Chasing Jillian: A Love and Football Novel

by Julie Brannagh

  She was about to learn to dance. Dinner could wait.

  He got up from the chair and held out his hand. “May I have this dance?”

  A soft flush crept over her face. She nodded at the dance floor.

  “We’ll learn together,” he reassured her.

  She was still blushing. She glanced down at her hands clenched in her lap, but she smiled and put her hand in his.

  The couple had finished their dance, and the woman called out to them in a Spanish-accented voice. “Our previous appointment canceled. Would you like a lesson?”

  Jillian responded before Seth could open his mouth. “Yes. Would you teach me?”

  “I would love to,” her partner said.

  He held out his arms to her, and Jillian walked into them. Seth felt a sharp stab of something in the middle of his chest and ignored it, along with the urge to march over there and grab her away from him. Where the hell did this come from? The woman extended her hand to him, but he paused for a moment so he could hear what the man was saying to Jillian.

  “She will be fine,” the woman told him.

  “I’m not worried about it.”

  He heard her soft, musical laugh. “Of course you’re not. That’s why you can’t take your eyes off of her. Do you dance?”

  “Rarely.” He was still straining to hear what the man was telling Jillian. “It might be fun to learn.”

  “You will be dancing with her before you know it. Come with me.”

  JILLIAN WAS LISTENING to her partner. “What’s your name, señorita?”

  “I’m Jillian.”

  “My name is Carlos.” He gave her a dazzlingly white smile. Carlos was probably about six feet tall, with black, slicked-back hair, eyes the color of hot chocolate, and a well-trimmed mustache. Seth was all bulging muscles and height. This guy was in great shape too, but his body was long and lean. “You don’t dance?”

  “I don’t know how.” She closed her eyes for a moment. She’d wanted to dance for as long as she could remember, but she felt clumsy. “I want to, though.”

  “There are many steps to the tango, but right now, we’ll dance a little, just so you will see what it’s like. I want you to pay attention to the shifts in weight. In other words, you will feel the changes in steps before your feet do. The tango requires all of you—brain, heart, and body. I would like you to follow my lead.”

  She looked up into his eyes and the warmth of his smile. “What if I can’t dance?”

  “Everyone can dance. If you can walk, if you can feel the music in your heart, you can dance.” He slid his arm around her waist and took her hand in his. The music started, and at first Jillian felt stiff and awkward. She wasn’t sure where to move or what to do. Obviously, she didn’t know the steps. He murmured into her ear, “Relax. Feel the music. What does it mean to you?”

  It wasn’t the first time in her life she’d been held in a man’s arms, but the intimacy of being so close to a man she didn’t know was a bit overwhelming. She closed her eyes to concentrate, feeling the movement of his body and a strong arm around her. To her amazement, she moved. Her body was fluid. What had started out as a walk became dance steps and the sensation of flying across the dance floor.

  “I . . . I’m dancing,” she said with a gasp.

  “Yes. You are.” The song ended; another began. “Let’s try again.”

  Jillian felt the ballroom floor beneath her feet and the feeling of her hand enveloped in his, and she smelled the citrusy cologne Carlos wore. The beat of the music matched Carlos’s feet. He whispered the names of the steps in her ear as he danced. He moved her as if she weighed nothing, as if she was as accomplished and graceful as his partner. When she relaxed enough to follow his lead, they moved together without her even trying. The dance was sensual, but even more, being rocked in someone else’s arms was soothing. She forgot her nervousness in a rush of joy and confidence.

  The music ended, and they came to a stop.

  “Okay, Jillian. Let’s work on a few of the steps. How’s that?”

  She opened her eyes. He still held her. “Yes, please. I’d like that.”

  She glanced around. Seth was several feet away. He caught her eye and grinned at her.

  “You will dance with him soon,” Carlos said.

  “He’s probably much better at this than I am.” The words came out in a rush. “He’s a professional athlete.”

