“Yes,” I said absently to Emilio.
“I don’t think he likes me dancing with you,” he said matter of factly. When I looked to Emilio, he winked again. “Let’s give him something to be jealous over.”
I laughed as we whirled across the floor. I found ballroom dancing to be both easy and difficult. Things like the tango were about following steps, so it came much easier, where the salsa and mambo were about feeling the music. I loved the moves, but letting go was proving to be the barrier between okay dancing and great.
When the song ended, we stopped, and several in the class cheered. Initially, we were surprised by the number of guys that joined the class, but Emilio was a great teacher. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that there were a number of girls in the class. The odd number and my height made me the odd man out, so most of the lessons I spent with Emilio. It was fun, and I had grown so much under him.
“Your boyfriend,” Emilio said. “Do you lose control with him?”
I glanced at Dean, whose eyes were fixed on me. “Yes,” I said softly.
“Good.” Emilio grinned. “Then just try and think of the dance in that way. It’s just a buildup to reaching the peak.”
I blushed. He was so frank in how he talked, but it did make sense.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.
Emilio winked at me. “I’m sure you will.”
I waved to Heather and Emma to let them know they should go on without me and then raced across the room. They started to walk to the exit, along with everyone else in the class.
“I didn’t know you were coming by,” I said and launched myself into Dean’s arms. It was the first time in days that I’d been able to be held by him.
“I didn’t know that your dance partner was so handsome.” He frowned.
I laughed at his irritation. “Well, I’m sure that his husband would agree with you.”
His eyebrows shot up, and the meaning of what I’d said dawned on him.
“Well, he still had his hands all over you,” he grumbled.
“We were dancing.” I smiled. “That’s what you do.”
“I noticed.” He grinned. “But your salsa and mambo seem a little forced. I’ll admit I’m glad.”
I planted my hands on my hips. “And why is that?”
He leaned forward and placed his mouth on my ear. “I think I’d lose my mind if I had to watch you move your hips around like that for another man when I’m in such a bad way.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Want to dance?” he said and put my hand in his.
“Do you?” I asked.
Dean smiled and spun me around. “I have four older sisters,” he said. “I’m lucky they wanted to take ballroom. They debated ballet.”
I turned in his arms and looked up at him. “I didn’t know you had four sisters.”
Something tightened in my stomach as I thought it over. I really didn’t know much about Dean at all. I knew he was from Texas and had a ranch. Was it a ranch, or had I just assumed? I couldn’t let this be like Chance. We needed to know each other.
“Yup,” he said and wrapped a hand around my waist.
He effortlessly waltzed us around the room. I was surprised at how well he moved.
“You must have practiced quite a bit with them,” I said and smiled.
He laughed. “Each had to have their turn to practice, so I got four times the practice they did.”
“Tell me more about your family.”
He looked at me in confusion. “Not a whole lot to tell really. Mom and Dad have been married for about thirty years now. I have four sisters: June, April, May, and Autumn.”
“That’s so cute,” I laughed.
“Yeah. Mom thought so.” He chuckled. “When I came around, my Dad put his foot down. Nothing cutesy for me. He picked the name Dean.”
“Dean is a very manly name.” I winked at him.
“Glad you approve.” He grinned. “It would have all been great, if he hadn’t decided to leave the middle name to mom. It’s how I came to be Dean Martin Miller.”
“Oh, she didn’t,” I said in mock horror.
“She did,” he laughed.
“Apparently we were made for each other.”
It wasn’t often I told anyone my middle name. Last thing I needed was someone trying to be funny.
“Well, I already knew that.” He grinned. “But why do you think we’re made for each other?”
I took in a deep breath. “Grace Kelly Locke.”
Dean stopped dancing and looked at me. “I thought old money didn’t do that.”
I laughed. “Not normally, but she was on a lot of drugs, and no one but the nurse was there when she had to fill out the name card.” I smiled. “She’ll never admit it was a mistake, but she’s never used my middle name much.”
Dean laughed. “I’ll bet.” He turned me around in his arms and placed his mouth at my ear. “Ready for something different?”
“I’m really not very good at the salsa,” I replied.
I jumped when his hands rested on my hips. “I can’t believe that’s true,” he said. “I’ve seen how these hips move.” He moved his mouth to the side of my ear and kissed just behind it. “They were made to salsa.”
I shivered at his kiss. The air cooled the wet spot.
We moved in time with one another. When he brought me around, I stared into his deep eyes. He was good. Better than me by light years, but I found myself able to keep up better than expected.
We did a few more turns before he stopped.
“What did I tell you?” He motioned to my hips. “Made to salsa.”
I laughed and jumped into his arms.
“You make it seem so easy,” I said.
He laughed and spun me around. “With you in my arms, I feel like it is.”
We twirled and laughed in the empty gym.
I smiled when he sat me down and locked my hand in his.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Just have to grab my bag,” I said and pointed to the corner. “So, what brought you here tonight? I’m happy to see you, but don’t you have a midterm in the morning?”
