Page 41 of The Damaged Hearts Bargain

“They’re pregnant?” asked Cal.

George rolled his eyes. “You do know how lesbian sex works, right?” he asked. “And no, they’re not. But your little Lucy isconvinced that they’re picking up a baby on their honeymoon, like they’re Madonna or something.”

“Because they are,” Lucy said.

Before they could argue further, Pen stood up and clinked her fork on her glass. Everyone stilled.

“I’m not one for big, soppy speeches,” Pen began.

“Bullshit,” called out George and everyone laughed.

“Alright, maybe I am,” said Pen with a grin. “But not tonight, I’ll save that for the actual wedding. Tonight, I, we, just wanted to say thank you for being here, thank you for being our friends, and thank you for putting up with us. And as a thank you back to you, we thought we’d give you a sneak preview of the party you’re in for tomorrow night. Lights!”

The lights suddenly blinked out, then the deep bass thud of music started in the darkness. One by one, shining disco lights illuminated until the little hall looked like a fairy dell in sparkling rainbow colors.

“It’s dance time!” Pen cried, grabbing Ash by the hand and dragging her out of her chair.

“You heard the lady,” said Lucy.

“Are you kidding?” Cal asked, looking up at her in surprise.

Lucy put her hands on her hips. “Are you about to tell me that you don’t dance?”

Cal smirked. “I don’t know a butch that doesn’t dance,” she said. “Need me to show you how it’s done?”

“By all means,” said Lucy, holding out a hand.

Knowing that she was getting herself into trouble but finding it very hard to care, Cal took the hand and let Lucy pull her toward the other dancers. For a second she was self-conscious. But then Lucy took her other hand and the music started to do its work and Cal felt her heart beat harder.

Lucy let herself go and so Cal did too, dancing and laughing until the music changed and something with a more defined Latin beat came on. Before Cal knew what she was doing, she’d taken Lucy’s waist in her hands, pulled her in closer until their hips met, forced her into the correct rhythm.

And Lucy let it happen, matched her move for move until Cal didn’t know where she ended and Lucy began. She could smell Lucy’s hair, could feel her body pressed up against her, could feel her own body responding in ways that were far from appropriate in a public setting.

For one long moment she let it go on. Then she took a deep breath and did the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. She stepped away from Lucy and walked back to her seat.

Chapter Seventeen

Lucy walked back to the table. Apart from anything else, she felt more than a little stupid standing in the middle of the dance floor by herself. Cal was sitting, spinning a wine glass on the table gently and looking troubled.

“Listen, I’m no relationship expert or anything,” said Lucy. “But I think we should probably talk about this.”

Cal sighed. “That’s kind of the point, isn’t it? Neither one of us are relationship experts.”

Lucy sat down beside her. “Are we not?”

“Think about it, “said Cal dismally. “Two women without close family ties, without role models and all the rest of it. We’re both broken, so how could we form a relationship? Neither one of us would have the faintest idea how.”

Lucy snorted at this. “I’ve seen enough of Pen and Ash, not to mention Billy and George, that I’m pretty sure I can fake it ‘til I make it. I’m slightly insulted that you’d call me broken, by the way.”

Cal looked up immediately, eyes glittery in the disco lights. “Jesus, Lucy, I’m sorry, I—”

“But I’m more offended for you,” Lucy interrupted. “You can’t go around calling yourself broken, Cal. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t expect anyone else in this world totreat you well, so the least you can do is treat yourself well.”

“Right,” said Cal, like she didn’t believe that in the slightest.

“That out of the way, can we talk about the fact that we apparently have some amazing chemistry that seems to scare the hell out of you?” asked Lucy, settling into her chair.

Cal looked at her for a minute, then laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone quite as direct as you before.”

---