When the Heart Falls(41)

The dancing lasts for hours. Slow dancing and fast dancing, touching and barely kissing, like the world's most torturous foreplay without the promise of, well, the actual play. The balls of my feet might have to be surgically removed tomorrow, the pain in them intense, but I ignore it and focus on other sensations. On Cade. Cade and I.

Le sigh.

When the band takes a break, so do we, and I have to confess my feet could use a rest.

"I need a drink," Cade says, still holding my hand. "Want one?"

I don't realize how thirsty I am until he asks. "Yes, please."

I find a seat at a table and scan the room for Jenifer, massaging my tortured feet. She's dancing with a guy in a crow mask, grinding against him the way I'd wanted to grind against Cade, had we been alone.

Still, I worry about her and her choices. When she sees me she smiles and drags the guy over to me. "Winter, remember Duke?"

I hold out my hand to shake his. "Of course. Nice costume."

Duke doesn't shake my hand. Instead, he kneels down and kisses one of the rings that came with my dress.

Looking over his head, I mouth "Impressive," to Jenifer, who smiles and gives me two thumbs up. She looks happy, and I hope she really is.

Duke leans back up. "Thank you, my Queen. It's good to see you again. Jeni never stops talking about you."

"She doesn't?" I didn't realize they spent so much time talking. Oh, bad Winter. I need to be more gracious with my thoughts. At least she's trying.

"Never," Duke says. "But she says good things. Thank you for taking care of my Jeni."

His Jeni? Something about his possessiveness triggers warning bells in me, but I can't say why, or how it's different than me calling Cade My Cade, or Cade referring to me as his. "You're welcome. Now go my subjects. Go entertain yourselves."

"You want to get drinks with us?" Jenifer asks.

My throat is parched, and I don't see Cade anywhere. Maybe he had issues in the bathroom. "Sure. I just need to keep an eye out for Cade."

When we get to the bar, Duke orders for us. "Two shots of rum. Winter, do you—"

"She doesn't drink alcohol," Jenifer says, interrupting him.. Her eyes shift to me. "And I'm proud of her for it."

"Soda, please." I push myself onto my tiptoes, despite the burning pain, and look around the room trying to spot Cade's hat.

Where the heck is he?

The lead singer of the band returns to the stage with another announcement, this time speaking in English. "We have a guest performer, ladies and gentlemen. He's wrangled wild horses into submission and ridden bulls bent on killing him. Welcome, the Texas Ranger, the Cowboy from the West, the one, the only, Cade Savage."

O.M.G. This can't be real. But—

Cade walks onto the stage, body hard and tanned, cocky grin on his face, and takes the microphone.

Jenifer squeals in my ear. "Is that Cade? Your Cade?"

I nod, too stunned to speak. That's my Cade all right.

His lilting Texas accent fills the room, his deep voice making me melt. "This is dedicated to everyone out there who's had some trouble with love. I know things may look hard right now. I know it may seem as if the passion has died down, and you're trying your best to just not hurt the other person. But remember that trying your best for someone, staying with them though things look hard, that's passion. That's love. Someone reminded me of that recently. Thank you, Winter Deveaux." He makes eye contact with me, then looks back at the crowd. "Now let's get this party started."

The crowd cheers, and I think of all the drooling females ogling him. The music starts playing. And Cade starts singing a fast rock/country song.

I can't believe this is really happening. With perfect pitch he captures the attention of the partiers, dancing and moving like a pro.

Pushing to the front of the room, I stand before the stage staring up at him. He comes to the edge and does a sexy dance, thrusting his hips forward, right at me. I nearly die.

When the song ends, his muscles slick with sweat, he bows and the crowd goes wild. "For this next one," he says, quieting the room, "I'd like the Ice Queen to join me." He looks down at me and holds out his hand.

What? No. No. No. I'm shaking my head, backing away, but I can't move. Too many people have crowded behind me.

He squats on his heels and reaches for me.

I lean back. "No. I can't."

People start to cheer. "Ice Queen. Ice Queen. Ice Queen!"

I can't believe they're actually cheering me. Cheering the Ice Queen. And not with derision, but with excitement.

Cade smiles and the room disappears. "Don't worry. I'll be right here."

Nodding, I grip his hand, and he pulls me on stage and steadies me. Again, the crowd cheers.

"I don't know what I'm doing." I whisper, hoping the microphone isn't picking up my voice. "I don't even know the song."

"You know it," Cade says. He waves at the band. "Maestro?"

Music blasts through the speakers, and I recognize the music immediately. The first song we slow danced to. The same song Cade's parents used to dance to.

Cade leads and I join in, harmonizing with him. Our voices fit together, smooth and clear. Mine like ice, his like fire, together we balance each other.