Page 8 of The Art of Loving Lacy
Lacy turned her eyes to Danica’s serious face. “You are a beautiful, confident woman. Don’t be so nervous or too eager. You do not have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Over the last year and a half, she’d come to appreciate Danica’s advice, even if it sometimes bordered on motherly.
“What if I want to do all sorts of things that I’ve never wanted to do before?” Lacy’s voice was a thin, shaky thread. She squeezed Danica’s hand. “Dan, should I be worried about…you know…that ten-inch comment that Treat made in Nassau?”Did I really ask that?
Danica leaned in close. “All guys exaggerate. Ten is probably more like eight. Besides, we pop out babies; we’re made for big things.” She hugged her tight and whispered, “This is your night. Whatever you want to happen will happen. If you don’t want anything to happen, then it won’t. You’re in control, so enjoy it. Promise me?” Danica pulled back and searched Lacy’s eyes.
Lacy felt a little better.How did I ever get along without you?“I promise.”
Kaylie leaned over Lacy’s shoulder and whispered between them, “Don’t forget, we want all the juicy details tomorrow. Breakfast?”
“Okay.” Lacy realized with a start that she might still be with Dane in the morning. She had no plan.Do I need a plan?“Um, let’s play it by ear. Text me in the morning.”
“I am so going to win my bet on this one,” Kaylie teased. She kissed Lacy’s cheek. “Hi, Dane, we were just leaving.”
“You can stay,” Dane said, pulling out a chair.
“I’m beat, and Chaz has been hanging out by the doors for the last twenty minutes. I think he’s ready to go, too.” She put a hand on Lacy’s shoulder. “G’night, sis.”
“This was such a beautiful wedding,” Danica said as she rose to leave.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Will we see you tomorrow afternoon?” Dane asked with an easy smile.
“Oh yes, we’ll be there, and maybe we’ll see you for breakfast tomorrow, Lacy,” Danica answered before leaving them alone.
Dane leaned in close and whispered, “Did our time apart feel like a lifetime to you, too?”
His breath was warm against her cheek, and when he drew back, there was no mistaking the hunger in his eyes. “More than that,” she said.
“Would you like to take a walk?” Dane reached for Lacy’s hand.
“That would be really nice.” Every nerve in her body pulled tight as they walked out to the terrace and down the steps to the lawn.
The wind swept through the chimes hanging in the trees, creating a faint tinkling against the natural melody of the leaves in the breeze.
The balmy night air carried the scent of salt water and Dane’s cologne: a sweet, manly smell that Lacy knew she’d never forget. Like the first time they’d met, the way the air felt electrically charged when they’d first locked eyes, it was etched in her memory.
The grass gave way to sand beneath their feet, and Lacy stopped to take off her heels. “Do you mind if I leave my heels here?” Lacy leaned down and pulled off one shoe, then reached for the other and lost her balance.
Dane caught her before she landed in the sand. “Whoa.”
She bit her lower lip and smiled. “Thanks. I’m not very graceful.”
He took a step closer to her and ran the knuckle of his index finger down her cheek. “Graceful is boring.”
He stared at her so long and with such yearning that Lacy thought she might stop breathing.
“I should leave my shoes, too.” The way he said it, he might as well have been saying,I want to take your clothes off and ravish you.He sat on the edge of the grass and removed his shoes and socks.
“Aren’t you worried about your tux?” Lacy asked just to keep her mind from thinking of him ravishing her.
“Nah, that’s what dry cleaners are for.” He rolled up his pant legs and reached a hand up to her.
It took a second before Lacy realized he was asking for help to his feet, like they’d been there for each other their whole lives. She took his hand and, with his help, pulled him up, just inches away from her. Her pulse soared. His breath filled the space between them.Kiss me. I should kiss you. I’m so nervous.
Dane licked his lips, and Lacy swallowed hard, bracing herself for a kiss.
“Let’s…go down to the water,” Dane said.
