Sparks Fly! A Divine Creek July 4th Family Reunion (15 page)

* * * *

Seth watched Buck as he danced with Jayne confidently, guiding her through the last steps of the slow waltz with his hand resting a little too casually on her hip. Seth walked toward them, passing between couples.

Buck nodded when he saw him coming then grinned and said, “Speak of the devil and whom shall appear.” He gently twirled her so she went right into Seth’s arms, looking up at him with surprise in her eyes.

“Hi.” She spoke so softly he could barely hear her over the slow guitar rhythm as “Fall Into Me” by Brantley Gilbert began to play.

Buck said, “Looks like Chad’s got his hands full. I should go help him with the beauty queen.” He tipped his cowboy hat to Jayne and walked back to their table where Chad was chatting with Presley Ann.

“Is that what she is?” Jayne sounded uncertain as she glanced back to their table. “Weren’t you talking to her?”

Seth turned with the dance steps and gently tugged her closer so that their legs brushed against each other in the rhythm of the dance and pressed her curvy body close to him. He suppressed a groan of satisfaction at the more intimate contact.

“She made herself at home at our table. I just wanted to dance with you. She had good timing because Buck and Chad were in need of a distraction.” They were good guys, but he wanted Jayne to himself. She surprised him a little when she willingly snuggled closer.

“Oh.”

The thought of how it would feel to lie in a bed with her, pressing her back into the mattress as he slid inside her, made his cock harden. As they moved with the dance, he could occasionally feel the warm silkiness of her skin through the multiple holes in his ripped, weather-beaten jeans.

Jayne looked up at him, and the lights on the dance floor flashed across her face, illuminating her expressive blue-green eyes. He thought it was a play of the lights when he saw her lips tremble slightly before she finally looked away and laid her head against his chest. He felt an almost painful lurch in his chest at the silent exchange.

She moved smoothly with him in the waltz, and he smiled when she lightly stroked the dragon scales tattooed on his right bicep. He was accustomed to the many stares his fully tattooed arms received everywhere he went. Some people stared openly in shock or undisguised judgment, others stared in wonder or curiosity. The one common factor was that the tattoos garnered a lot of attention.

Jayne made him feel different when she stared. Whenever he’d caught her gazing at them throughout the day, it had been with many different emotions. Her face was like an open book. He’d seen puzzlement, awe, and admiration when she’d asked earlier if he cared that everyone stared.

He’d had the distinct impression that she was keeping her hands to herself because several times her fingertips had twitched and rubbed together as though she’d like to touch but was restraining herself.

Something about her reminded him of skittish doe, and he didn’t want to come on too strong, especially if she had the impression that he might be like that. She didn’t ask him to turn for her while they were in the pool, and his shirt had been off, but he’d had the impression that she’d wanted to give him a good, thorough going over. That thought made his cock harden so much he wondered if she could feel it against her abdomen. Her thumb gently stroking up and down his bicep wasn’t helping his aroused state either.

With his hand at her lower back, he felt it when she tensed almost imperceptibly and her warm breath came out in a rush against the thin fabric of his T-shirt. It pleased him when, instead of pulling away from him, she relaxed against him and resumed the slow, fluid steps in the dance as the last chorus played.

He was used to women who were much more aggressive and demanding, and Jayne was a welcome change of pace. The last note played, and he grinned at the slight disappointed look on her face. She honestly had no idea how appealing she was.

As they returned to the table, a familiar hard rock beat began to play. The Dancing Pony’s DJ normally played mostly country and western music but tonight he must’ve been mixing in rock and pop hits to inject more excitement into the beach party-themed night.

Charity bounced up and gave Seth a shit-eating grin as she crooked her finger at Jayne and beckoned her onto the dance floor. Jayne looked up at Seth and seemed to have an internal debate with herself. She’d said that she’d never been to the club before so she’d never danced with the girls either. This would be interesting.

Charity said, “Seize the day, right?”

Jayne nodded, bit her lip, and smiled up at him. “You mind?”

“Of course not. Have fun.” Seth knew he’d enjoy this as much as she did. He took his seat facing the dance floor and grinned as all the girls left their husbands and dates. There was a movement in the corner of his eye and he watched as the spunky little strawberry blonde who bartended suddenly joined their throng.

