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“Why not? You’re not trying to please Home & Heart anymore.”
She gives me a side-eye look. “Thanks for the reminder.”
Before I can respond, she grabs my hand and pulls me toward the crowd in front of the stage. “Let’s go dance.”
“I don’t dance.”
That’s a lie. I enjoy dancing. But the thought of Autumn’s body pressed into mine, moving and swaying has me breaking into a sweat that has nothing to do with the sun beating down on us.
She makes this motion that tells me she probably rolled her eyes. “Fine, don’t dance. You can stand there and ogle my ass like a good boyfriend.”
I eye the crowd as we get closer. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. It’s really packed.”
“All the more reason to dance with me. You can protect me and be seen canoodling me at the same time.”
“Canoodling? Can’t say I’ve ever canoodled before.”
“Sure you have. You canoodled me in the picture earlier.”
“Is that what that was?”
She looks up at me, her head tilting. “Are you trying to be cute?”
“Wildcat, I am cute.” I gesture at myself and give her a cocky smile.
She stares at me, not in a perusal way. More like she doesn’t know how to take me. I haven’t exactly been playful with her much.
“Don’t call me that.” Her voice is soft, but firm with a hint of hurt behind it.
“I thought you liked it.”
“I did. I don’t anymore.”
With that she releases my hand and walks into the crowd, raising her arms and moving her hips to the music.
That’s probably the most honest thing she’s said since the swan. It’s time to apologize and get all this behind us. I follow her into the crowd and place my hands on her hips and turn her to me.
From the hard set of her jaw, I know she’s upset. Her body stiffens under my touch as if she wants to pull away.
“You’ll always be a wildcat. My wildcat.”
It wasn’t what I planned to say, but I hate that it feels like she’s not just rejecting a nickname, but a part of herself. Several moments pass then her body relaxes as she moves into me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“Autumn, I—”
She sways her hips into mine. “Dance with me, Jackson.”
There’s a hint of pleading in her voice that I can’t deny so I grip her hips tighter and move my body with hers. We move together seamlessly, finding the rhythm perfectly together.
“I thought you couldn’t dance.”
“I didn’t say I couldn’t. I said I don’t.”
I catch a hint of a smile on her lips before she moves into me, my leg slipping between hers as our hips move to the music. Fuck, she feels good. This week has killed me. I’ve missed our public outings where I could touch her freely. I shouldn’t. They’re supposed to be part of my job – supposed to be fake. They never are. As much as I pretend they are. Which is exactly what I’m doing now – pretending it’s all for show.
My hands roam over her body, her hands do the same. I feather my lips along her face – her cheeks, her temple. I’m so lost in her I barely hear the music. It’s only me and her and a thousand barely-there touches. It feels like we’re in our own little bubble and nothing can touch us.
She looks up at me and the need to see her eyes is too much to resist. I ease her sunglasses off her face. Her whiskey eyes are stripped of the act and pure Autumn is looking at me. There’s fire and desire and want and I’m just greedy enough to take advantage. I lean in and brush my lips with hers then wait to see if she wants more. Her body surges into mine as she takes my lips in a breath-stealing kiss and the world fades away.
