Dancing in the Dark: A Novella Read Free Page A

You mean Anne the one who—?"
    " She was never like that," Janey replied. "She just—got around more than most of us."
    " That she did," Matt said.
    " Did you—?"
    " Just a little under sweater action. Eighth grade."
    Relieved, Janey smiled. She 'd never be able to look Anne in the face if they'd gone beyond that. "You started young."
    " I was big for my age." As soon as the words left his mouth, he blushed. She'd never seen Matt blush. He cleared his throat, ran a hand down the back of his head. "So, ah, did Ty disappoint as a dancer?"
    " He was okay. It was fun." It had been. Ty had even been a gentleman about going no further once they'd gotten in his car. But she'd wanted Matt there. She'd simply wanted Matt. "I wanted you to dance with me."
    Something flared in his eyes. Something hot and primal.
    Her pulse raced in response.
    " We're not going anywhere, Janey. Dance with me." 
     
     

 
    Chapter Three
     
    Did he really say that? Had he allowed himself the luxury of saying aloud what he wanted? With Janey?
    Hell, no. He didn 't. Not really. He wanted a hell of a lot more than a dance. In the dark. With Janey.
    He could keep it at just a dance. If Ty could do it at eighteen, he could at thirty-three. He would go no further. He was leaving in two weeks, no choice, no way to…do what? Make promises he couldn 't keep?
    " That's okay, no biggie," he hurried to say. "I understand if you don't want—"
    " I want to dance with you." Only she said it like she wanted much more than a dance.
    If she didn 't stop him, could he stop himself? Again?
    Yes.
    He was a damn clandestine officer. He could keep his hands off Janey Blackmon.
    Not if they were dancing. "There's only elevator music," he said, suddenly desperate for an out.
    " We'll make do."
    That was exactly what he was afraid of.
    "This is a nice song. Come on, Matt. You asked," she said, backing into the dining room.
    He followed through to the living room, tempted by the thought of holding her. He prayed the song would end. He prayed it wouldn 't.
    There she stood, this woman he 'd wanted as long as he could remember. Rain beat against the windows, thunder rumbled in the distance. The town was flooding, but he didn't care. The whole damn place could wash away as she smiled up at him, a little hesitant, a little shy. Like she was afraid he'd refuse.
    He couldn 't.
    He held out his arms in the dance position and she glided in.
    She smelled like heaven, she felt…he didn't have the words. Like a gift. Like… No, he didn't have the words.
    Her hand felt small in his as they turned in the formal stance. There was nothing formal about the million different ways she made him need her, so he tucked her hand against his chest and pulled her close with his left arm around her waist.
    And beat back emotions he couldn 't let her see. Instead, he concentrated on the music. He recognized the tune from the radio, something soft and romantic.
    Hell, Kincaid, of course it sounded soft and romantic. It was damn elevator music.
    Janey was soft. He breasts pressed against his chest made him hard in an instant. He shifted, moving his lower body away so she wouldn't know. He thought of rotten things, turnips. And liver. God, he hated turnips and liver and a hell of a lot of other things he'd seen in his life that he refused to think about—ever.
    Did n't do a thing for the hard on, but he didn't think anything would.
    " Do you dance much?" Janey asked tipping her head back to look at him.
    " Me? Dance?" He sounded stupid. Probably had to do with the fact that his blood was flowing south, depriving his brain of oxygen. "No, not much chance to dance."
    She snuggled closer. "Do you like what you do?"
    " Yeah," he replied. Holding her was what he liked the best, and it was, he knew, his biggest temptation. "Most of the time." He backed away enough to look at her. "You?"
    " Yes, but what I do isn't exciting."
    " You mean stamping books isn't exciting?"
    She sighed. He would have thought it