laughter, energy and joy—hope and love. Now they were fixed on her, almost beseeching her. Her stomach flipped.
He stood in front of her with his hand extended and a look on his face that said his heart was in his hand—take it or reject it.
Lacey swore the world narrowed to a corridor linking the two of them when he stepped closer to take her hand in his. She involuntarily lifted it. Their fingertips touched, but no more.
“Dance with me, Lacey.” His voice was a little deeper than she remembered. It sounded thick with emotion and need. His eyes searched her face with guarded interest, looking for something she wouldn’t show him.
His simple plea asked too much.
The choice was hers. She didn’t react.
The blood running through her veins turned warmer than it had been in years. All this time she swore her heart pumped pure ice water after he left. Ice was hard, impenetrable. It would take more than Bryan showing up for a dance to melt her frozen heart.
Then he stepped closer. The scent he carried was the same. Bryan. Sweet, fresh air and woods. She inhaled to savor the moment, and then he whispered the silly rhyme he’d made up that first time.
“Won’t you dance with me, Lacey? Take a chance with me?” His hand slid into hers lightly.
He remembered.
Something inside her shifted. The ice around her heart cracked at his touch. The trickle she felt was the warm blood seeping from her shattered heart. Pain sliced through her. The same pain as when a limb falls asleep and wakes up. You know the pins and needles are coming and dread it, but it’s inevitable. There was no alternative. She had to experience the bleeding heart like a stab wound.
Damn him.
He was in her personal space and hurting her with memories, killing her with his words and his scent. She did the only thing she could think of to protect herself and to prevent him from following when she ran.
She attacked.
* * * *
Bryan tried to breathe without throwing up as he unrolled from the fetal position. He still had one hand cupped to his groin and the other to his jaw.
“Man. she’s really mad at you,” Thomas said, glancing back as Lacey disappeared through the front door.
“Hey bro, I’m sorry,” Hunter said, as he helped his brother up off the floor.
There was a glint of humor in his voice. Bryan didn’t think he sounded very sorry, at all. Though, he couldn’t speak to make that observation, so he scowled as his brother chuckled. His jaw was still locked from the roundhouse blow he’d taken from Lacey after she kneed him in the groin.
“How was I to know she’d go for your balls and then punch you in the face?”
Bryan gagged a couple of times on the way up off the floor, clutching Hunter on one side and Thomas on the other.
“Shit, she’s quick. I didn’t see that coming,” Bryan wheezed.
“Hey, sorry about your…” Thomas cleared his throat. “Uhm, your balls okay?”
Bryan groaned, standing hunched over. “Got ice?”
“You going to ice your balls here?” Thomas asked.
“No, you dumb fuck, it’s for my jaw.” Bryan cursed at his friend with his hands still on his knees. He tried to take a deep breath.
“Right. Here, let me help.”
Hunter helped him back to their table. “Your balls okay, bro?”
“I’m not sure.”
A few minutes later, Thomas handed him the ice-filled bar towel. With one hand holding the ice to his jaw, Bryan extended his hand to Thomas. “Sorry I snapped at you.”
“No problem. It’s good to see you, Bryan. You should probably go somewhere you can ice those balls, too.”
“Suddenly everyone’s interested in my balls. She shoves them halfway up my throat, and the two of you can’t stop askin’ after ’em.”
Thomas smiled. “I figured she’d be inclined to take better care with them.”
“Where is she?”
“She ran.”
Hunter put Bryan’s hat on his head and said, “By the way she flashed out of here, like someone set her on fire, I gather she’s
He stood in front of her with his hand extended and a look on his face that said his heart was in his hand—take it or reject it.
Lacey swore the world narrowed to a corridor linking the two of them when he stepped closer to take her hand in his. She involuntarily lifted it. Their fingertips touched, but no more.
“Dance with me, Lacey.” His voice was a little deeper than she remembered. It sounded thick with emotion and need. His eyes searched her face with guarded interest, looking for something she wouldn’t show him.
His simple plea asked too much.
The choice was hers. She didn’t react.
The blood running through her veins turned warmer than it had been in years. All this time she swore her heart pumped pure ice water after he left. Ice was hard, impenetrable. It would take more than Bryan showing up for a dance to melt her frozen heart.
Then he stepped closer. The scent he carried was the same. Bryan. Sweet, fresh air and woods. She inhaled to savor the moment, and then he whispered the silly rhyme he’d made up that first time.
“Won’t you dance with me, Lacey? Take a chance with me?” His hand slid into hers lightly.
He remembered.
Something inside her shifted. The ice around her heart cracked at his touch. The trickle she felt was the warm blood seeping from her shattered heart. Pain sliced through her. The same pain as when a limb falls asleep and wakes up. You know the pins and needles are coming and dread it, but it’s inevitable. There was no alternative. She had to experience the bleeding heart like a stab wound.
Damn him.
He was in her personal space and hurting her with memories, killing her with his words and his scent. She did the only thing she could think of to protect herself and to prevent him from following when she ran.
She attacked.
* * * *
Bryan tried to breathe without throwing up as he unrolled from the fetal position. He still had one hand cupped to his groin and the other to his jaw.
“Man. she’s really mad at you,” Thomas said, glancing back as Lacey disappeared through the front door.
“Hey bro, I’m sorry,” Hunter said, as he helped his brother up off the floor.
There was a glint of humor in his voice. Bryan didn’t think he sounded very sorry, at all. Though, he couldn’t speak to make that observation, so he scowled as his brother chuckled. His jaw was still locked from the roundhouse blow he’d taken from Lacey after she kneed him in the groin.
“How was I to know she’d go for your balls and then punch you in the face?”
Bryan gagged a couple of times on the way up off the floor, clutching Hunter on one side and Thomas on the other.
“Shit, she’s quick. I didn’t see that coming,” Bryan wheezed.
“Hey, sorry about your…” Thomas cleared his throat. “Uhm, your balls okay?”
Bryan groaned, standing hunched over. “Got ice?”
“You going to ice your balls here?” Thomas asked.
“No, you dumb fuck, it’s for my jaw.” Bryan cursed at his friend with his hands still on his knees. He tried to take a deep breath.
“Right. Here, let me help.”
Hunter helped him back to their table. “Your balls okay, bro?”
“I’m not sure.”
A few minutes later, Thomas handed him the ice-filled bar towel. With one hand holding the ice to his jaw, Bryan extended his hand to Thomas. “Sorry I snapped at you.”
“No problem. It’s good to see you, Bryan. You should probably go somewhere you can ice those balls, too.”
“Suddenly everyone’s interested in my balls. She shoves them halfway up my throat, and the two of you can’t stop askin’ after ’em.”
Thomas smiled. “I figured she’d be inclined to take better care with them.”
“Where is she?”
“She ran.”
Hunter put Bryan’s hat on his head and said, “By the way she flashed out of here, like someone set her on fire, I gather she’s
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