  “Jillian. Cara. You are too hard on yourself. You were dancing. He had a tough time.” He let out a sigh. “He’ll dance too, but it will be harder for him until he can lead. Let’s practice a little more.”

  Carlos moved Jillian through unfamiliar steps. He spoke into her ear the entire time—lyrical Spanish words she didn’t understand.

  “Does it bother you if I close my eyes?” she asked him. She couldn’t figure out why she felt so shy or why the intimacy of being held in his arms unsettled her a bit. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, and she was safe. She needed to relax.

  “No, it doesn’t bother me. You can feel the steps as I push and shift my weight. Keep trying. You’re doing a great job.” She heard footsteps behind them, and Carlos stopped. Seth must have tapped him on the shoulder. Carlos brought her hand to his lips. “I will see you again,” Carlos said. “More lessons?”

  “Yes, please.” She smiled up at him. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He nodded at Seth, and he and his partner moved into each other’s arms again.

  “Did you have fun?” Seth asked.

  “It was amazing. I danced, Seth. I didn’t fall over my feet or step on his toes. Did you see?” She was babbling, and she didn’t care. “This is so much fun. I had no idea! I never thought I could do it—”

  “Would you like some dinner?”

  “Yes. I want to dance some more afterward. Could we dance some more?” She touched his arm. “Will you dance with me?”

  He seemed a little surprised. “Sure.”

  She was so excited that she hadn’t even asked him if he’d enjoyed himself. “How did your lesson go? Do you like this? Was it fun for you?”

  He sat down at their table and signaled the server. “It was fine. What would you like to eat?” he said.

  A group dance lesson was starting on the dance floor. Jillian was immediately fascinated with the movement of the dancers, the colorful swirling of the women’s skirts, and the laughter. Seth was still glancing around for the servers. It was probably rude, but the food was the last thing on her mind right now.

  Jillian was practically bouncing in her chair from excitement. She saw other people walking out to the dance floor and joining the circle around several dance instructors. In other words, it was okay to join in, and she wanted to.

  His voice was low and amused. “I’ll bet you want to go out there and see what they’re doing.”

  “I’m dying to,” she said. “If you’re hungry, though, I can wait.”

  “You can wait, hm? Are you sure?”

  She shook her head, and his laughter rang out. “Come on. Let’s get out there.”

  It felt so natural to slide her hand inside his much bigger one as he led her through the seating area, which was getting more crowded by the minute. He squeezed her hand as he maneuvered around tables and pushed empty chairs out of their way, and her heart rate picked up. She hoped her hand wasn’t sweaty. Her entire arm tingled. They were steps from the dance floor when Jillian heard someone call out, “Go Sharks!”

  Seconds later, she and Seth were surrounded by people who were waving pens and any piece of paper they could get their hands on and calling out questions.

  “Are you Seth Taylor?” a woman in a brightly colored dancing costume asked.

  “You’re my favorite Shark. Could you sign this ‘to my favorite Sharks fan’?” another person said.

  “If I knew you hung out here, I’d come here more often. My wife dragged me,” a big guy in a Sharks ball cap told him.

  “It’s reall
y great to see all of you, but my friend would like me to join her for the dance lesson,” Seth said.

  “She won’t mind waiting a few minutes, will she?” the guy in the ball cap said.

  “My little brother would just die if I didn’t bring him home an autograph,” the woman in the dancing costume said.

  “It won’t take you that long to sign a few autographs,” someone else said.

  JILLIAN PULLED ON his hand. “Go ahead,” she told him. “I’ll wait.”

  “Are you sure?” he said. The excited smile on her face was fading as the crowd grew. In other words, she was doing her best to be patient while he dealt with well-meaning fans who didn’t understand that he might want to enjoy his evening out.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said. She squeezed his hand one more time and moved away from the crowd to take a seat at one of the now-empty tables.

