What it Takes (4 page)

When he glanced at her, he saw that she was focused on the salt shaker she was spinning on the table. He cleared his throat to get her attention and was pleased when she finally met his stare. “So, are you going to dance with me?”

She shrugged and turned away. “Not likely.”

While he had expected the answer, Patrick still felt the sting of her words as keenly as if she’d slapped him. He looked away at the various small groups around the room. One group in particular stood out—a group of four women who looked young, probably college aged. The women were staring intently at him, but he was there to spend time with Kelsey. He’d practically begged Grayson to convince her to come, so he made up his mind that he wouldn’t ask any of them to dance.

However, it might be rude to turn them down if
they
approached him.

Grayson returned to the table with drinks for everyone and smirked at Kelsey. “Do you know this line dance?”

Kelsey listened for a moment, a pleased look of recognition spreading across her face. “Yes, but I haven’t done it in a long time.”

Without another word, he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “You’ll remember.”

Grayson led Kelsey to the dance floor and after a few beats, they found their rhythm. It didn’t take long for a crowd to form around them. The grin on her face was broader than any Patrick had seen and before he realized, he was almost laughing.

After the song ended, Grayson wrapped Kelsey in a big hug. Patrick suddenly wished he was in Grayson’s place. He’d watched their relationship over the past four weeks and while it reminded him of the one he shared with his sister, he realized that Kelsey didn’t even show him half that warmth. The longer they were together, the more he wanted to receive her smiles and laughter himself and not witness them from the sidelines, as he was stuck doing now.

Grayson and Kelsey strolled toward the table, laughing and talking together. When she sat down, she took a sip of her beer and made a sour face. “That looked like fun,” Veronica said. Kelsey nodded, her countenance still bright, then glanced at Patrick.

He studied her face, his grin almost as wide as hers. “My turn?” he asked and her pleasant expression faded. He held her gaze until she swallowed and looked at the glass in front of her.

“No. I think I’d like to sit for a while,” she muttered through her heavy breathing.

He ground his teeth and groaned inwardly. He could have any woman in the room. Why was the only woman he wanted rejecting him? Their eyes met and he got lost in their green depths. A bubble of hope that she would change her mind formed and was just as quickly popped when she looked away.

“Are you Patrick Lyons?” asked a blonde with short hair. The group of four young women he’d noticed earlier was now standing beside their table.

He smiled automatically. “I am.”

They all squealed and out of the corner of his eye, Patrick saw Kelsey put a finger to her ear. He tried not to laugh.

“Would you dance with us?” asked the only brunette in the group.

They weren’t his first choice of dance partners, but at least they were interested. Kelsey was looking around the room, ignoring him, and Patrick made up his mind. He nodded once and sauntered to the dance floor with a girl on each arm.

Grayson drained his beer and slanted a look at Kelsey. “Guess you missed your chance,” he said with a wink.

Kelsey rolled her eyes and let the comment go. She was determined to enjoy herself and wasn’t about to discuss Patrick, especially with Grayson. She knew Grayson believed that she should be the next to warm Patrick’s bed and was looking for a reason to tease her about it. It hadn’t been hard to come up with an excuse not to dance with Patrick. Most of her balked at the idea of being in his arms, even for a brief dance. But there was a very tiny part of her that wondered what it might be like, and if Grayson had known that, he’d have pounced on it in a heartbeat. She took another sip of her drink as she glared at the women gyrating around Patrick in the middle of the floor. “I’ll be back,” Grayson announced.

Kelsey watched as he strutted to a group of three women on the other side of the dance floor. They had a similar, but slightly more subdued, reaction to his presence than Patrick’s groupies had to their idol. From across the room, Grayson flashed Kelsey and Veronica a broad, boyish grin as he led the women onto the floor, one on each arm and one behind him.

Veronica shook her head and looked at Kelsey over her shoulder. “Boys and their toys,” she murmured. Kelsey giggled. Veronica sipped her drink then faced Kelsey, her eyes a mixture of curiosity and mischief.

“What?” Kelsey swirled the bitter amber liquid in her glass. She hated beer. Would Grayson be offended if she didn’t drink it?

