Page 17 of Rush

“How else can I get you to dance with me?”

“Why don’t you try asking.” She picked up her glass frowning down into its depths as she took the last sip. She didn’t remember drinking it all and wondered if the alcohol had been stronger than it tasted.

His lips quirked. “Do you think that will work?”

Her lips tipped up in a return smile as she shrugged. “You never know until you try.”

He gallantly threw out a hand. “Miss Olson, will you do me the honor of dancing with me?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Giggling, she set her hand in his and jumped down from the stool.

“Hey, what are you guys laughing about over there?”

Nora glanced around Jay to beam at her brother. “Nothing.”

She saw Emerson smack Oz on the shoulder and say, “Leave them alone.”

Her brother’s lips flattened and Nora held back another giggle. She had a feeling the margarita had gone to her head but she didn’t care, she was having too good a time.

Jay led her to the dance floor. They danced through several songs and she even had another margarita. She left for the evening thinking nightclubs weren’t so bad after all.

***

“There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Oz plopped himself onto the opposite end of the sofa from Nora.

Tossing the folded shirt into the suitcase, she paused in her task and gave her brother her full attention.

He looked uncomfortable yet earnest, an expression Nora hadn’t seen from him since her first arrival when he’d still been getting to know her. Unease crept in, tightening her stomach.With only an hour before she was to leave on her trip, she hoped he wasn’t about to drop a bombshell.

“What’s up?”

“It’s about Linc.”

She figured as much but still braced for whatever he was about to tell her. “What about him?”

Oz’s cheeks turned red and not knowing what to do with his hands, he crossed his arms over his chest and stuffed them in his armpits. “I haven’t said anything because watching Sophie a few hours a day is a lot different than running off to LA with him so, before you go, I thought there’s some things you should know.”

“I’m not running off anywhere with Linc, I’m working for him.”

“You know what I mean.”

She had a feeling she did. She’d researched Linc on the internet and that was a conversation she didn’t want to have with her newly found brother. But she supposed there was no avoiding it, so after folding the last of her tops and laying it in the suitcase, she closed the lid and snapped the lock then turned to fully face Oz. “What should I know?”

Unfolding his arms, he rubbed his palms over his jean-clad thighs—a tell-tale sign he was as uncomfortable with their topic of conversation as she was. “Well, I think the most important thing you should be aware of is…” he paused but Nora didn’t think it was for dramatic effect, she honestly just didn’t think he knew how to express what he wanted to say. “He was more… He wasn’t as, um, domesticated before Sophie came along.”

“Domesticated?” She dipped her head to hide her smile at the adjective he’d finally landed on.

“He was popular with the opposite sex,” he clarified.

“So, what you’re saying is, he had a lot of girlfriends.” Which she’d already deduced from the countless pictures she’d seen online and how she’d never seen Linc photographed with the same woman twice.

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call them girlfriends. They were more like…” His face turned a shade of red that Nora hadn’t even thought possible. “Hookups.”

Nora felt for her brother. His embarrassment was real as he’d essentially called his best friend a man-ho.

“I’ve known Linc a long time. He’s not the relationship type. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Believe me, there is absolutely nothing romantic going on between us.” And she doubted there ever would be, so she felt safe to say with confidence, “You have nothing to worry about.”

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