“You,” he said and picked up my bag.
I blushed. He was always so frank, and it never failed to surprise me.
We walked out into the chilly air. I shivered.
“Where’s your coat?” He frowned.
I shrugged. “I wasn’t really planning on coming, but Emma and Heather forced me to. It was my idea originally, after all.”
He pulled off his coat and settled it over my shoulders. “Dancing was your idea?”
I pouted. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
Dean laughed. I loved the way it sounded. “Well, you have to admit, it’s not really something you would normally do.”
“Well…” I sighed. “I’m doing a lot of things I wouldn’t normally do.”
“You mean me?” He sounded a little hurt, and I squeezed his hand.
“I mean everything really,” I said. “I made a promise to my grandmother that I would try and find myself.”
The tightness in his face vanished, and he smiled at me. “Did I help with that?”
I laughed. “Maybe. It’s been a lot of things. I made a list of things that I wouldn’t normally do. Skinny dipping, fun class, kiss under mistletoe, get a bartender’s number. Those sorts of things.”
He frowned. “You don’t need a bartender’s number.”
I laughed. “I don’t have to do everything. It was just a list to get me started. To help find who I am and where I’m going.”
We stopped outside my door. I could see the light was on from outside and wanted a few more minutes to myself with Dean. I pulled him over to the chair out front and pushed him down. He grinned when I took the jacket off and sat on him, using the jacket as a sort of blanket.
“So have you found yourself?”
I snuggled in deeper.
“I don’t know.” I
thought for a moment. “I’m happier than I was before. I still like marketing, but I just don’t think that means I should have to give up everything else I like. Emma doesn’t understand.” I shrugged. “She followed her heart, and it’s led to writing, but sometimes it’s not that simple. My father might have pushed me into marketing, but I’m actually good at it.”
He brushed some hair out of my face, and I smiled. “Nothing saying you have to figure it all out today. What about us?”
He seemed hesitant. I couldn’t really blame him. I’d spent the last year trying to avoid getting involved at all, and now I was sitting on his lap.
“I’m happy,” I said and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I can’t really guess what all this is going to mean after school is over. Are you moving back to Texas?”
He looked out into the dark.
“I always planned on it.” He smiled at me. “To me, nowhere is quite as beautiful.”
My heart fell a little. I don’t know what I was expecting. It would be silly if I thought he would follow me anywhere when I wasn’t willing to do the same, but there was still a part of me that hoped he would.
“I want you to come for Christmas,” he blurted out. “Everyone actually. I’ve talked to Mom, and they are really looking forward to meeting you.”
“You talked about me to your parents?” My eyes widened in disbelief.
“Of course.” He grinned. “How else am I going to get you to move there after school?”
I sat up and looked at him directly. My heart hammered away in my chest.
“Move there?” I squeaked out.
He wrapped his arms around me tightly and pulled my head back against his warm chest.
“You didn’t think I was going to get you and then just let you go, did you?” His chin rested on my head.
I pulled back to look at him again. “I’ll see what I can do.” I smiled.
He frowned at me. “You didn’t even comment on my hat. I wore it just for you.”
I giggled at his cute frown. “I noticed.” I leaned forward and placed my lips near his ear. “This isn’t really the outfit I was picturing.”
Dean swallowed. I felt him shift under me.
I grinned.
“What sort of outfit were you thinking?” He shifted again.
I leaned forward again, brushing the growing bulge in his pants.
“Well, I was really thinking it would just be the hat,” I whispered. I smiled when he groaned. “But I guess this works.”
“Fuck it.” He groaned and captured my mouth in a searing kiss.
He swept his tongue in, and I moaned when he mimicked what he had done to my clit the other day. My hands fisted in his shirt, and I seriously thought about just ripping it off.
He pulled back quickly when I slipped a finger between the buttons of his shirt.
“Midterm,” he repeated over and over. I leaned in and bit his bottom lip slightly, then used my tongue to lick the pain away.
“Midterm,” I whispered.
***
Chapter Fourteen
We both breathed in time with one another until we were in control of ourselves.
“Ready to go in?” he asked after a bit.
I sighed. “I guess.”
Leaving his warmth, I stepped out of his coat and into the cold. I tossed the coat at him and raced for the door. We headed up the stairs and stopped outside the door. I leaned in for another kiss, but he stopped me.
“Any more kissing, and I’m not going to get to study for my midterm.”
I groaned at his restraint.
“Okay,” I mumbled. “Oh, I was talking with Emma about Thanksgiving.”
I glanced away, not really sure how to ask besides just blurting it out.
“She wanted to know about the sleeping arrangement,” I said and looked at the ground.
Dean cleared his throat. “Oh,” he said. “I’m happy with whatever you decide.”
“In my bed,” I said quietly and looked up to him. “I’d like to be with you in my bed.”
My pulse in my neck beat furiously.
Dean moved closer. “Whatever you want.”
