The Opposite of Wild (16 page)

Jorge and Arianna’s dance ended, and Maggie was right there to take Arianna’s place. “Me first,” she said.

Jorge smiled and took Maggie’s hand. “Everyone take your partner’s hand and practice the triple step. Right, left, right.”

Shane took Liz’s hand. She stepped right; he stepped right into her. “Ow.”

“Sorry,” Shane said.

“Right, left, right,” Liz said. “Don’t stand so close to me, or we’ll bump.”

“Right, left, right,” he muttered, rigidly going back and forth. He stopped suddenly as the music wore on. “Now what?”

“I think we do it again, but with one foot staying in place. Just a little step.”

They began again and heard Maggie say, “Oh, Jorge, you’re wonderful!”

Shane’s knee bumped into her leg, throwing her off balance. “Ah!”

“Sorry, Liz,” he said, reaching for her to keep her upright. “I haven’t danced anything but a slow dance, and that’s just swaying back and forth.”

She shook her head. “That’s okay. You’ll get it.”

But he didn’t.

By the end of the class, Liz felt bruised and exhausted from Shane’s constant missteps. They just couldn’t figure out how to move together. She looked longingly at Dick, who was now doing an impressive cha-cha with Sally. The older woman was flushed with delight as he spun her expertly.

Even Miss Pinched Lips was dancing enthusiastically with that sweet woman Pam. She waved to Pam as Diane whirled her around again.

Pam smiled. “Hi, sweetie, I forgot your name.”

“Liz,” she said in a loud voice.

Pam barely got a chance to nod before Diane whirled her away.

Maggie was the luckiest of them all. The chemistry between her and Jorge crackled in the air with smoldering looks as he returned to her again and again for more instruction. The two moved together so beautifully, she could feel the sparks between them from across the room.

Liz felt a stab of jealousy. She wanted a guy who looked at her like that. Like he wanted her for dessert.

After class, Maggie joined her and Shane while Jorge said goodbye to his students. Maggie dabbed her glowing face with a lace handkerchief she’d stashed in her cleavage. “I’ll just be a minute, you two. I’ll meet you at the car.”

Liz exchanged a look with Shane as Maggie walked with swinging hips back to Jorge. They cracked up.

Shane held the door for her. “I think we’ve been dismissed.”

“I think they’re going to hook up,” Liz said as they walked to the car.

“In the dance studio?” Shane asked.

“No, but soon. They seem really into each other.”

“So weird.”

“I know.” She sighed and stopped next to the car.

Shane stood next to her. “Sorry I’m a terrible dancer.”

She bumped him with her hip. “Hey, it was your first time. I’ve had two whole lessons.”

He grinned. “You want to go to a barbecue at Trav’s place on Sunday? Just family. But you could bring a friend.”

She smiled. “Sure. I’ll ask Rachel too.”

His ears turned redder than his hair. “Good.”

“Hey, you guys!” Maggie called as she left the dance studio. “Wasn’t that great? Didn’t you just love it?”

“You sure loved it, Gran,” Shane teased. “You and Jorge.”

“Oh, you,” she said.

Liz unlocked the car, and they all got in. She put down the roof, and the wind messed up their hair again on the way home.

“Listen, Liz, you don’t have to drive me anymore,” Maggie said. “Jorge said he’d be happy to pick me up and drop me off.”

“Oh, really?” she asked casually.

“Yes, you can still come to class, though. Not trying to scare you away.”

Shane was quiet in the back seat.

“I think I’ve had enough lessons, Maggie. Enjoy yourself.”

“But not too much!” Shane piped up.

“No such thing as too much!” Maggie yelled back to him. Then she lifted her arms in the air in the V of victory. “Woo-hoo!”

Chapter Fifteen

Liz had some free time the next morning. It was a beautiful summer day, and she decided it would be fun to go for a drive with Maggie.

She rang her friend’s doorbell at ten o’clock. She knew Maggie was an early riser.

“Liz, what a lovely surprise. Come in.” Oddly, Maggie was still in a nightgown—a lacy cotton thing that ended at the knees. Her hair looked sort of tousled. And she wore bunny slippers. She joined Maggie in the living room, where they usually sat.

“Can I get you some tea?” Maggie inquired. She seemed unusually cheerful considering she just woke up.