The air vibrated with the strong guitar chords of Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” as Seth watched Jayne. It turned out that not only could Jayne sing, she could also
dance
. Her cheeks were bright pink and her eyes sparkled as she smiled at him, but then she closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and found the heavy beat of the song within her.

Seth didn’t move a muscle as he watched her graceful, erotic movements. His pulse pounded as he imagined her moving like that in his arms, with his cock buried deep inside her.

Something about Jayne captivated him on many different levels. He responded to her air of fragility and the wonder he saw in her eyes when he caught her looking at him, and he found himself imprisoned in the seductive spell she wove as she danced. Her gaze found his and a sexy half-smile crossed her lips, sending an arrow of hot lust to his hardening shaft. He smiled back as he caught a glimpse of the temptress buried beneath her shy exterior and hoped like hell he’d get to know that part of her intimately.

* * * *

Ben Lawrence stood behind the bar, relieved that for the moment all eyes were on the dance floor. He glanced at Quinten and felt for him as he stood there with his hands braced in the edge of the bar. The only hint at what Quinten was thinking was visible in his hands, which were bunched into fists. He looked ready to jump the bar in one swift move if need be. Ben commiserated with him as he turned his gaze back to the strawberry-blonde minx gyrating with her friends on the dance floor.

Conversations continued along the bar but all eyes were glued on the dance floor. Camilla had seemed happy and hyper all night, and when Dave had put the rock song on, she’d looked hopefully at him. Ben had laughed and told her to go take a break with her friends if she wanted to. She understood little of how her need to cut loose was affecting the two men she worked with, one her boss and the other her coworker.

“Hot damn, would you watch that hot little thing shake her ass.”

“Wish I’d known she worked at that place in Morehead. I’d have paid good money to see her move like that in nothin’ but a G-string.”

Ben ground his teeth and quelled the urge to knock the two cowboys’ heads together. It was commonly known that Camilla had been a pole dancer and striptease artist at a gentleman’s club in Morehead. She never denied it or was embarrassed by it, but it set his teeth on edge that men along the bar were picturing the woman he loved with no clothing on.

She threw back her head and laughed gleefully with her friends as she swung her ass around in a trademark stripper’s move and slid her hands up her torso and cupped her breasts before sliding her hands into her silky strawberry-blonde ringlets.

He felt Quinten’s presence beside him and smiled at his groan of frustration. “I love that she knows how to move like that but it’s also killing me.”

“Me too. But we know where she stands.”

“I know.” Quinten’s tone spoke volumes. From the first day, Camilla O’Neal had made it clear that, because she’d been an exotic dancer, she knew she’d receive propositions from customers and coworkers alike. For that reason, she had no interest in dating anyone she met or worked with inside The Dancing Pony. She had to keep her personal life completely separate. She didn’t even bring dates to the Dancing Pony, if she had time for dating at all. Camilla was high-energy and enjoyed her job and didn’t seem to mind her hours at all. Her goal was to eventually open her own club and had even talked to Ben about partnering with her on a club in a neighboring town at some point in the future.

While he knew that Camilla would be a good investment, that wasn’t the kind of partnership he wanted with her. Camilla’s strict hands-off policy applied to Quinten, too, since he was head bartender and her coworker, as well. They didn’t know who she dated, or even if she did, because she kept that part of her life separate from work. Ben could recall her words on her first night working in The Dancing Pony. “Work is work and fun is fun. I respect your policy and feel very strongly that the two must stay separate.”

As if reading his mind, Quinten mirrored her words. “If work is work, and fun is fun…what is this?”

“Torture.”

* * * *

Jack’s heart felt like it was about to pound out of his chest. “Grace!” Ethan and Adam were right behind Jack, running down the road after her.

“Why is she out here?” Adam asked as he caught up to him.

“Of all the fucking stupid things! I told her to make y’all chase her. Damn it! If she gets bit, I’ll never forgive myself! Grace!”

Rattlesnakes were nocturnal in the dead of summer in Texas.

Please, please, please, God!

“Grace, you answer right now, damn it!” Ethan called.