I moved closer, so there was barely a wisp of space between us. “I want you.”
Dean stepped back, and I felt like banging my head against the wall. It sounded stupid. I didn’t mean for it to, but it just came out before I could stop it.
I looked up at Dean.
“Midterms,” he muttered to himself.
I nearly laughed I was so relieved.
I stepped forward and kissed him lightly on the mouth.
“Soon,” I said.
I grinned and opened the door to the dorm. My smile vanished, and I slammed the door shut.
“Oh God!” I shook my hands trying to shake off the gross feeling.
“What’s the matter?” Dean asked and started to walk to the door.
“For the love of God, don’t open that door!” I shouted at him.
He stopped and turned his worried eyes on me.
“Grace, you’re freaking me out. What’s going on?” He stepped toward me but stopped when Gavin came through, his face red.
“Sorry,” he mumbled and raced down the stairs.
Dean looked between me and Gavin.
“Were they?” He pointed to the door.
“Yup.” I shivered.
“And you saw?” He laughed out loud.
I glared at him. “More than I ever wanted to see.”
“Things are certainly never dull around here.” Dean chuckled.
“I don’t find this funny at all.” I paced back and forth. “A scene like that might prevent me from ever wanting to have sex again.”
Dean stopped laughing. “Now let’s not be too hasty.”
I turned to him, a twinkle in my eyes. “Maybe you shouldn’t be too hasty with laughing next time.”
I wiggled my fingers and slipped through the door before he could reply.
Emma stood on the other side, just as red faced.
“You!” I pointed at her. “What the hell happened to the sock?”
“We just got,” she looked up, “carried away.”
“So I saw,” I said.
"Oh, Grace, we are so sorry," Emma moved forward, but stopped when I held up a hand.
"I am never sitting in the chair again," I said. "And next time hang a sock or something."
She giggled. "Okay. On the plus side, you get to cross off walking in on someone."
"Oh, that is so not what I meant!" I stomped my foot. "It was supposed to be people I didn't know and preferably a Brad Pitt lookalike. Not my…" I shuddered. "Not my brother. Gross!"
"I think he's a Brad–"
"Don't even finish that sentence."
Emma looked at me. "Are we good?"
I nodded. "We're good."
"Good because you were gone for quite a while." She smiled slyly at me.
"Was I?" I smiled back at her.
"Not going to spill are you?" She put her hands on her hips.
"Not after what I had to witness tonight."
Emma stomped her foot as I left the room.
"Not fair, Grace," she shouted.
I just laughed.
"Oh, and we're going to take one room," I said before shutting the door to my room.
I jumped when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
I smiled when I pulled it out.
Dean: Still a ruined woman?
Me: I haven't decided yet.
Dean: Maybe we should just make sure.
Me: Don't you have a midterm to study for?
Dean: I'd rather study you.
My heart skipped at the thought.
Me: If I'm ruined, we’ll just have to try harder to fix that.
Dean: I like the way you think.
Me: Get back to studying.
I grinned at the phone.
Me: And bring your hat with you this weekend.
Dean: So mean.
Me
: Goodnight.
Dean: Sweet dreams.
I sighed. This was good. Maybe we could work. I wasn't thrilled with the whole Texas bit, but we might be able to work with that. Like Emma said, if it's worth it, we’d find a way.
I pulled out my text book. For right now, I needed to focus on passing my classes.
* * *
Finally! I sighed and sat down on the bed. After the most stressful week ever, I was ready to spend some quality time with my friends.
I flipped the latch on the suitcase and looked around the room. It looked like I had everything. I had only been planning this for the past week.
“You ready?” Dean smiled at me from my doorway.
I jumped off the bed and raced over to hug him. Never before had I felt so much anxiety about not seeing someone. We hadn’t even gone all the way, and yet I still felt the connection like we had.
I threw my arms around his middle and squeezed.
“Miss me?” he asked to the top of my head.
I nodded in his arms.
“Me too,” he said quietly and hugged back.
I leaned back and smiled up at him.
“Nice hat,” I whispered.
Dean leaned down. His woodsy scent drifted over me.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” he rumbled.
I winked and walked over to the suitcase.
He shook his head and grabbed it off his bed. With ease, he carried it down the stairs and to the car. Emma was the last one out of the house. We piled into her car since it was the biggest.
We gave Heather the middle row and opted for the back. It was only about forty minutes away, but it had been a long week, and Dean was happy getting sleep where he could. He curled his long legs up and rested his head in my lap. After just a moment or two, he was quietly snoozing.
I threaded my fingers through his soft hair over and over. Not really focusing on anything, I watched the countryside pass outside my window.
Heather turned and smiled.
“Won’t your family be upset you’re not there?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Some years we have to skip it if Father has other things going on. Grandmother might be a little sad, but she’s got her bridge partners, so she won’t be alone.” I smiled at her. “What about you?”
“Oh sure. Mom’s been throwing a fit over it, but she’s got the neighbors coming over.” She huffed.
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