Jorge, in a ruffled yellow terrycloth robe, walked in from the kitchen, carrying a mug. “I just put on a pot of coffee if you’d prefer that.” He positively glowed when he smiled.

“Jorge! Hello!” Liz’s voice rose to the octave of a cat whose tail has just been stepped on. “I am…so, so”—she backed toward the front door—“sorry. I should’ve called first. Next time I’ll call.”

She grabbed the door and opened it.

“Bye, sweetie!” Maggie said.

Jorge whispered something in a low, sexy voice, and Maggie giggled.

Liz quietly shut the door.
Omigod
. She just prayed Ryan didn’t find out.

She took the porch steps quickly and practically sprinted down the front walk, stopping abruptly at the sight of Ryan coming down the sidewalk. “Ryan! Would you like to get a cup of coffee with me at Ernie’s?” The diner was in Eastman, a good twenty minutes away. Less chance of running into anyone in town while she gently broke the news that Maggie may have “met” someone.

He looked down at the to-go cup in his hand. “I have coffee.”

She rushed up to him and put a staying hand on his arm. “A hot breakfast, then? Pancakes?”

He looked at her quizzically. “Maybe another time. I was just stopping by to check on Gran, see if she needed any work done around here. How was dance class?”

“Great!” Liz chirped. “You know, I think Maggie’s all set. But, gosh, I could go for a walk. Join me?” She tried to tug him along, but he was six foot, one hundred eighty-five pounds of not budging.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “What’s going on, Liz?”

Liz didn’t know how else to stop the blow-up about to happen when Ryan discovered his grandmother with her new, hot, younger lover. Distraction time.

“Kiss me,” she squeaked before throwing herself in his arms.

~ ~ ~

Ryan didn’t need any more invitation. He’d been thinking about doing just that ever since the first time he’d kissed her. Then the timing had been bad; this timing worked just fine. His hand tangled in her silky hair as he leaned down and kissed her. She let out a little moan and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He tasted her, deepened the kiss, demanding more, and she gave it, opening for him. His tongue mated with hers. He slid his hand from her hair, down her spine, tugging at her shirt. He needed to feel skin. He slipped a hand under her shirt, stroking her back. Then he slid his hand lower, over her thin pants, cupping her pretty little ass and pressing her closer to where he wanted her. She moaned and rocked against him. He felt like he was going to lose it right there. He could feel everything through his basketball shorts. In the distance, a siren went off, and she broke off the kiss.

Her eyes were wide, her lips rosy and wet, her hair mussed. He reached for her again, but she pushed him away.

“Ryan, we’re on your grandmother’s front lawn.”

He knew, but he didn’t care. This had been a long time coming. Still, he wouldn’t object to going somewhere a little more private.

He put his mouth to her ear. “My place is only a few blocks away.”

She shivered. “Ryan.”

He wasn’t finished. He set his coffee down and watched as she diligently tucked her shirt back into her ironed beige pants that stopped at her sexy ankles. Her blush made him smile.
You can try to look uptight, but I know you like it hot.

He smoothed a lock of her hair back behind her ear and stroked her cheek. She leaned into his hand. He kissed her temple and feathered soft, open-mouthed kisses down her jaw to her neck, where he nipped her.

She jolted, and her eyes flew open. “Okay,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him down the sidewalk. He left his coffee, not wanting to give her a second chance to change her mind.

He couldn’t believe he was hooking up on a Friday morning with a buttoned-up Liz. He couldn’t wait to pull off every layer to see what she hid underneath.

He squeezed her hand as they walked toward his house. She gave him an uneasy smile.
Uh-oh
.
I’m losing her.

“You okay?” he asked.

She stiffened. “Yeah, sure. Fine.” She cleared her throat and looked straight ahead. Her stride was tight and tense.

They walked in silence while he scrambled to come up with something to put her at ease. His house was just a couple of blocks away. The heat of their previous kiss seemed to be fading in the face of her nerves. He stopped short and pulled her in for another kiss. No sooner had he touched her lips than she pushed him away.

“Ryan,” she whispered fiercely. “We’re on the sidewalk. Please.”

He put his hand on the small of her back and tugged her closer, kissing the side of her neck. She leaned into him with a whimper. That was more like it.

She straightened suddenly and walked at a brisk pace toward his house. “Ryan?”

He kept up. “Yeah?”

“You sure about this?”

