Inside I may have rolled my eyes a little, but I also felt my heart contract. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Only the ones I’m dancing with,” he joked, setting his cheek against my forehead, the bristles of his beard rubbing in a more pleasurable way than I remembered. It had been many, many years since I had been held in a man’s arms, moving to soft music. Forgotten appreciation for the pressure of his hand on my lower back and the way his thighs brushed against mine summoned a sigh.
He pulled back and looked down at me. “What?”
“Nothing,” I whispered, my gaze meeting his. “I had forgotten how much I liked to dance.”
And that’s when he kissed me.
I hadn’t expected it, but it was well done. Ty had plenty of practice, I’d no doubt, and I felt the unfamiliar stirring of desire lift its head from a long winter’s nap. His tongue sought entry, and I allowed it because, damn it, it felt so good to be wanted, to be claimed, to be just a girl who had no cares and could kiss a man on the dance floor anytime she wanted. Thankfully, the kiss was thorough, and not a mauling of my senses, so I enjoyed it immensely.
Ty lifted his head and murmured, “You taste like champagne.”
My answer was to set my head against his chest and move to the music, enjoying his arms around me. I caught sight of Amelia watching us. I had a flash of sympathy, but nothing too strong. She wanted him.
And I didn’t know what I was going to do with him.
A guy like Ty didn’t fit with a girl like me. I knew this, and I also knew I was allowing myself to entertain the idea of being with him, which was dangerous. Because he lived in a totally different world, one I would never work in. Oh sure, I would love to have money, but I couldn’t see myself hanging out with the Beccas and Amelias of the world. I didn’t have sorority letters or a private-school education. I couldn’t care less about the style of monogram chosen for an overpriced tote bag. The jewelry, the designer purses, and the gold designer belt buckles—all that worth signaling wasn’t something I would ever do. I liked quality things, sure, but I didn’t buy things so I could be in a social circle of acceptance.
I couldn’t see any of those ladies, Cricket included, helping me dye my hair purple for the Young Mutherf*ckers concert, binge-watching Zombie Death Wars, or cruising out to the sandbars of Caddo Lake to drink Jack and Coke with the welders and wildcatters of the ArkLaTex. Those girls’ world was a black American Express card. Mine was a black eye.
But Ty holding me in his arms on that dance floor made me feel like I didn’t have to worry about what people thought of me.
Hell, why was I worried about what these lame-ass people thought about me?
Of course, I still hadn’t told Ty or Cricket that I had spent two years in jail.
Ty kissed my temple and whispered, “Wanna get out of here?”
I knew what that meant—I wasn’t born yesterday. But I really wanted to get out of there, so I nodded. “Yeah. And do you think we can get something to eat? A Natchitoches meat pie and a mini–crab cake wasn’t nearly enough. No wonder half these people are bombed.”
Ty chuckled, taking my hand and leading me off the dance floor. “A burger sounds amazing.”
So we went to Head Honcho’s, a burger dive right off Centenary’s campus. It was mostly empty, just a few tables occupied by collegiate types with earbuds in, and we only got one double glance for strolling into a dive in our dressy duds. I didn’t want to ruin my dress, so I layered napkins, tucking them into my bodice, as we settled into cheeseburgers, tots, and cherry Cokes. Ty had chosen a booth in the far corner, and for a moment, with all the retro decor, I felt like we were in a fifties movie. Like a reverse characterization of The Outsiders with me being Ponyboy.
“So tell me about your family, Ty,” I said, realizing that I didn’t know too much about him. Maybe I needed to if I was going to go much further.
“Not much to tell. I grew up in Georgia. My mom and dad divorced when I was eight. My mom lives there with her third husband, who is a total asshole, so I don’t see her much. I’ve been ping-ponging between my parents for a while, but I usually stay with Dad. He has an investment company along with some other businesses. We also build housing projects and stuff like that. That’s why we moved here. He’s gathering some new investors for a real estate deal revolving around a retirement community. We hope to break ground in the fall. It’s a pretty big project and should make the investors a tidy profit.”