  Chapter Nine

  AN HOUR LATER, the dancing lesson was over. Couples filled the dance floor. Seth was still dealing with a few fans who had ignored his polite efforts to excuse himself. Jillian had been so excited to pull him out onto that dance floor, but he was willing to bet his car she wasn’t getting near it now. She rested her chin on her hand and watched everyone else having a great time. Her bravado was as faded as the patient smile she wore.

  He couldn’t be pissed at the Sharks fans. They wanted to talk with him for a few minutes and get an autograph. It was part of his job. At the same time, watching her waiting for him struck at something inside. Most women would have stormed off half an hour ago.

  He glanced over at Jillian and started to move away from the Sharks fans.

  “It was great to meet all of you, but I need to go spend some time with my friend,” he said. “She’s been waiting.”

  “Have a drink with us,” the guy in the Sharks ball cap urged.

  “Maybe another time,” Seth said. He reached out for Jillian’s hand. “Thanks for your support.”

  “She can keep waiting,” another guy told him. Seth ignored the urge to tell the guy that Jillian was a lot more patient than his wife would have been. Just keep moving, he told himself.

  “Again, thanks. See you another time,” he said. He pulled Jillian up from her chair and set off at a fast pace for the staircase leading to the lobby. He could hear other people calling out his name and “Go Sharks,” but he wasn’t stopping until they were in his car and heading out of the parking garage.

  “Seth,” Jillian said. “I can’t keep up.”

  He glanced back at her. She was breathing a bit hard, but he was afraid that if he stopped, they’d get waylaid by even more people who hadn’t joined in the first autograph session. He took the risk of something like this happening every time he went out in public, but he never dreamed he’d be besieged by autograph seekers at a ballroom dancing lesson.

  “It’s a few more feet,” he said. “Can you make it?”

  She nodded. He shoved the door to the staircase open and reached back to make sure she was through it.

  “Let’s wait here a sec so you can catch your breath,” he said as he felt the door shut behind him.

  A few minutes later, they’d negotiated the through the lobby’s revolving door, and found his car. He was pulling out of the parking garage. She was resting against the passenger seat and taking deep breaths.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said.

  He was hungry, but even more than food, he wanted to spend a little more time with her tonight. He enjoyed her company. She made him laugh. He even liked her crazy little cat, which was a first for him.

  If he had to come up with words for his feelings, it was that he wanted to be a better person when he was with her. He gave himself a mental shake. What the hell was going on with him these days?

  The bridge to the Eastside was almost empty for once. He pulled into Burgermaster, parked the car, and turned to Jillian. The parking lot was quiet for a change. Typically, every stall was full. The food was brought to customers’ cars, so he wouldn’t have to have this conversation in front of multiple witnesses.

  Jillian gave him a smile that was nothing more than a curve of her lips. “I know you run the risk of being recognized every time you go out in public, but was that unusual? You were telling them politely that you needed to leave, and most of those people ignored it.”

  “I’m used to it, but I wasn’t happy they made you wait.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Hungry?”

  “Yeah.” This time, he saw warmth in her eyes. “Would you be terribly insulted if I told you that I really do prefer cheeseburgers?”

  “Well, then, we’re at the right place.” He shifted in the seat. Kim would have ripped the building apart with her bare hands if he’d made her wait for him and then taken her to a burger place instead of an expensive restaurant.

  Jillian wasn’t Kim.

  She was studying the menu. “Have you had the veggie burger? How is it?”

  “You’re not a vegetarian—”

  “It might be good. I’d like to try one, and I’d like the garden salad. So, go on.” She turned to face him and unfastened her seat belt. “What happened?”

  He noticed her normally expressive face had settling into a mask of blank composure. He wasn’t going to find out how she felt about this, and he wanted to know. She had to be angry with him, and he really didn’t blame her for it.

  The carhop appeared at his window. He took his time giving their order. Finally, he had no other options, especially since the carhop went back into the restaurant, and they were alone.

