Page 71 of Undeniable

“Fine.”

I was surprised she didn’t put up more of a fight, and she was standing before I could react. I stood and reached for her hand, but she darted around me. She was at the edge of the dance floor before I finally caught up to her. The band was playing an upbeat country song I hadn’t heard as I laced my fingers through Ivy’s and lifted her arm above her head to twirl her onto the floor.

Her white skirt picked up around her as she lost her balance, her chest colliding with mine. I still held one of her hands, but the other frantically gripped my bicep so she could steady herself.

“Not a great start,” she seethed.

“Well, Killer, I said we were dancing. It’s not my fault you weren’t prepared.”

She shook her head and straightened, adding several inches between us. Although I much preferred having her pressed up against me, I let her do it for her own comfort. We’d be closer soon enough.

“I’m prepared, but you’re obviously out of practice.”

“Out of practice,” I scoffed. “I’ll show you how not out of practice I am.”

“You really,” she began to argue as I tugged her closer, her hand pressed into the palm of my left and my right hand settled at the dip at her lower back. She didn’t pull away or seem bothered by the lack of distance between our bodies as her left hand landed on my shoulder. She continued, “You really think you can still spin me around?”

The challenge in her eyes was intoxicating, and my smile grew. I leaned forward, holding her infinitely closer to me, and whispered in her ear, “Baby, I know I can.”

Her breath caught at the pet name, and I let her subtle yet telling reaction spur me on.

Easily, I found the beat and moved us around the floor, falling into place with the other couples already middance. Ivy looked everywhere but at me, yet my eyes never strayed from her face.

Like I thought they would, the real effect of the lights strung up around the tent happened after sunset. But the sight of them surrounding us was nothing compared to what they looked like reflected back to me in Ivy’s eyes.

At the opposite corner of the floor, I pushed Ivy away from me to twirl her and lead her into a combination we’d both learned long ago. By the time she was flush up against me once again, we were both breathing a little harder.

Maybe I was a little out of practice, but we’d fallen back into our rhythm easily. Like it hadn’t been more than a decade since we’d last danced together.

“Ready to admit you were wrong?” I prodded, navigating around a slower couple.

“Never.”

I could tell the song was nearing the end, but I wasn’t yet ready to let her go. Knowing that it would be her out, I took advantage of the precious time I had left and twirled her for the last time. She skillfully followed each move I led us into and caught my eye each time she could.

As she twirled back into me, I dipped her low and found a breathtaking smile splitting her face. She laughed quietly, but she was smiling atme.I was so stunned to see it I nearly dropped her. Quickly, I tightened my hold, hanging on to her with every ounce of strength I had.

It knocked the wind out of me when it didn’t fade. Our eyes locked. She smiled up at me and I smiled down at her. Or at least that’s what I hoped I was doing. I was so in awe of the woman in my arms I couldn’t control the wonder I felt at the moment.

Realizing we’d been dipped for far too long, I slowly straightened. I pulled her up and her hair fell back around her shoulders.

Too preoccupied with the way she was looking at me, I hadn’t realized the next song started until Ivy whispered, “I love this song.”

We’d somehow found our way into the center of the dance floor. Around us, everyone had begun swaying slowly to the notable country melody. The singer crooned the first lines of “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan into the microphone and Ivy didn’t pull away from me.

If anything, I could’ve sworn she held me tighter.

And I’d be damned if she thought I was letting her go again.

TWENTY-THREE

Ivy

Thirteen Years Ago

Shit,shit,shit!

My mistake the night before—or better yet, early that morning—had been only setting one alarm. I knew I needed at least three, but when my head hit the pillow, I was dead to the world.

---