Page 73 of Finding Our Reality

“With promises of getting into her panties, no doubt,” Raylee says, drinking the soda that Will set in front of her.

Lulu looks at me. “Maybe I should go say something to her, just to check on her.”

I shrug. “That’s up to you.” I really hope she says no.

Right then, the band strikes up, blaring deafening music through all the nooks and crannies of the bar.

Raylee screams. “There’s no time for that! It’s time to dance, Ella! Honey, put our purses behind the counter.” Raylee, Teresa, and Lulu stack their bags on the bar, and Raylee drags her mom and cousin clear across the bar to the music room. Without being asked, Holt sets out a fresh beer for me, Ray, and Ridge, and we follow the women.

The band’s good, playing a mix of well-known cover songs for the first thirty minutes. All upbeat, dancing songs. Ray and Teresa huddle together in a corner, whispering, and watching the crowd. Ridge runs into a couple of friends he hasn’t seen since he came back to town, so he’s talking to them and their wives. I recognize one of the guys as a patrol deputy.

That leaves me. Standing here, slowly drinking, and watching every move Lulu makes. Her body bends and twists and jumps. It’s so damn sexual. But more important than that… she looks happy. Happy and carefree. She looks like the Lulu who spent a whole week sleeping with me in a tent. She looks like the Lulu who would cuddle next to me watching hours upon hours of true crime documentaries. She looks like the Lulu who curled on my chest, tracing the lines of my ribs, while I read aloud to her. It feels so good to see her like that.

It also feels so bad. I hurt—physically hurt—to touch her.

Time moves slowly. When will she realize she’s mine? I don’t know how much more of the game I can play. Or what I need to do to show her that we can be good together again.

Will’s standing next to the stage, surveying the crowd. He just brought the band some fresh beers and water. When the song finishes, they start to play a familiar, long-winded ballad, giving the audience time to cool down. I watch as Will parts through the people, searching for his wife. Wrapping his arms around Raylee, he pulls her to the back of the crowd, and they melt into one another, dancing.

Some random girl walks up to me and smiles. Her eyes widen in delight. She’s about to ask me to dance, but I fend her off before she can even open her mouth. Politely smiling and shaking my head, I point at Lulu’s back. The girl understands what I’m saying and moves off to the side, quickly homing in on Ridge. Sliding behind Lulu, I reach out, grabbing her waist with both hands. She jumps. But only for a split second. She knows it’s me.

She smells me. Senses me. Feels me.

Nuzzling my head next to her face, I bend and whisper in her ear. “May I have this dance?” I take another step forward, molding the front of my body to her ass. Instead of tensing, instead of stiffening her back, she actually sighs, rolling her body against me even more.

It’s pure ecstasy. If you were to ask me right now, I’d say it’s the most erotic thing I’ve ever experienced. And that’s saying a lot.

Taking that as my only answer, I spin her around and fold her into my arms. Together, we dance. I’m holding her so close you couldn’t slide a piece of paper between the two of us. Without prodding, her arms snake around my neck and her fingers tangle in my hair.

I love it when she does that. It’s been too many years since she’s had those fingers entwined in my hair.

Pressing my hands against the small of her back, I crash her body against my massive erection. Her eyes dilate and her body hums with a wild energy. Energy so strong, it’s tangible, pulsing like a magnetic field. I stand straight, pulling her to her tiptoes. She loves it when I hug her with my whole body, forcing her to seek shelter in my shadow.

Her whisper is soft, barely audible against the music. “Ry, what are you doing?”

“I’m dancing. With you. Do you remember the last time we danced?”

She smirks. “I remember the four-foot-long cheesesteak and ginormous bowl of cantaloupe.”

I chuckle. “That’s what you would remember, huh?”

Her smile fades, and her face grows serious. “I remember everything, Ry. Everything. Maybe that’s why we shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Maybe it’s why weshould.” I lean forward, grazing my nose against hers. “Maybe it’s the only way we can fix what I broke. Make what’s wrong, right.”

She licks her lips in thought. The wetness shimmers, making me weak in the knees.

“Because it feels so right to me, Lulu. Everything about you feels so incredibly right.”

“I’m scared.”

I shake my head, never wanting to hear those words from My Lulu. “Why?”

“Because… maybe… I feel like it’s right too.”

Moving one of my hands, I cup the back of her neck, tracing my thumb over the ridge of her scar. I brush my lips against her cheek.

And then it happens.

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