Page 41 of Brandt's Rule

“Ahhh, ahhh, there it is. The ever elusive Brandt Marchande’ grin,” Barron teased.

Brandt laughed.

The music changed and went to another slow tune.

“I’m going to ask Bailey to dance,” Remi said, walking away from them.

“I think he likes Bailey,” Ronan said.

“Yeah, I think so, too,” Barron said.

“Might be a problem,” Brandt said, watching Remi and Bailey slow dancing.

“How’s that?” Ronan asked.

“She’s human,” Brandt said.

“So? We got humans,” Ronan said.

“Dragons and humans don’t mix well,” Barron said.

“What do you… oh, yeah. I forgot about that,” Ronan said. “That’s a shame,” he added watching them smile at each other as they danced.

Few seconds later the rest of the women arrived back at their sides and Brandt canted his head just slightly as he looked at Tempest. “Would you like to dance?”

Tempest smiled at him, impressed that he even bothered to ask her what she wanted to do this time. “I would, actually.”

“With me?” he added with a smirk.

“With you,” she clarified, as though giving him a gift.

Brandt placed a hand at the small of her back and began to guide her toward the dance floor.

“Song’s almost over. You’ll have to do a fast dance,” Barron called out.

“I can slow dance to anything. Don’t matter if it’s fast or not,” Brandt called back.

“You want to dance?” Barron asked, turning to Hellen.

“Sure,” she said, as they headed to the dance floor together.

“You don’t have to dance if you don’t want to, but I’d like to,” Ronan said to Daisy.

“Anybody else, I’d turn down, but I’d be honored to dance with you,” Daisy said, smiling at Ronan.

Ronan grinned. He knew Daisy had been having a hard time getting over a bad breakup and was glad she was out with them and having a good time. He knew she came to meet Tempest particularly, but was just glad she’d come out no matter the reason. He wanted her to feel better. She’d always been like an older sister to him, but never treated him like a kid. He’d appreciated that growing up, so her happiness mattered to him. They took their place on the dance floor and smiled as Barron told the DJ to play another slow one.

Each couple kept an eye on Brandt and Tempest, noticing that the two of them almost immediately forgot they weren't alone. They didn’t speak, they just looked at each other, barely moving in the middle of the crowd, as the melody gave them the shield they needed to explain their hands on each other, their mingled breath, their eyes locked on each other. And their friends gave them the buffer they needed to lose themselves in it by not pointing it out — not even Barron, as he danced Hellen toward the DJ again to tell him to play another couple of slow ones and drop a couple of twenties in his tip jar. It was important this night happen. It was little more than a first step, but a first step had to take place for any of the other steps to fall into place.

Chapter 10

Standing in the darkness, with the semi-glow of the light pole on the other side of the building, Brandt remembered why he was irritated with Tempest to begin with.

“So, you have no way to let me know that you’ve arrived at home safely?”

“I’m sure I can figure something out. But if you’re alluding to the fact that I do not have a cell phone — no, I do not have a cell phone.”

“Get one,” Brandt said.

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