Page 40 of Forever Player

“Of course you do,” she retorts as we reach the dance floor and I spin her out away from me. She begins to laugh, but then I pull her back in and she spins into me until she is flush with my body. Her eyes are glued to my chest. “Up here, darlin’.” I tilt her chin to me.

“You aren’t a country boy, Brett.” We begin to move together.

“No, I’m not. I’m a guy from Michigan. I like city life. How about you? Do you want to stay in Sugar Meadow?”

“I don’t know,” she replies as we swing our hips.

“You’re a good dancer. It’s those cowboy boots, isn’t it?” I ask playfully.

“Maybe.” She laughs. “I went to a lot of dances but I never came here. By the time I was eighteen, I left Sugar Meadow.”

“Ah! So you like the city too,” I state.

“I love the city but it made sense to come home to have Maylee. I didn’t want to be alone,” she shares. My heart cracks down the center because if I’d known, she wouldn’t have been alone for a second.

“I’m sorry we missed out on all that time,” I say as our hips move in sync. Our gazes meet and our breaths come fast from the dancing. I don’t know about Willow, but it’s getting hot in here. I twist her away from me and when I pull her back in, I bring her back to my front.

My lips graze her ear. “Did you enjoy the little gift I got you?”

She spins around. “I appreciate you wanting to take care of things now that you’re in town, but my needs are not your business.”

“What if I want to make them my business?” I shoot back.

Her blue-green eyes narrow on me. “No.”

“No? That’s all you got? I see the way you look at me, Willow. There is something here. I’m looking at you too. At that hot body of yours. Your full breasts…” She’s breathing fast again, watching me like I’m the enemy.

“This was supposed to be a fun night,” she snaps.

“I said we’d be doing adult stuff,” I correct.

“We aren’t going down that road.”

“You want to tell me you aren’t attracted to me? You don’t feel something when I’m this close to you?” I ask, pulling her in to me. She’s so close I feel her hot breath against my lips.

Her mouth opens to say something and snaps shut. Before I even know what’s happening, she is walking away from me. I kick myself internally for being a pushy asshole. She heads to the bar and orders a drink. I follow her to the bar too but figure it would be better to give her space, so I go to the other end. My attention remains on her. She knows everyone here. They are all smiling and happy to see her. When the douchebag from before comes up to her, I don’t know how much more of this standing back and watching I can take.

“Hi there.” A woman comes up to me with a smile. She looks familiar. “Bonnie from the supermarket the other day.”

“Hi.” If anything, I’m always polite.

“After we met, I looked you up. You’re a famous hockey player,” she says as if it’s news to me.

“Yeah,” I confirm, but my gaze is fixated on the woman who has consumed my thoughts since the night we hooked up.

“You want to buy me a drink?” she asks next.

“Order what you want.” I find it weird that she is vying for my attention when it’s clearly elsewhere.

Willow turns her gaze to me and her lips form a thin line. It’s then I remember she has an issue with Bonnie.

I cock my brow. The guy is still talking her up, but her eyes are on me. Buddy should take a hint.

Bonnie orders a drink. She’s talking a lot, but I don’t know what she is saying with my full attention on Willow. I place a twenty on the bar for Bonnie’s drink as I watch Willow take what is probably another double shot.

When Willow walks off with the guy to the dance floor, there is only so much I can take. Willow may not realize it, but that night we were together she somehow became mine.

Without another word I walk over to the dance floor. Behind me Bonnie says, “Wait up.”

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