Hot Pursuit - Denise A. Agnew [11]
“Thanks, but girls don’t always go for nice. They want the alpha male.”
“They don’t necessarily want to marry the alpha male.”
“Maybe, but in high school it’s more about hormones than thinking through things. At least for a lot of kids. When you asked me out, I wasn’t using my brain.” Vic’s gaze took her in, all traces of good humor erased. He was all for laying the facts on the table, and now was the time to do it. “I was seventeen, I’d never been on a date before, and you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Temptation was too great.”
“We really did a number on you, didn’t we?”
He leaned toward her. They sat closer than he realized. This close her warm scent teased his senses. He swam in those feelings, wanting to touch her. Less primal needs told Vic to keep his hands off.
Screw it.
“Dance with me,” he said.
Chapter Three
Dance?
Lucy didn’t know what to say. Her body pinged with excitement at his suggestion, and while it also scared her in a primal way, dancing with him sounded like heaven.
“Sure.” She winked at him. “How much trouble can we get into dancing?”
The wicked gleam in his eyes insinuated he could think of a few ways to get them into trouble. “It’s only eleven. There’s time yet.”
She flushed, allowing the possibilities to wash through her imagination. He smiled and slid from the booth. She moved to the edge of the seat, and he offered his hand. Heat tingled all the way down her body as his big palm enveloped hers. Oh, yes. It was way too much and yet not enough. Go ahead. One dance. A little companionship. You aren’t getting involved.
The music had switched—someone had entered a different melody on the jukebox, a seriously different tune that throbbed, that imitated lovemaking with an exotic beat. This wasn’t a country song that spoke of broken hearts and lust in the dark. This song swirled, the singer’s soprano liquid sensuality. Drums pulsed, the music exotic as Lucy imagined a belly dancer working her hips. She shook her head.
Sure, the song was sexy, sure the dancers now swayed in a more languorous fashion. The whole thing screamed sexy. Or maybe the way this man drew her to his chest as they found a spot on the dance floor made her dream of possibilities.
Vic’s body burned against hers, pressing so that her breasts brushed lightly once. Twice. Settled against his body. She caught his glance and dared to linger. Undeniable wanting smoldered his eyes, told her he understood every secret she’d ever had and would have. It scared the crap out of her.
“Do you come here often?” she asked, well aware this was an old line. But God, she had to speak before her body combusted. Anything to take her mind off the sensations bombarding her.
He grinned. “No. Remember, I’m from out of town.”
Her cheeks went pink. “Oh. Right. Why did you come into town originally?”
“I wanted to get away for a while and I always liked this town.” His hand slid up her back, sending a riot of arousal burning inside her. “Do you come here often?”
She laughed softly. “No, but I might start. After all, if I can find a guy like you every time I come in here, it might be worth it.”
His eyes narrowed, and she felt the heat in that stare go all the way to her toes. “There isn’t anyone else like me. They broke the mold. Fortunately.”
Lucy giggled, and the girly sound took her off-guard. She didn’t laugh like this. Something about him though, did this to her. Her arm lay along his shoulder, her hand almost touching his neck. His hand and arm braced her waist and made certain full-body contact continued. She couldn’t escape his circle of influence and why would she?
Music poured into her veins, drugged her as their bodies caught a rhythm and swayed. “You’re a very modest man.”
“I know what I can do, and I never pretend that I can do anything I can’t.”
She pursed her lips. “Hmm. Now that’s pretty extraordinary for the military men I’ve met.”
“Well, give me some time. I’ll prove to you it’s true.”
As his body moved against hers, she melted into the feelings. She