Page 9 of Second Chances with St. Nick

As I put down my glass, the volume of the music amped up, and Cissy jumped off her bar stool, wiggling her hips to the beat. Within seconds, one of her friends put her arm through my cousin’s and stole her away to dance.

I forced a smile, wrapping my fingers around my empty glass. Glancing around, I didn’t recognize anybody. There wasn’t one familiar face.

A man’s voice drawled behind me. “You about ready for another one of those, little lady?”

My belly rolled as the smell of stale tobacco assaulted my nostrils. I turned over my shoulder to see a dark-haired man wearing a lopsided smirk.

“No, thanks. I’m good,” I said with a half-smile.

He stepped closer, resting his hand on the bar, so his arm was barely centimeters from my back. “You’re too pretty to drink alone.”

I tugged my brows together, turning around on my stool to face him. “I’m not drinking on my own. I’m with my friends.”

His eyes flickered over to the dance floor and back. “Your friends aren’t drinking. They’re dancing. Want to join them? I could show you how to move.”

A shudder ran through me as his beer-leaden breath hit me full on in the face. “Like I said, I’m good, thanks. Besides, I have two left feet. You’d end up with bruises on your toes.”

The man looked me up and down, his teeth gripping his lip. “I’m sure there’s many ways you could bruise me. My heart, my…”

“Ego?” I asked, twisting my lips. “Like I said, thanks, but no thanks.”

A deep scowl scored into his forehead. “I was just trying to be nice. Trying to get you to smile.”

I sucked in a breath, about to shut the man down once and for all. But as I did, someone stepped next to me and warm fingers curled around mine.

“That’s my job.”

I turned toward the voice, widening my eyes as the scent of cinnamon wrapped around me. I let out a small breath.

The second our eyes locked, my heart jumped.

With a squeeze of my hand, Nick brought his lips to my ear. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

My mind whipped back to the moment he’d caught my fall from the ladder. He’d said the same thing then. I didn’t strictly need his help, but damn… with the jitters running through my body at Nick being so close, I’d take any assistance right now.

I smiled and Nick drew up to his full height beside me. I’d seen church steeples shorter than he looked right now.

Tobacco man blinked slowly as he looked up at Nick. “I didn’t mean any harm. I just thought she might want to dance.”

Nick tipped his head to one side. “And I appreciate you looking after my girl, but I think I’ve got it from here.”

My old friend gently pulled my hand, guiding me off the stool. Drawing me closer, he led me onto the crowded dance floor. I looked around, spotting Cissy and her friends dancing to a tune I didn’t know.

“You okay?” Nick asked, reclaiming my attention.

I nodded, about to thank him, but the tempo of the music dropped, and the floor cleared. I moved to join the departing crowd, but Nick held onto my hand, stopping me from leaving.

We stood frozen, staring at each other. My heart pummeled into my rib cage and my breath trembled in my throat. Eventually, he gave me a sad smile. “Would you dance with me, Abbie?”

I swallowed hard. My mind couldn’t form words. Would I dance with Nick? Oh, hell yes. But I couldn’t speak, I just nodded.

He closed his eyes for three of my heart beats before slipping his hand around my waist and pulling me close.

The millisecond our bodies met, mine came alive. Every nerve ending lit up with energy. Following Nick’s lead, I weaved one hand around his back and brought the other to rest againsthis chest. The second I found his heartbeat, he brought his palm to cover my skin and rested his chin on the top of my head. I hadn’t felt so alive in years.

Pressed so close against him, I dared to peek through my lashes. The man who’d offered me the drink had followed us and was staring onto the dance floor. After a few seconds, he moved back toward the bar. I turned my head away, looking up to study my first love.

I disagreed with Mom. A beard suited Nick. It didn’t hide his cheekbones. Instead, it clung to them like ivy on a tree. His fair lashes gently flittered against his honey skin and my heart fairly melted at the smallest smile on his lips.

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