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Chapter Seventeen
“Oh. No,” Kaylee said, trying to pull her arm back. “Sorry. I’m not much of a dancer.” Especially not with some strange guy who seemed too eager and way too over-confident in demanding she dance with him.
His face looked crestfallen, then shifted to a bit snide. “What? Are you too fancy for a lowly cowboy?”
“No, it’s not that,” she stammered. She was fine with cowboys. In fact, there was one right behind her who she quite enjoyed spending time with. But this guy wasn’t him.
“Come on then. It’s just one dance.” He pulled her further out onto the dance floor then wrenched her tightly to him.Too tight.
She could smell the scent of garlic and beer on his breath, and she tried to pull away. Being smashed against this stranger’s chest was making her totally uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know the steps to this dance.”
He seemed oblivious to her discomfort and almost lifted her off her feet as he swung her around. “No problem. I’ll lead. Just follow me. It’s easy.”
But it wasn’t easy. He pulled harder on her arm with one hand while the other had a too-tight grip on her waist, using the pressure of his palm to turn her one way or the other. But the pressure of dancing with him was worse than the force he used on her hip, and she stumbled back then over-corrected and tried to step forward. He grimaced as she stepped on his foot. Thank goodness he was wearing cowboy boots, although it might serve him right if he weren’t.
“Sorry,” she mumbled as she crushed his toes. Again.
He yanked her arm back and forth. “Loosen up. This is supposed to be fun.”
She wasn’t loose. And she definitely wasn’t having any fun. She was nervous and awkward and kept stomping on his toes. Her body was too warm and the harder she tried, the worse she was making it.
He offered her a leering grin. “You’re right, you’re not that great of a dancer. Do you want to just get out of here instead?”
“What? No,” she said, stepping on his foot again. That time might have been on purpose.
She wasn’t sure what to do. This kind of thing didn’t happen to her when she stayed in the safety of her own apartment. Shame heated her neck and cheeks. Sassy would know how to handle this. Althoughshenever would’ve let herself get dragged onto the dance floor by a Neanderthal brute in the first place.
Kaylee swallowed back the emotion rising in her throat, and she was even more embarrassed that she was about to cry.
“Ouch,” the guy cringed. “Come on, baby. It’s like you’re not even trying.” He stopped as a large hand tapped him not too softly on the shoulder.
“Mind if I cut in?” Luke asked, reaching for Kaylee’s hand.
The brute yanked it out of reach. “Nah, dude. We’re dancing here.”
Frustration flooded her chest, and she shot a pleading look at Luke, even as she chided herself for not just yanking her own hand away.
“Oh. Yeah,” Luke countered, pulling the guy’s shoulder back. “What I meant to say was, Iamcutting in.”
This time, Kaylee did manage to pull her hand free and grasped Luke’s outstretched one. He folded it into his and lightly pulled her toward him.
But the other guy yanked her back. “Hey man, we’re not done dancing here.”
Luke fixed him with a steely glare. “I think you are.”
Kaylee took a step closer to Luke, relief filling her as she pressed into the circle of his outstretched arm. She took courage from the strength of his solid embrace. “Yes, we definitely are. Thank you for the dance. Have a good night.”
The brute still didn’t seem to get the message. “But…”
Luke’s glare went from steely to menacing. “You heard the lady. Time to take off.” He didn’t outright threaten the guy, but his stance conveyed the message.
“Fine,” the guy huffed. “She’s a terrible dancer anyway,” he shot back as he stomped off the dance floor.
Luke gently pulled her to him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered into his chest.
“Hey now. It’s okay.” He hugged her back, holding her close as he soothed a hand down her back. “Kaylee, you’re shaking.”
“I just feel so stupid and like a coward. Why couldn’t I just tell that guyno?”