“Didn’t Patrick ask you to dance?” Veronica asked.

“Yeah. So?” Kelsey answered.

“Aren’t you going to?”

“Doubt it,” Kelsey replied flatly. Veronica tilted her head and Kelsey pointed to the dance floor. “He looks pretty busy to me.” At that moment, the perky brunette kissed Patrick on the cheek as one of her friends snapped a picture. He appeared to be enjoying himself and a twinge of jealousy squeezed Kelsey’s chest, which was ridiculous considering that she wanted nothing to do with the man.

“I’m sure they’ll have to go home soon so they won’t miss curfew,” Veronica said cattily. Kelsey laughed as Veronica tipped her drink up and finished it. “Do you think I should get another?”

“That’s up to you,” Kelsey shrugged. “So, who’re you going to dance with?”

Veronica sighed. “I don’t know yet. No one’s really caught my eye.” She spun her glass between her fingers. “Maybe we should partner up, since we’ve been abandoned by the guys.” Her eyes dilated with excitement. “Or we can dance with our guards.”

“Can we do that?”

Veronica laughed. “Why not? They’re here to protect us, and what better way than by making sure we don’t dance with some psychopath loser?”

Kelsey nodded, acknowledging Veronica’s point. The bodyguards sat at a table between her and the dance floor. One was focused on Patrick, one on Grayson and the other two were scanning the room.

A man approached their table and stopped a few inches away from Veronica. He cleared his throat then smiled. Veronica batted her eyelashes and Kelsey pursed her lips to stifle a giggle.

“Would you like to dance?” His thick Southern accent made Kelsey a little homesick. “You look so familiar,” he continued, not taking his eyes off of Veronica, who only nodded her encouragement. “I saw you in a movie last year. You must be here with them.” He thumbed over his shoulder toward Patrick and Grayson, who were still dancing with their adoring fans.

“Yes and yes,” Veronica said. “And I’d love to.” The man took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

Kelsey inhaled and exhaled slowly. She hadn’t set foot in a bar in more than six years, not since she and Tim had been dating. In the aftermath of their breakup Kelsey had taken some time to study her photo albums and her heart. She’d come to realize that she’d never really liked going to bars to begin with. The revelation had made her sick.

She remembered the last time she’d been in a bar. It had been the final night of exams before winter break of her senior year. She’d wanted to go to a nice restaurant to celebrate before meeting Tim’s friends at the bar. Instead, she and Tim had gone directly to the bar for dinner and his friends had joined them there. Kelsey had sipped on one beer all night while Tim had enjoyed several drinks. They’d danced together a few times, but she’d spent most of the evening watching him play pool and arcade games with his buddies.

When the bar had finally closed at two o’clock in the morning, Kelsey and Tim had returned to her apartment. She’d been tired, he’d been horny. As much as she’d wanted to sleep, she’d given in to his wants first. That was the night she’d conceived.

At the memory, a sharp pang of loss squeezed her heart.

Kelsey tried to shake off the awful memories. She was happy now, but things had turned out so differently from her expectations. She’d been played then and accepted the consequences long ago. But that didn’t take away the hurt.

A warm touch on her hand brought her back to the present. Patrick was leaning across the table, staring deeply into her eyes. He touched her cheek and she realized a few tears had fallen. Kelsey leaned away as she wiped her cheek, embarrassed by how pathetic she must look.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head then gave him a weak, self-deprecating smile. “I hate bars.”

His brow creased and the concern in his eyes grew by a fraction. “Then why’d you agree to come?” he questioned, a hint of sharpness in his voice.

Kelsey looked away and pulled her hand from his. She spied his dance partners in the middle of the dance floor, matching scowls on their faces. She blanked her humored expression before looking him in the eyes again and held up her index finger.

“One, y’all asked me to come.” Her middle finger went up. “Two, Grayson was right,” she added with a roll of her eyes. It wasn’t something she liked admitting. “I’ve been a bit of a recluse and it’s not polite.” She held up her third finger. “And three, I didn’t realize how much I hated bars until just this moment.”

Patrick’s lips twitched as he shook his head. “We could remedy that. Come dance with me.”

