Page 52 of The Last Love Song
And while that was exciting for her and the career she seemed to want on a bigger stage than rural Tennessee could offer, it became all the more real to him that once she left, she might not come back.
Glancing over at her in his passenger seat, strands of red hair whipping in the wind—despite her hand clamped around the bulk of the thick mane—he memorized the way she looked right now. She sang along with the radio as they cruised to a stop sign outside town. Lit by the soft glow of dashboard lights, she crooned with her eyes closed, her chin tilted up as if to catch the breeze. Maybe he’d been stopped at the sign too long, because she opened her eyes, catching him staring.
“I’m making a spectacle of myself, aren’t I?” She readjusted her hold on her hair, scraping more loose pieces into one closed fist. “Sometimes I can’t stop singing once I start. Or put down my guitar after a few minutes of playing. It’s a sickness.”
His eye drifted to the exposed length of her neck where one stubborn red wave still clung to her creamy skin. He wanted to trace the trail of hair with his finger down to where it disappeared in the collar of her shirt.
“It’s a damned entertaining one.” He reached across the console to tug the strand free, his knuckle skimming her throat. “But I wouldn’t say you’re making a spectacle of yourself. It’s a fairly common condition that I can’t take my eyes off you.” Zach stepped on the accelerator, more than ready to have her all to himself.
He wanted to think about that—being with Heather—and not whatever tomorrow might bring. He wasn’t wasting this chance to be with a woman who fascinated him the way she did.
“You do have a way with words, Mayor Finley.” She shifted in the leather seat, her thin bangle bracelets jingling as she moved.
“I’ve tried to step up my game since I took office.” He turned down the long private driveway leading to his house. “Although the part about me watching you isn’t flattery. That’s the truth.”
Had he surprised her with his honesty? His gut told him she was wary about getting too close too soon, no matter what she’d told him back at Charlie Ray’s. Part of him wondered if her singing came from nervousness.
He pulled up to his house and left the car engine running. “Heather.” He turned in the seat to face her. “I’m sure performing kind of supercharges emotions when you have to bring so much energy to the stage. So I understand if what you said at the bar was a result of that energy rush. We don’t have to take this further?—”
“No.” She shook her head, letting go of her hair so it fell around her in a wild tangle. “What I said back at the bar came from the heart. That wasn’t the performance talking. I want to be here.”
Just hearing her say it made his blood run hotter. Made his hands itch to touch her. But he knew once he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop. So he wanted to be very, very sure.
“I tried to do this the right way. Get to know you first. Go easy. ”
“I know.” A sweet, slow smile curved her lips. “It’s my fault we’re running out of time together.”
“And my fault for starting an investigation that’s keeping you here when you want to be long gone.” He hated that there would be talk in town about the ethics of him being with her if they went out together. He hated it for her sake as much as his.
She was one of the most ethical people he knew, a fact he’d gleaned from the times she’d shown up at town council meetings to discuss the needs of the recreation department or suggesting ways the rec department could give back to the community. It was one of the reasons he’d thought she would make a great mayor. One of many reasons he gravitated toward her.
“I’ve got an idea.” She took his hand. “What do you say we not worry about any of it right now. It’s a beautiful, clear night.” With her other hand, she turned up the radio. A simple guitar melody filled the air. “And there’s a slow song playing in the background. Let’s just dance and enjoy it.”
“Dance?”
As if he needed any persuasion to wrap her in his arms.
She nodded “Right here. In the moonlight.”
He looked up at the Tennessee sky, the night so clear thousands of stars twinkled brightly overhead. The autumn breeze stirred the leaves in a soft shushing sound, as if nature were telling him to slow down and drink it all in.
Zach switched the car to accessory mode so that only the radio remained on, and then he slid out the driver’s door to open hers. The moon hung low on the horizon, slanting gray shadows over them as he held out a hand for her. Heather stepped across the brick walkway into his embrace as if she was meant to be there, her hands slipping around his neck, her breasts against his chest in a way that robbed him of speech.
Folding his arms around her, a slow shudder went through him. He’d been waiting for this—imagining this—for a while. The reality was much better than the fantasy. She tucked her head into his shoulder, her windblown riot of waves a soft place for him to rest his cheek. Breathe in her scent. Just be.
He knew that ignoring tomorrow wasn’t going to make the inevitable problems go away. But Heather had a point about simply enjoying the moment while they could.
“This was a good idea,” he whispered into her hair, hands stroking her back through the soft knit of her sweater.
Straightening, she tipped her face up to his. “Lots of country bars hang a big neon moon over the dance floor to try to simulate this, but nothing comes close to the real thing.”
She arched her neck to peer at the sky, giving him access to taste the skin along her jaw. Down the smooth column of her throat. She shivered when he kissed beneath her ear, a place he vowed to return to once they were inside and she was in his bed.
“I think it’s the woman I’m holding that is making it fun. Doesn’t matter if we were dancing at Charlie Ray’s or at your sister’s wedding.”
“Maybe you just think that because you’re moonstruck.” She slowed her step, not that they’d been moving at much more than a shuffle anyhow.
“Maybe you don’t give me enough credit for knowing what I want.” His hands grew restless, eager to cover more of her.