  He felt the hot, uncomfortable surge of embarrassment wash over him. He knew he should have handled tonight’s situation better.

  “I apologize. You had to wait a long time, and I should have been more insistent that we had plans.” He let out a sigh.

  “Then they would have been mad at you for not talking to them,” she murmured.

  “It’s pretty flattering to talk to people who think I’m great or want my autograph. You missed another dance lesson, though.” He glanced up through the sunroof and blew out another breath. “Maybe we could try this again sometime.”

  “Maybe,” she said.

  Jillian’s mask abruptly cracked in half. She looked stunned, but she turned toward the window so he wouldn’t see it. She wasn’t fast enough. She picked up her purse off the floorboard. “I need to visit the ladies room. I’ll be right back.” She opened the car door and hopped out. He watched her walk away.

  JILLIAN WALKED INTO the ladies room, stuffed one fist into her mouth, and let out a muffled scream. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be seeing him. If—well, when—John found out, there would be problems. Going for a walk was one thing. Going on what could be construed as a date was something else entirely, and this wasn’t the first time. Seth kept asking her to do things with him, and she wanted to go. The more time she spent with him, the more she enjoyed it.

  She knew he used to spend most of his time hanging around with Drew McCoy and Derrick Collins. Maybe he was bored and looking for something to do because his two best buddies now spent most of their time hanging around with their wives.

  She was never, ever getting involved with Seth, she told herself. Actually, she already was. Why lie? Whenever he was around, she was breathless. She couldn’t think, and her heart beat so fast and so loudly that she wondered if someone else could hear it. Her palms were sweaty. Her mouth was dry. She knew he wasn’t interested in her romantically, and she still felt this way. There was no limit to how stupid she was and how badly she was going to get hurt if she kept hanging around with him. He’d laugh if he knew she remembered how his hand felt when he’d impatiently taken hers on a hiking path or in the ballroom tonight, or how he smelled—the freshly showered, woodsy soap scent she couldn’t seem to get out of her head. He’d probably come up with some kind of “I’m flattered” crap if he had any idea how she felt.

  She’d rather die.

  She took care of bu
siness, washed her hands, and fluffed her hair with her fingers. She had to go back to the car, or he’d come in here after her.

  JILLIAN HOPPED BACK into the passenger seat, dropped her purse on the floorboard, and took the plastic container of garden salad he’d just handed her. “Thanks.” She spread a napkin across her lap. So far, she wouldn’t meet his eyes, and she wasn’t talking.

  “You’re welcome. I ordered a veggie burger for you to try if you’d like.” He grabbed his own container of salad. “I wasn’t sure what kind of dressing you liked, so I took a guess.”

  “Thank you. I should have told you what dressing I wanted before I went to the ladies’ room.” She poured the small container of vinaigrette dressing over her salad. “This is great, though.”

  “Hey, do you mind making one more stop on the way home?”

  “No, I don’t mind,” she said. He probably wanted to run into the store or whatever. She turned slightly to look into his eyes. “Thank you for the dancing lesson. I had fun. I’m glad you invited me.”

  “I had a great time too. I meant it when I said we should try that again.”

  She nodded as she took a bite of her food. Hopefully, she’d enjoy what he had planned next.

  Half an hour later, he pulled up in front of the large gazebo in Kirkland’s Marina Park on the shores of Lake Washington. The park was usually crowded with families and joggers; right now, they had the place to themselves. Nobody was on the lakefront after dark on a weeknight. The moon was full and glistened off the water. It wasn’t chilly. The only sounds were the slap of waves on the shore and the rustle of leaves as the breeze blew.

  “What are we doing here?” Jillian asked.

  “You never got that dance,” he gruffly said. “Come on.”

  “Are you serious?”

  He turned off the engine. His iPhone was still hooked up to the car’s sound system, and he found a song he thought Jillian might like out of some girly stuff one of his former girlfriends had downloaded onto it. He got out of the car, left the door open so they could still hear, and held out one hand.