“Absolutely.” He looked up and down her fine, curvy body.

Her face flushed in response. Just a block away now. She seemed torn between bolting and following him into his place. He had to tread carefully. Try not to spook her. When they got to his house, he placed a hand on her back, gently guiding her down the front sidewalk.

She stopped at the porch steps.

“Ladies first.” He gestured for her to walk ahead of him.
Please don’t bail.

She glanced back toward the sidewalk. “I…uh…think I better go.” She leaned up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.
On the cheek
after all that fiery passion? He reminded himself that Liz wasn’t the jump-in-the-sack type. Damn if it didn’t make him want her more. Maybe that was her game.

He caught her around the waist and just held her there. “We can go as slow as you want.”

Her eyes went wide. “Rain check!” Then she turned and took off at a near run back in the direction they’d come. She reminded him of a skittish deer. He’d have to approach slowly, with care and patience. But there was no question in his mind where this was going. They’d crossed the line of no return with that hot kiss.

“Where’re you going in such a hurry?” he called just to tease her.

She waved vaguely in the direction of the downtown. “I just remembered I’m supposed to meet Rachel at Book It.”

He watched her legs eat up the sidewalk, her heart-shaped ass swaying and waving goodbye to him.

He groaned and opened his front door. Time for a cold shower.

He ran upstairs, peeled off his clothes, and threw them on the bedroom floor. A few moments later, the cold water hit him, and all thoughts of Liz flew from his mind.

~ ~ ~

Thankfully, Book It was quiet at this time of the morning. Liz found Rachel pulling new books out of a box, and gestured silently to her office. Rachel followed wordlessly, seeming to understand the urgency, and shut the door behind them.

“What’s up?” Rachel asked.

“I feel like I just touched electric current,” Liz said with a jittery laugh. She wiped her sweaty palms on her linen pants. “I almost slept with Ryan five minutes ago!” she blurted. She clapped a hand over her mouth. She still couldn’t believe that had happened.

Rachel’s brown eyes widened behind her glasses. “This is serious. Why didn’t you go through with it? Some of us spent a nauseating summer listening to you talk about the magnificent Ryan O’Hare, day in and day out.” She softened the snark with a smile.

Liz didn’t smile back. She was still in too much shock.

Rachel squeezed Liz’s arm. “Hey, I’m kidding. I was happy to listen. But wouldn’t this have been your dream-come-true moment? Why would you pass that up?”

Liz flashed back to that intense heat, the overwhelming pull she felt toward Ryan. Dear Lord, she’d been humping him on his grandmother’s front lawn. She was like a dog in heat around him. Luckily, during their short walk, she’d come to her senses.

Then she remembered Maggie and Jorge and how happy they looked. Post humping.

Liz dropped her head in her hands and groaned. “I’m such an idiot.”

Rachel patted her back. “Now we both know that’s not true.” She paused. “Are you an idiot for not sleeping with him or because you almost did?”

“Because I didn’t,” Liz moaned.

“This is totally fixable. It’s not hard to get a guy to sleep with you. Just let him know you’re available.”

She looked up. “How?”

“Get naked.”

“Oh, sure, get naked with the guy who…” She trailed off as The Humiliation trounced her hard-won confidence. She shook her head. “It’s better this way. Guess what? Maggie and Jorge hooked up.”

“See?” Rachel said with a smile. “Take a page from Maggie’s book.”

“And what about you? Shane invited us to a barbecue at Trav’s on Sunday. Maybe you and Shane.”

Rachel fixed her with a significant look. “Shane’s too serious for me. Two dates and you’re talking about the”—she did finger quotes in the air—“relationship. After all the crazy boyfriends I’ve had, I just want something light and fun.” She busied herself pouring a cup of fresh coffee. “Besides, Sunday I’m going with Sarah and the kids to the zoo. Coffee?”

“No, thanks.” Her nerves were jangled enough without adding caffeine to the mix.

Liz wondered if she shouldn’t go to the barbecue. It could be awkward to see Ryan after she humped him and ran away. He was sure to call her on it. But she was friends with Maggie and Shane, so she should just go.

She focused on her friend, who claimed they were diving into the single life together, but still hadn’t taken even a baby step in that direction. “Rach, you said you’d get out there.”

Rachel sipped her coffee. “Maybe I’ll meet someone at the club tomorrow.”