Page 31 of Maizy the Bear Charmer

Maizy caught Cody watching her from the front, so damned sexy with his black hair tied back. He blew her a kiss and on impulse she reached up and mimed catching it. She couldn’t hear him but he burst into laughter before turning to a group coming in the door.

She looked over at Heath and giggled when he made a “you-and-me” gesture between them with his hand and then mimicked dancing together. She nodded. Warmth filled her and she turned to where Spencer had been earlier and found him gazing at her. He didn’t do anything else, like the other guys, but she saw the warmth that entered his eyes when she found him, the change that came over him. He was so big and strong, they all were, but there was something essential and safe about him that she was attracted to on a very earthy level. Grace had told her she thought he was a woobie, and then had gone on to explain that those comforting qualities were what defined a woobie.

The song changed and Grace suddenly cried out, “There it is!” as “Dayum, Baby” by Florida Georgia Line began to play. “I should’ve known.” She climbed from her chair and the others joined her. “Ethan caught me dancing to it a couple of nights ago.”

“By yourself?”

“Yeah, I was in my office writing and I got…inspired and he caught me.”

“What happened?” Maizy asked as Grace blushed a little more.

Grace laughed as she led the way. “Did I mention there’s a bed in my office?”

The girls laughed as they made a beeline for the dance floor and Maizy got to join them for her very first girl’s dance. They formed a circle on one of the outside corners of the dance floor, which also made it easy for Cody, Heath, and Spencer to see her, as well as the new bouncer, who she finally spotted watching them from several feet away.

The middle-of-the-road tempo was perfect for a sensual dance and the girls egged her on and she dusted off some of her basic belly dancing moves. It wasn’t the same without the costume and her jingling coin scarves but just moving like that, the sensual twist and shimmy of her hips and rolling of her shoulders and chest, was immensely freeing. She felt like one of them.

She had her hands in her hair as she rolled her hips and caught sight of Heath who had moved to within just a few feet of her. His eyes burned with pride and approval. Instead of shying away from his obvious interest, she used her arms and hand movements to entice him and actually succeeded in drawing him a little closer before he realized what she was doing and grinned at her.

The girls were watching her, too, and adding some of what she was doing into their dances. She spied Spencer near the DJ booth and directed her dance moves his way. The heat of his gaze was like a caress and she shimmied playfully, gaining a momentary smile from him, which made her feel like cheering.

As the song drew to a close, she found Cody watching her from the halfway point between the front door and the dance floor. He looked like he wanted to come closer but couldn’t and then she realized why. A blonde club goer was chatting him up, or at least trying to. He looked slightly irritated as she kept trying to get his attention but he focused on Maizy and smiled when she rewarded him with some moves just for him. He glanced away to watch a crowded table nearby and then shifted his gaze back to her. Club business, she supposed.

She glanced between all of them and wished that last Halloween had had a different outcome. She could’ve met these wonderful, sexy men that much sooner. She sunk her fingers into her hair again and shimmied for him and giggled when he licked his lips.

As the song ended, Ben stepped forward and offered Grace his arm, and Spencer approached and spoke quietly to Jayne and she wrapped her hand around the crook of his elbow. The new bouncer, Ryan, offered the same courtesy to Lucy and the men escorted the three women back through the large, predominantly male crowd that had formed in that section of the club. Maizy sensed Heath behind her and turned to smile up into his pale green gaze.

“Hi,” Maizy said as she caught her breath.

“Hi yourself,” he murmured in that silky smooth voice of his as the guitar and drum rhythm of the next song started. “I’m on a break now. Dance with me?”

“Yes. Did you like my dance?”

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