worrying about her daddy as he did. Luckily, there was no sign of the man. But as relief started to flow, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The WTF, you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me kind.
He cleared his throat. “Annabelle,” he said, causing her to look up in surprise. “The thing you are about to find out about me? I’ve got a temper.”
She saw them then. Brooks, Vance and three others moving in their direction.
“I swear to God, if one of them so much as hints at breaking in on this dance, it’s gonna get ugly.”
She looked between him and the approaching band of buffoons. “Now might be a good time for that test drive,” she said.
She took his hand and quickly led him away, bobbing and weaving through the couples slow dancing, heading straight toward the band. God, how great is this woman? They turned left at the stage edge, stooping low in front of all the dancers until they hit the outskirts of the crowd, then shot left again and broke into a run toward the far back door. When they hit the hallway, it was less crowded, and there was no sign of Brooks or Vance. Annabelle motioned for him to follow her to the right and then down a set of stairs. The music and party chatter kept receding as they descended, lingering over their heads as a heavy beat when they crossed back under the party and moved down a long, dimly-lit hallway that traversed the back of the clubhouse.
At the sight of the exit doors, Annabelle started laughing and broke into a run. Duncan followed in chase, hitting the door along with her and bounding up a short flight of concrete steps, free at last.
After working up a sweat on the dance floor, he found cool relief in the frigid night air. Annabelle continued to laugh, saying, “I can’t believe we just ran away from them.” She turned to Duncan, walking backwards into the light cast from a street lamp at the entrance to the parking lot. “Like playing hide and seek when we were kids.”
Duncan allowed his steps to slow into a lazy gait, enjoying the scene before him. Annabelle flushed with excitement, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks rosy, that dazzling smile turned on full wattage and directed right at him. The light behind her showing through her white gossamer gown giving him a full view of just how little she wore beneath it. In two quick steps he caught her up in his arms and pressed her to him, thinking he might owe Brooks and Vance a little gratitude for forcing them out here, finally alone under the dark of night. Because he was now going to be able to do the one thing he’d been thinking about for most of the day.
Drive Annabelle’s car.
“Ah, damn it to hell,” he uttered shaking his head. “And it was such a clean getaway, too.”
“What?” she laughed at him. “What could possibly be wrong now?”
“Besides the fact that for the second time today you are standing in the freezing cold wearing next to nothing? We need your car keys, Danica Patrick. Unless you have them strapped to your inner thigh, I’m guessing they are back inside, tucked into some flimsy little purse.”
“Ooh,” she said, backing out of his hold and turning toward the parking lot. “There is so much you have left to learn, Officer Friendly,” she said, her voice trailing behind her. He caught up with her in time to hear, “We always leave the doors unlocked and the keys under the driver’s side mat.”
The idea left him dumbstruck as he halted and simply stared after her. Finally he shrugged, “I guess that’s good to know. In case I ever need to make a quick getaway.”
Impressed that her big bad muscle car was tucked into the end of a row, protecting at least one side from dings, he herded her around to the passenger side and opened the door, helping her in. The bitter cold was starting to seep into his awareness and he would have felt sorry for any Greek Goddess draped only in chiffon if it weren’t for the saliva-producing way her nipples responded.
He
He cleared his throat. “Annabelle,” he said, causing her to look up in surprise. “The thing you are about to find out about me? I’ve got a temper.”
She saw them then. Brooks, Vance and three others moving in their direction.
“I swear to God, if one of them so much as hints at breaking in on this dance, it’s gonna get ugly.”
She looked between him and the approaching band of buffoons. “Now might be a good time for that test drive,” she said.
She took his hand and quickly led him away, bobbing and weaving through the couples slow dancing, heading straight toward the band. God, how great is this woman? They turned left at the stage edge, stooping low in front of all the dancers until they hit the outskirts of the crowd, then shot left again and broke into a run toward the far back door. When they hit the hallway, it was less crowded, and there was no sign of Brooks or Vance. Annabelle motioned for him to follow her to the right and then down a set of stairs. The music and party chatter kept receding as they descended, lingering over their heads as a heavy beat when they crossed back under the party and moved down a long, dimly-lit hallway that traversed the back of the clubhouse.
At the sight of the exit doors, Annabelle started laughing and broke into a run. Duncan followed in chase, hitting the door along with her and bounding up a short flight of concrete steps, free at last.
After working up a sweat on the dance floor, he found cool relief in the frigid night air. Annabelle continued to laugh, saying, “I can’t believe we just ran away from them.” She turned to Duncan, walking backwards into the light cast from a street lamp at the entrance to the parking lot. “Like playing hide and seek when we were kids.”
Duncan allowed his steps to slow into a lazy gait, enjoying the scene before him. Annabelle flushed with excitement, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks rosy, that dazzling smile turned on full wattage and directed right at him. The light behind her showing through her white gossamer gown giving him a full view of just how little she wore beneath it. In two quick steps he caught her up in his arms and pressed her to him, thinking he might owe Brooks and Vance a little gratitude for forcing them out here, finally alone under the dark of night. Because he was now going to be able to do the one thing he’d been thinking about for most of the day.
Drive Annabelle’s car.
“Ah, damn it to hell,” he uttered shaking his head. “And it was such a clean getaway, too.”
“What?” she laughed at him. “What could possibly be wrong now?”
“Besides the fact that for the second time today you are standing in the freezing cold wearing next to nothing? We need your car keys, Danica Patrick. Unless you have them strapped to your inner thigh, I’m guessing they are back inside, tucked into some flimsy little purse.”
“Ooh,” she said, backing out of his hold and turning toward the parking lot. “There is so much you have left to learn, Officer Friendly,” she said, her voice trailing behind her. He caught up with her in time to hear, “We always leave the doors unlocked and the keys under the driver’s side mat.”
The idea left him dumbstruck as he halted and simply stared after her. Finally he shrugged, “I guess that’s good to know. In case I ever need to make a quick getaway.”
Impressed that her big bad muscle car was tucked into the end of a row, protecting at least one side from dings, he herded her around to the passenger side and opened the door, helping her in. The bitter cold was starting to seep into his awareness and he would have felt sorry for any Greek Goddess draped only in chiffon if it weren’t for the saliva-producing way her nipples responded.
He
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