They stopped to listen, but Jack could barely hear the wind and crickets over the sound of his own breathing and the galloping of his heart in his ears.

Why isn’t she answering?

“Don’t scare her. She’ll panic, and she could get hurt out here,” Adam whispered. “Grace! It’s time to come out now!”

Jack knew if she got off the road the possibility of her getting hurt was very real.
Plus
, she was stark naked.

Ethan growled and called out, “Grace, we need you to come to us now.”

Jack braced his hands on his knees, catching his breath. “Sorry, guys. It was a stupid idea.”

Ethan turned to him and looked him in the eye. “Actually, if I’d been in your shoes, I might’ve suggested it too. None of us was thinking too clearly when we planned this. Bed at home is sounding sexier all the time.”

“Grace!” Jack turned in all directions calling her name. “Maybe we should split up.”

The wind kicked up, and a sheet of red lightning flickered on the horizon, and Jack heard the distant rumble of thunder. His heart drummed loudly in his ears, and he tried to control the icy fear creeping into his heart. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her. There were more than just snakes out here.

What a damned fool idea!

Suddenly he heard a loud scream, a yelp, and the pounding of her sandals slapping the ground nearby. A loud, feral squeal made his blood run cold, and they turned in circles. Suddenly Grace appeared and leaped for Adam at full speed, judging by how high she landed on his back, screaming, “Pig! A pig is chasing me!”

“What the —” Ethan looked around and then turned with big eyes. “Boar! Run! Why did I leave the gun in the car? It’s
huge
!”

They beat feet down the road with Grace screaming at the top of her lungs, clinging to Adam and crying the whole way. With the sprinter’s edge, Ethan outdistanced them and hollered, “Jump in the back with her. I’ll get the gun!”

It was hard to tell how far ahead of the pursuing animal they were. It paid to
not
test whether a boar was willing to risk attacking or might simply try to chase off an intruder then disappear back into the brush. Jack helped Adam load Grace into the back of the vehicle, and then he and Adam stood their ground with Ethan, who was armed with Jack’s handgun from the console. He fired one shot in the air, and the large animal skidded to a halt and disappeared into the brush.

“Why didn’t you shoot it?” Adam asked incredulously. “That was at least two-fifty or three hundred pounds of wild hog.”

“Our freezer is still full from last time,” Ethan replied as he watched for the animal to reappear. “And I really don’t want to deal with gutting a hog in the middle of the night when we could be making love to Grace.”

“Good point,” Adam agreed as he and Jack looked in on her.

She was crouched in the back of the SUV trying to slip into her clothing. “Is it gone?”

“I think so, darlin’. Are you injured?”

Another sheet of red lightning rippled across the horizon. Grace looked up and smiled. “No, I just got the shit scared out of me. Once I got farther away from the SUV the moon went behind a cloud and I somehow got turned around. I could hear you hollering but couldn’t tell which direction to go. I walked right up on a couple of them. At first I thought I bumped into a scratchy bush, but then it grunted and turned. When the cloud passed, I saw his tusks in the moonlight and…I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast in my entire life. I’m just glad it made you easier to spot too. I probably scared him as much as he scared me.”

Her easygoing manner made Jack feel even worse. “I’m really sorry, darlin’. I never should’ve sent you off without thinking things through. My only thought was that it might be fun if you gave them a little game of hide-and-seek first.”

Ethan clapped him on the back. “Actually, it wasn’t a bad idea, just not in the dead of summer when the rattlesnakes are out.”

Ethan lifted the snakeskin so she could see it, and Jack saw her shudder. “Can we go home? I think I want a shower and our bed.”

“I second that motion,” Adam said as he helped her from the back of the vehicle.

Lifting her now-dirty white satin bra from the ground, Jack apologized again. “Sorry about your lingerie, Grace.”

“If that’s the only casualty, we’re doing good. It may just need washing.” She took it from him and kissed him.

They climbed in the SUV and headed home. It was a quiet trip. Jack worried the whole way that he’d ruined the evening for Ethan and Adam. He even allowed Ethan to sit in the back with her so she could talk with him and maybe rekindle the flame from earlier in the vehicle. Ethan had a knack for knowing what Grace was thinking, and Jack hoped that connection between them could salvage their night of fun.