Kelsey glanced at the women behind him. Two of them had their arms crossed, toes tapping impatiently. “You’ve got your hands full already.” When she looked at him again, her treacherous heart began to beat a little faster.

His mouth was a thin line as he shrugged. The perky brunette approached the table and touched his arm. Irritation flashed across his face before he turned to the newcomer.

“Aren’t you coming back?” She motioned to the dance floor.

Patrick looked at Kelsey and waggled his eyebrows invitingly. She shook her head and his eyes narrowed.

The brunette assessed Kelsey for a moment then looped her arm through Patrick’s, eyeing Kelsey as she claimed her prize. Kelsey held back a laugh as she returned the look with one that said that she could have him. Kelsey was done dealing with charming players who would only break her heart. She wasn’t strong enough for that.

Patrick cleared his throat. “I’ll be there in a minute,” he said smoothly as he disentangled himself. The brunette nodded at him, shot Kelsey a dirty look, and walked back to her friends. “You’re sure you won’t? I hate seeing you sitting here all alone.” He took Kelsey’s hand and gave it a slight tug.

“I told you . . . I’ll be fine.” She pulled her hand away again. “Your harem awaits.” She motioned toward the girls with a game-show-type flourish.

“Why must you be so stubborn?” Patrick snapped, placing both hands on the table and leaning over them.

“Why must you be so persistent?” Kelsey answered. “Why can’t you get that I don’t want to dance with you through your thick skull?”

He inched closer. “Afraid you’ll enjoy it too much?”

“Not at all,” Kelsey said coolly, sounding calmer than she felt. “There’s nothing we could do together outside of work that I’d enjoy.”

The look in his eyes turned mischievous. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. You barely know me.”

“I know enough about you.” She narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to argue.

He clenched his jaw then spun on his heel and rejoined the girls, throwing each arm around a skinny shoulder. Once he was on the dance floor again, Kelsey exhaled slowly and felt a little lightheaded. She shook it away, debated taking a long sip of her beer, then turned her attention to the dancers and other patrons at the bar.

Everyone’s focus seemed to be on one of her three co-stars, and it was easy to tell which one by the expression on the faces. Those watching Grayson seemed amused. The men watching Veronica looked as enamored as the man who had asked her to dance had been. The women seemed to care less; after all, with Grayson and Patrick there, they couldn’t be bothered with the type of men they saw every day.

The ones watching Patrick, however, had the strongest reactions.

Some of the men watched, openly in awe, while others observed him out of the corner of their eyes, mimicking his moves on the dance floor or the way he carried himself. The women were all desperate for his attention. Whether on the floor beside him or standing on the sidelines, they tossed their hair, batted their eyelashes, or wiggled their fingers at Patrick Lyons.

Patrick’s partners created a barrier around him. The girls took turns touching his arms and shoulders and occasionally got their faces within inches of his. He met Kelsey’s glare with a smile and a wink, then turned his back on her to fully devote himself to the brats. Kelsey rolled her eyes, annoyed with herself by how much it bothered her.

Grayson was in the middle of the dance floor, talking to almost everyone within earshot. It appeared he’d lost interest in the women he’d started dancing with, but they hadn’t lost interest in him. They were clustered on the floor, not far from him. Kelsey considered joining him until Patrick approached him and she looked somewhere else.

Veronica was still close to the outer edge of the dance floor, not far from her bodyguard at the end of the bar. She was clearly having a good time; she’d gathered a small group of admirers but wasn’t really paying attention to her original partner. He was obviously still smitten with her, however, and Kelsey felt sorry for him.

“C’mon.” A hand on her arm, trying to pull her out of her seat, took Kelsey by surprise. Grayson frowned down at her. “We’re dancing.”

She reluctantly stood up, hoping to ease his grip. “I really don’t want to.” She planted her feet and tried holding her ground, but he pulled her around the table and onto the dance floor.

“I don’t think I asked,” he stated. “You look pathetic sitting there by yourself.” Kelsey’s mouth fell open and the corners of his lips began to turn up as he took her hand and started dancing. After a while, she relaxed. “See, that’s not so bad,” he said as he spun her. She shook her head and he pulled her closer. She focused over his shoulder but could feel him staring at her face.