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He took her breath away. Could he really want to be with her? Simple. No fuss, plain old Baylee? Why any insecurities crept in at that moment, she had no clue. But as if reading her thoughts, Drew turned and their eyes met. His mouth quirked up on one side and the blue of his eyes turned more of a smoky color, his tell-tale sign that he wanted to kiss her.
Her cheeks flushed with heat as she stepped into the room to join them.
“Hey, cowboy.”
“Hey yourself, beautiful.”
Vaguely aware of her mother’s presence, Baylee could only look into his blue depths that pulled her in and held her captive.
“I see you have on your country dancing shoes.”
“That I do.”
“Okay. You two kids go have fun. I’ve got Casey. No worries.”
Her mother hugged both and shooed them out the door.
The front door closed behind them and they stood on her front porch, looking at each other.
“Would it be against the rules for me to kiss you before the date starts instead of when I drop you off and say goodnight?
She stepped into his arms. Even with heeled boots on she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. “I’m not sure what rule book you’ve been abiding by, but I believe it’s the perfect way to start a date with you. And I’m looking forward to a goodnight kiss as well. You aren’t getting out of that one.”
His hand cradled her head, his fingers speared through her hair. The other arm wrapped around her waist. “Oh, I have every intention of kissing you any chance I can get throughout the entire evening, ma’am. You can count on that.”
His mouth claimed hers, soft warmth and tasting of mint. Every cell in her body lit up, heat radiating from her head to her toes. Her fingers toyed with the hair at the base of his neck, a rewarding moan she could feel in his chest.
Unsure of how long they stayed tangled together, or who was first to come up for air, Baylee took a breath and laid her head on Drew’s chest. “I could do that all night.”
His chest rumbled with a low laugh. “I’m in complete agreement with that.”
“We’d never hear the end of it from Kate, though, if we bailed on them.”
Drew winced. “You’ve got a point there.”
Baylee laughed and took his hand. “Let’s go then. We can have some more… fun, later.” She winked at him then led him to his car.
*
Garrett’s Saloon wasn’ta big place, but it lived up to its name. Its design was old school, complete with a bar along one side, tables and chairs throughout the room, and a second floor balcony that wrapped around the entire place. People were standing at tall tables up there or looking down below to where tables had been moved aside to make room for dancing.
“Garrett brings in a deejay each weekend. Sets him up in the corner.” Kate explained.
Their group had chosen a table off to the side of the dance floor. It was a tight squeeze, but Drew didn’t mind. It meant Baylee was almost in his lap. Something he would never dream of complaining about. His sister was wedged on his other side, a situation that could be no fun if she decided to interrogate him more about Baylee, but tonight she seemed to be kicking back. Having fun. Jack was on Kate’s other side, laughing at something Paul said. He had his arm around Kate though, a piece of her hair twirled in his fingers.
He hadn’t seen his sister this relaxed since… well, he couldn’t remember how long. Maybe even since college. Certainly before the creep of an ex-husband. Yeah. Jack was good for her.
“Baylee said Garrett runs a good business.” He said to Kate who moved her shoulders to the beat of the music.
“He does. He grew up here too, like everyone else in the room.”
“Not everyone.” Hannah rolled her eyes.
Drew had met Paul and Hannah on a previous visit to Silver Bay back when Kate had first moved. Nice couple. Hannah, a tall redhead with lots of energy. Paul, the laid-back type who watched his wife bounce through life with obvious love and admiration.
“Feels like everyone sometimes though,” Paul said.
Hannah swatted his shoulder playfully.
