Page 49 of Sass in the Grass

His own guy. Was Dixon his?

Jovian began to smile, and the feel of it, the curving of his lips, the feeling of security and freedom at once, he’d never felt that way. It was so good.

The Mess Hall looked a lot different, as all the tables and benches were pushed to the walls and had cheerfully checkered tablecloths over them. As the centerpieces were small old-fashioned milk cans on top with what looked like weeds, grasses and tiny purple flowers that were seen plentiful around the camp.

There was a table set up with refreshments, the lights were half as bright as usual, and there was music playing, a steady, cheerful tune he didn’t recognize. Alan and Mike jogged over to him and said, “Did they do a great job?”

Jovian thought he could have done much better, but he was impressed enough not to stamp on their happiness. “It’s very nice. Have you seen Dixon?”

Alan nodded and jerked his head to the right. “Over there. I think he’s waiting for you.”

A few people went out into the center of the hall to dance, and Jovian watched Dixon smiling over at him.

Immediately, he got the chills, and they ran up his arms and down his back. “Go,” Mike said. “Go talk to the man.”

“I am. I don’t want to look desperate.”

“God,” Alan groaned. “Just go before someone else asks him to dance.”

“He wouldn’t! Would he?”

“If only not to be rude, yeah!”

Jovian’s fear struck him in the chest, and he found it hard to breathe. Heading over, his hand on his throat, he feared with every step he took Dixon would be in the arms of another guy and on the dance floor.

But Jovian made it in time, stepping right to Dixon, who gazed down at him with a twitch of the corners of his lips. “Hey, Jovian.”

“Hi. I know we didn’t say when we would have a date, but if you’d like, we could have our first one now.”

“I can’t,” he moaned. “And it’s not because I don’t want to, but I’m on duty tonight. I have to be clearheaded, and for some reason, you muddle me.”

Jovian loved that. “Oh? I do, huh?”

“Yeah. How about we go on a picnic tomorrow around lunchtime? I know a place that is so beautiful, it’ll take your breath away.”

“That sounds yummy. Okay, say one?”

“One. And even though we can’t call this a date, that doesn’t stop me from asking you to dance.”

Jovian peered over his shoulder to see only eight people on the dance floor. Any night at the club, he’d never step out to dance until there was barely any room to move. That was the way he had always done it, but meeting the people at the camp, he was doing a lot he’d never done. “Well, after you, though, I do not know what this music is.”

“This is Journey. You’ve never heard of Journey?”

“What kind of song is called Journey?”

“Not the song, it’s the…never mind. Come and dance, you little fucker.”

Dixon grabbed his hand and almost yanked him onto the dance floor, and Jovian was swooning like mad as his show of complete dominance. Talk about a leather daddy in a cotton T-shirt and jeans. Dixon didn’t need the leather to hold that persona.

He grabbed Jovian into his arms and swayed to the music as he stared down into Jovian’s eyes. “You look great tonight, if I hadn’t said it.”

Jovian fluttered his thick eyelashes. “I might have put on a little makeup.”

“Oh, really? For me?”

“Yeah, who else?”

Dixon’s voice was gruff and never rose above a low decibel, but he didn’t need to be loud to be heard. His voice went right through Jovian. “Better not be anyone else. I’m pretty possessive.”

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