When Tank got up to leave, he asked Cait to walk him out, and when she returned to the table, Brant noticed Baz and Gunner giving her approving looks. He took that as a good sign.
A little while later, Gia and Evie dragged Cait off to the ladies’ room. They came back twenty minutes later giggling and looking at Brant. He had sisters. He knew what that meant, and he was proud to have their approval.
That was twenty minutes ago. Now, as Cait loved up Scrappy, Brant caught her stealing another glance at him. She quickly looked away, and he draped an arm over the back of her chair, pulling her closer, and said, for her ears only, “Your friends like me. You know what that means?”
“That they’re drunk?” she whispered.
“Nice try. It means I passed your test.”
Cait felt like she’d swallowed her tongue. Were she and her friends that obvious? By the look on Brant’s face, the answer was yes.
“In your dreams, boat boy. Why don’t you just sit there and drink your beer.” She tried to play it off casually, but there was nothing casual about tonight. He made her colliding worlds feel more like they were shifting and molding seamlessly into one, as if they had always coexisted.
He hooked his arm tighter around her, his lips grazing her ear as he said, “I’d much rather tell you how beautiful you look tonight.”
Her body whooped and cheered, urging her to flirt, flirt, flirt! But while Cait was excellent at deflecting, she pretty much sucked at flirting.
She glanced across the table at Gia, who flirted shamelessly with all the good-looking guys, and Evie, Baz’s best friend and assistant at his veterinary practice, who enjoyed a constant stream of flirting and deflecting with Baz that had gone on for years. They’d both encouraged her to go out with Brant. Actually, if Gia had it her way, Cait would drag Brant’s fine ass out to his truck and have raunchy, wild sex with him. Cait would give anything to be a normal woman for once in her life, to feel okay throwing caution to the wind and give in to her desires. But she’d done that before, and it had bitten her in the ass. It had taken years before she’d even wanted to flirt again, and the few times she had tried, the ghosts of her past had peered out, shutting her down.
“Dance with me,” Brant said, drawing her from her thoughts.
The adoration in his eyes enveloped her like an embrace. How could he make her feel so much with nothing more than a look? She wasn’t drunk. She’d had only two drinks over the span of almost three hours. Oh, how she wanted to dance! But that was another thing she sucked at. “I don’t dance.”
“It’s time to change that.” Brant stood and took Scrappy from her. “Gunner, would you mind snuggling our pooch so I can dance with Cait?”
Gunner chuckled. “You think you’re going to get Cait on the dance floor?”
“Cait doesn’t dance.” Baz looked encouragingly at her and said, “But I think she should. Give me Scrappy.”
Brant handed Scrappy to Baz and took Cait’s hand, lifting her to her feet.
Why was she standing? Traitorous legs! “Brant, I really don’t dance. I’ll embarrass you.”
“You couldn’t embarrass me if you tried.” He slid his arm around her waist.
“I don’t know how to dance,” she whispered, trying to pry his arm off her. “I’ll embarrass myself.”
He wrapped his arms around her, calm as could be, and transfixed her with his gaze as he looked into her eyes. “I’m not going to let that happen. Can’t you trust me enough for one dance?”
“Girl, the hottest guy in here is asking you to dance,” Gia said loudly. “Get your skinny ass on that dance floor before I kick you in it.”
Cait glared at her. Gia knew she didn’t dance. She turned pleading eyes to Evie and said, “Evie, tell him I really don’t dance.”
“Sorry, Cait, but I think you should give it a try,” Evie said sweetly. “Thousands of middle school boys make it through dances every year. I’m pretty sure you can do this.”
“Let’s go, my tattooed princess.” Brant led her toward the dance floor.
“Traitors!” she called over her shoulder to her friends, who waved her off. “You’re going to regret this, Brant. I have two left feet. I’m not even sure they’re left feet. They’re more like middle feet.”
He laughed and swept her into his arms, guiding her hands over his shoulders.
“Brant,” she pleaded, looking around at the other couples dancing like they were born knowing how.
“Trust me, babe. I’ve got you.”
Her heart raced as he slid one hand to her lower back, moving the other up her back and curling his fingers over her shoulder, holding their bodies together from thighs to chest. He began moving his hips, guiding hers to the same rhythm, and boy did he feel good.
“That’s it, baby. Let your body move with me,” he said huskily, gazing deeply into her eyes. She felt like she was floating. He kept her close and pressed his cheek to hers. “Sometimes all you need in life is the right partner.”
His voice, and his words, sent heat slithering beneath her skin. She was actually dancing, and she wasn’t tripping or making a fool of herself. She felt herself smiling, her heart opening to the beautiful man she’d been lusting over for weeks. He was helping her do something she’d wanted to do forever and hadn’t been brave enough to try. She wanted to stay right there in his arms, feeling his body moving against hers. She wondered if her friends would mind if they just danced hour after hour, until their legs could no longer hold them upright.
Brant’s eyes found hers. “What are you thinking right now?”
She shook her head, embarrassed to tell him the truth. “Nothing.”
“I’ll tell you what I’m thinking.” He paused just long enough for her nerves to ping again. “That this—you and me together—feels right.”
God yes . . .
“And that I’m really glad I came to see you and that you let me meet your friends. I know they’re important to you, and I can tell they always have your back.”
He was so sweet and caring, she melted against him, and he must have felt it, because he tightened his hold on her, and those devastating dimples came out to play.
“I wondered why you hadn’t moved to the island full-time yet,” he said softly. “I understand now. You have a family here and a new family on Silver Island. It must be hard wanting to be in two places at once. But I get that. Family is everything to me, so if you’re worried that if you go out with me, I’ll become one of those possessive guys who tries to get you to stop seeing your friends, I promise I won’t ever do that.”
Her heart was beating so fast, she could barely hear past the blood rushing through her ears. He really did see her and understand her, and Tank and the rest of her friends liked him, all of which made her want to throw caution to the wind even more.
“Let me in, Caity,” he whispered. “I won’t let you down.”
Yes, yes, yes. I can do this. I am doing this! She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. The first touch was electrifying. His hand moved into her hair as he slowly deepened the kiss, their tongues dancing to the same exquisite beat as their bodies. He didn’t rush, didn’t push, but kissed her with the same robust confidence as he did everything else. How did he know that this sweet, sensual, intoxicating kiss was exactly what she needed? He made a low, appreciative sound, and she cupped the back of his neck to counter her weakening knees. She’d never been kissed like this before, had never wanted so viscerally. She felt so good in his arms, she gave herself over to her desires, losing herself in a sea of pleasure. He tasted familiar and addicting, as if she’d been there before in some other time or some other life. She couldn’t get enough, and pressed her hips harder against his, pushing her hands into his hair as she thrust her tongue hungrily into his mouth. She was swept up in the white-hot passion coursing through her and lost all sense of time and place. When their lips finally parted, she was breathless and light-headed, her mouth burning for more.