best Thing He Never Wanted

When he was almost there, she held out a hand, beckoning him to join her—and that stopped him in his tracks. He didn’t dance. He shoved his hands into his pockets, hoping he wasn’t about to spoil the moment.

She beckoned again, but he shrugged and moved to the side, jaw tight, waiting for her reaction. He didn’t want to make her stop. Didn’t want her to feel she had to. At the same time, he didn’t want her disappointed by his refusal to join her. To his relief, she kept right on dancing, even as she nodded her understanding. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Happiness seemed to come off her in waves. He could have watched all night.

But the song ended, and she wiped her brow as she came over to him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Yeah. Me too. Sorry it took a while, but …” He turned his head as the next song started. The other women were drifting back to their seats, pulling out their phones to hold up the flashlights as the band launched into a song Blane recognized as a slow ballad. He looked into Bea’s eyes, the blood rushing in his temples. He couldn’t believe he was going to do this. But he was.

He reached for her hand. Her gaze flew up to meet his. “Want to dance?”

“Oh …” Her eyes went wide. “Oh, yes. I … I assumed you meant you didn’t dance.”

He smiled. “I don’t. But this is a slow song.” He curled an arm around her waist. She flattened one palm against his chest, and they began to shuffle together in the dark.

“Not dancing,” he murmured. He knew he’d never forget the smile on her face as she nodded up at him.

“Oh no. We’re definitely not dancing. I know you don’t do that. You’re just …” She glanced around them. “Keeping me company. Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah. That’s it. Keeping you company.” His mouth twitched.

“Well. You have to shuffle to a slow song. No dancing required.”

“And you were already up and on your feet. It’d be a shame to make you sit down again just for me.” He brought his hand up to cover hers, pressing them both flat against his chest.

The last time he’d attempted to date a woman, it had ended badly—with her calling him a heartless bastard. But with Bea’s little hand resting there over it, there was no doubt that he had a heart.

Or that it was in trouble.

~ ~ ~

Bea rested her cheek against his shoulder. She knew she probably shouldn’t, but she couldn’t have stopped herself if she’d tried. It just felt like the perfect moment. She hadn’t been sure she’d work up the nerve to dance alone. And she certainly hadn’t dreamed that she’d get the chance to dance with Blane like this. She smiled against his shirt. To not dance; they were only shuffling.

And it was the best dance of her life. She knew that without a doubt, and it was no exaggeration. She closed her eyes when he rested his chin on top of her head. She didn’t so much hear his voice as feel it rumble through his chest and into her.

“This okay?”

She nodded before tipping her head back to look into those beautiful gray eyes. “This is so much more than okay, Blane. This is perfect. Thank you.”

The crinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened as he nodded. “It’s pretty perfect from where I’m standing too.”

At that moment, the song ended and the lights flared amber and blue again. He gave her a rueful smile as he straightened and let her go.

But she didn’t want to be let go. So she caught his hand, not knowing quite what she meant to do with it. “Do you have to go back into the shadows?”

“Not if you don’t want me to.”

“I really don’t.” She nodded toward the empty stool beside hers. “And there’s a spare seat. Meg was supposed to …” She hesitated. “Would you like to …?”

He squeezed her hand. “Yeah, Bea. I would. I’d like that a lot.”

She reached over to move the jacket that had kept her company these last couple of nights. It hadn’t fooled her—or anyone else—that she wasn’t here alone. But it had made her feel less so. And now she didn’t need it, because Blane was here. That little fizz rippled through her chest again. He was here. And if only for the next hour or so, she really wasn’t alone.

He waited for her to sit before he took the stool beside her. It wasn’t exactly designed for a man his size. His knees pushed up against the barrier in front of them, but he didn’t look uncomfortable. In fact, when he turned and smiled at her, she guessed he might be just as pleased about this turn of events as she was.

They both turned when Tina appeared behind them, reaching between them to place another glass of wine in front of Bea.

“Here you go, Bea. This one’s on me, sweetie.”

“Oh, Tina, thank you. You didn’t need to do that.”