AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The collective groans from the table dissolve into half-hearted objections. I risk a glance over at Linc only to catch him looking at me. I expect him to quickly look away or to smile in greeting, but he does neither. Instead, he holds my gaze for a long moment before slowly letting his eyes travel down the length of my body and back up to my face. The expression on his face is one I haven’t seen there before. His eyes are dark and hungry in the low light, and I feel a thrill shoot through me. The expression lasts for only a second before it shifts back to his normal expression of neutrality.
“Hey, Linc,” I say, giving him a little smile.
He dips his head in a single nod. “Harlow.”
I wait for him to say something else, but he doesn’t. Instead, he takes a sip of his beer, turning back to his conversation with Luke. Piper glances my way, giving me an apologetic shrug. I smile, trying my best to ignore how Linc’s dismissal makes me feel. It’s not like we’re a couple. We’re just friends. Yes, we’ve spent more time together lately than usual, but it’s clear that I’m still just another client in his eyes. Which is totally fine. He doesn’t owe me anything. And it’s not as if I did something stupid like get my hopes up after Luke told me about Linc’s high school crush on me. That would be a massive mistake.
This is for the best. Getting involved with Luke’s best friend would be too messy, especially if things didn’t work out. It would be impossible to avoid him without also avoiding my only friend in this town. No, thank you. It’s better this way. All this runs through my head in the time it takes for Layna to order a round of shots. I didn’t want a shot, but once it’s in front of me, I don’t turn it down.
The chilled peach whiskey still brings a burn to my throat and warms my belly pleasantly. I chase it with a sip of water, trying to keep myself hydrated. I don’t want to end up shit faced by the end of the night and feeling like hot garbage tomorrow. I let the conversation flow around me, chiming in when it suits me. I’m hyper aware of Linc sitting next to me, even though he’s barely spoken since I sat down. His jean-clad leg is inches away from my bare leg below the hem of my dress. His hand is resting on his thigh, and I can’t help but picture him sliding it over and resting it on mine. My imagination serves up the images of that large, calloused hand sliding higher, pushing my skirt up until his fingers brush against the seam of my pussy. I’d spread my legs, giving him more room to touch me—a clear invitation to take what he wants. My breath falters, pulling me back to the present and the reality that Linc doesn’t want me that way. He’s never said or done anything to indicate his interest. I need to stop fantasizing about something that will never happen.
Without warning, Piper stands and holds out her hand to Luke. “Dance with me,” she says. It’s not so much an invitation as it is a command.
Luke grins up at her before taking her hand and rising to his feet. “I love it when she’s bossy,” he says, winking at the rest of the table.
Cole laughs before holding out a hand to Layna. “What do you say?” he asks.
Layna eyes him for a moment before shrugging. “Why not?”
I watch the four of them head toward the dance floor, leaving me and Linc in silence. I try not to feel awkward sitting next to him. If I were bolder, I could ask him to dance with me. But I’m not. The truth is, I’m only superficially bold. I can dye my hair wild colors and wear shirts with funny sayings that shock the senior citizens and pearl-clutching folks in town. But when it comes to anything important to me, I freeze. And anything having to do with Linc has been shown to make me consistently freeze for the past two decades. At least there’s something I can count on.
“It would be a shame to waste that dress.”
It takes me a second to realize that the words I just heard came from Linc. I look over at him, confused. He smiles and gestures to my dress.
“That dress deserves to be shown off,” he says before gesturing toward the dance floor. “May I have this dance?”
For a full second, I just sit there staring at Linc. I’d imagined this moment so many times back in junior high school and high school. I’d dreamed of being noticed by Lincoln Prescott; having him ask me to dance with him at one of the school dances. But it never happened. Now, here he is, asking me to dance with him. And I’m just sitting here like a dumbstruck idiot. I force myself to nod.
“I’d love to,” I manage to whisper.
Linc’s smile is instant. He moves to stand, reaching out a hand for mine. I can barely breathe as I place my hand in his and his fingers close around mine. He doesn’t let go of my hand as we walk toward the dance floor. I keep having to remind myself that this is really happening. I’m going to dance with Linc. When his large hand lands on my lower back, a thrill shoots through me. Thanks to the open back design of the halter dress, there’s nothing between his hand and my skin and I savor the contact. I bring my free hand up to rest on his shoulder, trying to resist the urge to squeeze the hard muscles I feel under his shirt.
“You look amazing, tonight,” Linc says. When I meet his gaze, he smiles. “In case no one’s told you.”
I return the smile, a warm feeling spreading through me at the compliment. “Thank you.”
This version of Linc is one I’m not used to, but one that I know I could grow to like. He seems confident and charming. Not that he’s not always attractive, but there’s something about him tonight that makes me want him even more. It’s almost like he’s trying to impress me or charm me. It’s not his normal behavior, but I’m not complaining. Especially since it means I’m in his arms on the dance floor rather than sitting in awkward silence at the empty table.
“How was your day?” he asks, breaking the silence between us.
I almost want to laugh. It seems like a question you’d hear between an old married couple. But his face is serious. He’s not joking. He really wants to know how my day went. This is the first time in two weeks that Linc hasn’t come by to work at the salon after his normal work day. We both decided to take the evening off to relax and unwind. I’d assumed he’d be spending his time with Ella, but I’m not upset that I was wrong and he’s here tonight.
“Not bad,” I finally say. “I finished my last client at around four. And since the new faucet had arrived, I decided to try my hand at installing it myself. It took me longer than I thought it would, but I managed.”
I’m all set to tell him how good it all looks now that it’s all together, but I realize he’s frowning down at me.
“What?”
“Why didn’t you wait for me to help?” He asks, surprising me.
I lean back far enough to really look at him. “Because I wanted to see if I could do it myself. Are you mad that I didn’t wait for you?”
It’s ridiculous for him to be upset at me for doing things in my own salon without him. And I plan to tell him exactly what I think of that. I open my mouth to speak, but he beats me to it.
“No, Harlow. I’m not mad that you did it alone,” he says. “I’m proud of you. But you didn’t have to. You don’t always have to do things the hard way, you know?”
I shrug, ignoring the little thrill that shot through me when he’d said he was proud of me. “It’s not the hard way if it’s the only way,” I mutter.
