“I’m honestly not trying to. I just can’t help it. I try to give up the lead for a few seconds and then I find myself slipping back into it. I’ll be more aware of it from here on out.”
“It doesn’t bother me. Honestly. But I would like to try to lead you for a song or two,” he admitted. He tightened his grip around her waist. “If that’s even possible.” He tacked on a wink for good measure.
“Wild horses are more easily tamed,” she teased, but Seth noticed the way her body slowly gave up command. Something softened in both her exterior and her spirit and within the span of one song, Seth had her following his guiding steps.
He’d been surprised by a lot of things when it came to Josie, but her willingness to let him take the reins was the biggest one yet.
12
Josie
Josie wasn’t a short woman but Seth’s six-foot-two frame created a big enough gap that it made the difference noticeable, mostly in the way her head lined right up with his broad shoulder. If a slow song came on, I could press just a little closer and rest it there, she mused. Her eyes almost fell shut at the enticing thought. That just might be the very thing to do her in. A slow dance with this cowboy. She sent up a little prayer that tonight’s DJ continued to keep it lively.
She was not going to fall for Seth. She didn’t have the time—nor the desire—to be in any sort of real relationship. From what she’d known of them, they were nothing but heartache leading to eventual heartbreak, with a whole lot of headache in between. Her older sister, Maren, somehow managed to make it work and was now married to her childhood sweetheart, but Josie had had a front row seat to the emotional toil it took to finally reach their happily ever after. In her eyes, drama and dating went hand in hand, like peanut butter and jelly or boots and spurs.
Josie didn’t do drama. That might mean she’d miss out on her own happily-ever-after, but that was okay. She was perfectly content with a happy-right-now. And that’s what she felt when she danced with Seth. Happy.
Something about keeping her feet moving, her heart rate up, and her hand at Seth’s muscular back made her alive. Invigorated. It turned out that being Seth’s fake girlfriend wasn’t all too terrible at all. The opposite, really.
They’d spent nearly an hour dancing their way across the floor when the music cut off and the DJ announced that a local, live cover band would take over for the remainder of the night. Now was as good a time as any to take a break to catch their breath. She could see the line of perspiration beading along Seth’s brow, the exertion of dance after dance noticeably winding him, and she felt a trail of sweat forming along her lower back and flushing her cheeks, too.
“It’s fair to say that you’ve worn me out.” Seth snatched his bandana from his back pocket and moved it slowly across his forehead before stashing it away. “I thought we would just have a quiet little night of country line dancing but you’ve got me out there twisting and turning all over the place. And I’d like to point out, I still don’t know the Electric Slide.”
Josie trailed Seth back to the bar, but moved her feet in the motions of the popular line dance, shuffling, scooting, and scraping her boots along the tacky hardwood in several eight counts until she’d danced herself all the way up to their empty stools. “Did you catch all of that?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “But it’s fine. I think I prefer dancing with you as opposed to next to you, anyway. You’re a really good partner, Josie.”
Their glasses were half-filled with lukewarm, leftover beer and a basket of limp fries sat abandoned on the portion of the bar they had vacated an hour earlier. Seth grimaced at the unappetizing display before them.
“Should I order us a fresh round?”
“I’ve actually got another idea if you’re okay with calling it a night here,” Josie suggested.
“I’m totally good with that. Truthfully, I’m not sure my feet can handle round two out on that floor. They’re going to be killing me tomorrow.”
“Only because I stepped on them a hundred or so times.”
“More like I stepped on yours,” Seth corrected. “I’m clumsier than a growing puppy.”
“And arguably just as cute.”
His dark eyes clouded in bewilderment. “I just want to point out that you’ve called me both a hot rancher and a cute puppy tonight, which—I’m not gonna lie—is a little confusing. So what exactly is your type, Josie Friar?”
“In order to generate a type, that would mean I’ve dated several men in my past to compare with one another. Since you’re my first boyfriend—and a pretend one at that—I’d say I can’t really have a type.”
“Please don’t tell me I’m setting the standard for your future dating life. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a fake boyfriend.” He called the bartender over to close out the tab and then his demeanor shifted as he got serious. His gaze latched onto Josie’s like a tangible grasp. “I didn’t realize you’d never been in a relationship before. If I had, I wouldn’t’ve pushed for all of this.” He waved his hand in the space between them.
“Just to be clear, I’m the one who suggested it. You didn’t push.”
The bill came and Seth clicked open the pen to scribble his name onto the receipt. He lowered off the stool and Josie did the same.
“Plus, I’m having fun,” Josie said, but she couldn’t stave off the insecurity that started to creep in. “Aren’t you?”
“Absolutely.” He held out a hand to indicate he would follow her through the bar and toward the exit. The establishment was now at—if not over—capacity and they had to thread their way through a thick sea of white cowboy hats, big, dolled-up hair, and enough cologne and perfume to suffocate them before they even reached the door. “Lots of fun. I just don’t want to make things weird for you.”
“Well, I didn’t think things were weird, but I sorta feel like now it’s inevitable since you mentioned it. Like there’s going to be a big, weird elephant in the room.”
Seth grabbed her hand and shouldered open the door. “No elephant. Forget I ever said anything about the elephant.”
She would try, but what she couldn’t forget was the way her mouth went dry when he took up her hand of his own volition. This wasn’t for show. There was no one around now. They’d squeezed their way out the entrance doors and now it was just the two of them alone in the dim parking lot. A single lamp flickered above the collection of cars parked there and it buzzed as moths darted in and out of its triangular funnel of light. Josie thought it was odd that her ears rang in a similar, buzzing way.
“I’m sorry.” Seth dropped her hand like a hot potato. “Funny how quickly habits can form, huh? I didn’t really mean to do that.”
“I like holding your hand, Seth.”
His feet planted even though his truck was only a few paces away. “You know what I like about you, Josie? You’re not shy about sharing what’s on your mind. That’s a rare and admirable quality.”