Page 48 of Her Braun
Her smile faded a little. “I asked if you dance.”
“I’ve… I’ve been known to get up on the dance floor, but it depends on one thing.”
He could tell that she wasn’t sure she wanted to ask about it, but a moment later she did, and he smiled more than he should.
“What’s that?” She leaned forward just a little. “Your one thing?”
“You,” he heard the way his voice deepened and felt his heart kicking hard against his ribs. “I’ll dance if it’s with you.”
There was a moment when he wasn’t sure if she’d just walk away.
He'd been a little forward with his request given that they were still figuring a bunch of things out.
But she had been the one to bring it up.
So he held onto that as he waited.
Kay turned back to the bar and lifted her glass. She drank the last sip and set the glass down. She met his eyes with a smile. “You just got yourself a date, Mr. Braun.”
He took another sip of his Guinness but didn’t finish the glass. He wasn’t anywhere near drunk, it would take much more than a nice glass of Guiness to make that happy, but he wanted to be completely sober for the rest of the night. He didn’t want to forget a single moment.
He saw her reaching into her purse and shook his head. "I got this, Kay. Please? Let me."
She lowered her purse back to her side and he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He left the bartender a twenty-dollar bill for a tip. After what the man had done to get them to this point, he deserved it.
Gibson slid his wallet back into his pocket and turned to offer his bent arm to Kay. “We’ve got a wedding to go to.”
NINE
Kay hadn’t intendedto attend a wedding when she’d packed for her trip to Chicago. Before they even walked through the door into the Boleo restaurant, Kay hesitated. “Maybe it’s best if I just go up to my room. I doubt I’m dressed for a wedding.”
Before she could extricate her hand from the crook of his arm, Gibson put his hand over hers and leaned closer. “You look amazing, Kay, but if you don’t want to stay at the party with me, maybe you’ll let me take you for a late dinner.”
She paused, thinking over his words. “You really want me to stay?”
“I wouldn’t have asked you to come if I didn’t. I know it’s not what people think of as a lot of fun, but before I left to get some air, there was a band showing up. And knowing my friend and his fiancée… his wife,” his smile broadened, “they booked a really good one.”
Her hesitation didn’t last long.
“Okay.” She mustered up a smile. “As long as you think I won’t look completely out of place.”
“You look great,” his hand that covered hers gave her a little squeeze, “right here beside me.”
She walked on with him, passing amongst the wedding guests with nods or waves from Gibson. As he steered her toward a table near the back of the room, he pulled out a chair for her and waited for her to sit before he sat down beside her.
A waiter showed up a moment later and took their drink orders.
As soon as the waiter stepped away, Gibson set a hand on the back of her chair and leaned in to whisper to her. “I’m going to be useless trying to introduce you to anyone. I’ve known the groom since we were children, but I don’t really know many people outside of him and his parents. Even with the couple, I’m more friends with the groom, so if someone comes to the table-”
“Well, hello handsome!”
The overly friendly greeting came with rows of perfectly white teeth and the complexion that a marble statue would envy. The woman was practically spilling out of the bodice of her dress and her hair looked like it had been styled and curled for hours before she was set free upon the world.
Gibson’s breath tickled the side of her neck. “Like right now.”
The woman moved to Gibson’s side and set her hand on his shoulder. “Shame, shame.” She simpered and leaned in so that the crests of her breasts were positioned perfectly to pillow his head if he leaned to the left. “When you disappeared, I thought you’d forgotten that I asked you for a dance.”
To Kay’s delight, he leaned in closer to her.
