Saved by Love (Willow Valley Book 3)(7)

Braden guffawed. "Maybe Mr. Right Now." He winced as Ethan jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. "Hey, I just call it like I see it, man."

Abby arched an eyebrow. "I'm not even going to ask. Not that it matters."

"Is that so?" Braden looked at her skeptically. Ethan, however, didn't speak a word in his defense. She filed that away to mull over later. "Seems to me that most women are looking for The One."

She directed her response to Ethan. "I'm not most women."

"No," he murmured, so softly that she was pretty sure she was the only one who could hear him over the din of the crowd. "I don't think that you are." His eyes studied her face for a moment before he broke into another charming smile that had her heart rate jumping up again.

She looked back to the group in time to hear Lissa and Cassie debating about getting out on the dance floor, and she could tell from the way that Braden was looking back and forth between the two of them, and her and Ethan, that he was about to ask her if she wanted to dance. Without giving it any consideration, she jumped up and reached for Ethan's hand.

"Come on. Dancing does sound fun."

His look of surprise was only surpassed by Lissa's, who quickly nodded and gave her an encouraging smile. It was definitely out of character for her to be that forward, and she couldn't quite say what had pushed her to do it, other than the fact that given the choice between dancing with Ethan or Braden, she'd choose Ethan any day of the week.

"Let's do it. I'm always up for some fun." Ethan stood, keeping a firm grasp on her hand, and followed her out to the dance floor.

His hand was warm and strong in hers, and her heart kicked up a notch to pound even harder against her chest. For a minute she almost changed her mind and told him she didn't want to dance after all, but when she looked back at him, the megawatt smile he gave her sent that idea right out the window. As much as he had every nerve ending in her body on high alert, he also had a way of calming her with that smile.

Just as they reached the dance floor, the fast-paced song that everyone was laughing and having a good time dancing to transitioned into a slow ballad, and the band's lighting setup faded to a dimmer glow that caught lighter streaks in Ethan's dark hair that she hadn't seen before.

"We're going to slow things down for a few songs," the singer crooned.

Abby stopped in her tracks and stared at Ethan with wide eyes. She totally didn't think this through. What had seemed like a fun idea suddenly seemed full of dangerous potential.

But he didn't appear fazed at all. He flashed her another easy smile, pulled her out to the middle of the floor and placed his hands gently on her waist.

If he noticed the way she jumped at his touch, he didn't give any indication. But he did laugh as she tried awkwardly to find a place for her hands.

"You know, typically when people dance, they do have to touch each other." Another flash of that perfect smile and he reached for her hands and placed them on his shoulders just below his neck before returning his hands to her waist.

She had the uncontrollable urge to tangle her fingers in the soft hair that was just a little long at the ends. As it was, she was already finding it hard to form words again as she felt the heat of his skin beneath the tight t-shirt he was wearing.

"Ethan, we don't have to do this," she managed to get out. But she was giving him an out she wasn't sure she wanted him to take.

And when he pressed her ever so slightly closer to him and leaned to whisper in her ear, "There's nothing I'd rather be doing right now," she didn't know whether to melt into him or jump ship and save herself while she still could.





CHAPTER THREE





It was all Ethan could do not to pull Abby tight up against him and kiss her right there on the dance floor. He was pretty good at playing it cool, but something about being around her made him a little unhinged. It was crazy, really. He was treading on dangerous ground and he knew it. Never getting serious about anyone was one of his foremost rules. That way nobody got hurt.

But something told him Abby was someone he would gladly break his rules for. If he was smart, he'd stop this right here once the song came to an end and make sure he kept their relationship firmly in the friend zone. Because Abby wasn't one of those women he could just have a casual fling with. It was obvious in the way she looked at him—wary, unsure if she could trust him—that caution ruled her world.

But when she tilted her head up, the tips of her long hair brushing against his fingers, and gave him a heated look that reflected everything he was feeling, he knew being friends with Abby was the last thing he wanted.

"Everyone is staring at us," she murmured.

Ethan glanced back to the table, and sure enough, three pairs of eyes were glued to them. "Should we give them something to talk about?"

"If you know Lissa at all, there's already plenty to talk about, and no doubt she'll be doing just that. By tomorrow morning the whole town will be speculating." She smiled when she said it, but he could see her guard was up. Yep, just like he thought. She wasn't like the women he knew who just wanted a good time. She was a commitment kind of girl.

While this should have been enough to get a rein on the visceral reaction he was having to her nearness, it only made him want to get to know her more. Find out who she was behind this wall she so carefully tended to. Wanting to shake the feeling and lighten the mood again, he whirled her around until she was laughing, then dipped her back so low that she clung to his shoulders in an effort to keep her balance.