Chapter Twenty-One
One thing about country bars, they made for great people watching. Granted, none of the crew Natalie was with blended with the rest of the crowd, but being only three blocks from their lodge and packed with friendly people, it had proven to be the perfect place for the brothers, their mothers, and Viv to unwind and relax.
Of course, Gabe and Zeke weren’t there. The groom had swung his bride up about a nanosecond after the photographer deemed his work done and carted Gabe away amidst a flurry of jibes and well wishes. Natalie’s mom was missing in action too, having lured Levi into staying at the hotel with the promise of all the room service he could eat. Trevor had jumped all over that idea and volunteered to pony up for the bill.
Not that he’d let her or her mom pay for anything so far on this trip. She’d tried at dinner and had earned an affronted male glare not just from Trevor, but every one of his brothers.
Beside her, Viv recounted a debacle from one of her recent events, a tale that involved the chairman of the board, a socialite housewife, and the unfortunate discovery of the two in a compromising situation between dinner and dessert—by their spouses. The moms, Sylvie and Ninette, listened and laughed throughout the sordid tale, while Jace sat beside Viv, seemingly content just to hear her voice.
The rest of the men took turns at the pool table behind them, their rich voices mingling seamlessly with the music. Well, all of them except Trevor. He’d stayed close to her, rarely leaving her side except to take his turn with a cue or to get the next round of drinks.
As it had since they’d commandeered the big table at the back of the bar, Natalie found herself watching the couples shuffle past on the dance floor. Some kept their steps simple, while others spun and twisted in intricate moves that left her astounded. More than that, she found herself enjoying the music. She’d gone through a country music phase in her senior year of high school, but none of the songs she remembered sounded like these.
Trevor’s strong hand cupped the back of her neck and his sexy voice purred beside one ear. “You want to give it a go?”
She craned her neck to take in his handsome face. She’d thought by now the simple act of looking at him wouldn’t still tangle her tongue, but she was as stunned speechless now as she was the day of her interview. “Give what a go?”
He tilted the pool cue he’d anchored butt end on the ground toward the dance floor. “You want to dance?”
“Me?” She shuttled her gaze between the dance floor and Trevor. “Oh, no. That’s waaay beyond my skill level. My dancing is limited to house cleaning and impromptu moments with a good song in the car.”
His lips twitched like he was trying awfully hard not to smile. “I think I’d pay to see either one of those.” His hand on her neck tightened and his expression shifted to something she couldn’t quite name. Contemplative maybe, but smoldering with a possessive glint that terrified and thrilled her. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen that look tonight either. Ever since the wedding, he’d vacillated between his usual indulgent self and a sexy stalking puma.
Axel straightened from the pool table and frowned at the eight ball nestled at the corner of the red felt-covered top. “Damn it all, I thought I had this one.” His gaze shifted to Trevor. “You’re up, brother.”
Trevor’s thumb skated back and forth along the pool cue’s lacquered surface, his focus never straying from her face.
The upbeat song came to an end and a slower one took its place. Twice the number of couples hurried to the dance floor.
Wedging his pool cue behind Natalie’s chair, he grinned down at her, clasped her hand and tugged her off her stool. He glanced back at Axel. “How about I pass and we agree you won this one?”
“Gonna show the lass your smooth moves, are ya?” Axel chuckled, pulled the rack out from beneath the table and waggled his eyebrows at Natalie. “Doubt he’d show you all his tricks here, but if you’re nice, maybe he’ll give you the full show later.”
“Tricks?” Her mind was still trying to puzzle out Axel’s meaning before it registered they were headed toward the dance floor. She dug in her heels and tried to pull her hand from Trevor’s. “Trevor, really. I can’t do this. I mean, look at me.”
Unlike her efforts to stop him physically, her words stopped him on a dime. He turned, scanned her head to toe and smiled. “Been looking all day and still can’t decide if I like the blue dress or the ass-hugging jeans better. Don’t see what that’s got to do with dancing though.”
“I’ve got on Keds, for crying out loud.” A tactical error she’d made when Trevor had shown up at her door in a tight-fitting navy-blue T-shirt, jeans and black Luccheses. She’d assumed his casual attire meant they’d hang out at the lodge’s bar and head right back to their room. Not head out for a local club.
Trevor moved in close, his confidence engulfing her as strongly as his arms around her waist. “Trust me when I tell you, it wouldn’t matter if you were barefoot and wearing a tutu. If you can count to two, I can not only get you around this dance floor, but you’ll have a good time, come back out of breath and smiling.”
Oh, boy. Clearly, Trevor had never seen her moves, or more like the lack thereof. “Um, you’ve never seen me dance.”
“I’ve seen you dance plenty. You were naked every time and close enough I didn’t miss a second. No doubt about it, you’ll be fine.” He cupped the side of her face and lowered his voice. “Trust me, darlin’. It’s just a slow dance.”
She peeked around his shoulder, a mix of terror and curiosity banging around in her chest. Yeah, she’d probably look like an out-of-place dork, but she was over fifteen hundred miles from home, for crying out loud. “Just a slow dance?”
“To start. If you’re done after that, we’ll call it quits.”
“You have to swear you won’t laugh.”
His mouth twitched again.
“I mean it, Trevor. I really suck at this. No laughing, or no deal.”
He pried her hand off his bicep, placed it over his heart, and laid his own over the top. “I’d cut out my own tongue before I’d laugh at you, and I’d throttle anyone else who did.”
He’d said it a little tongue in cheek, but the sincerity behind his sky-blue gaze buzzed through her like a live current.
“Now are you gonna come dance with me,” he asked, “or do I have to skulk back to our table like a loser who struck out?”
This time it was her who had to fight back a smile. “Okay. One song, but then we reevaluate.”
True to his word, he really was an excellent teacher, starting them off to one side so he could ease her into the rhythm before he steered her into the main flow. By the end of song, she wasn’t even counting anymore, just following his lead and enjoying the feel of his body close to hers.
“Dare to go one more?” he said close to her ear.
The new song’s tempo was just a little faster than the last, nothing nearly as quick as some of the others she’d heard. She’d made it this far and hadn’t stumbled. Surely she could make it through another one. “Okay.”
His answering smile alone was enough to make the gamble worth it. Pure pleasure coursed through her blood and mingled with the flood of adrenaline in her system. In the end, she didn’t just make it one more song, but two, and had even made it through a few spins without falling flat on her face. As he’d promised, she traipsed back to the table by his side, out of breath and smiling so big her cheeks ached.
She climbed up on her stool. “That was fun!”
He chuckled and maneuvered himself between her thighs, the stool’s height lining her hips up perfectly with his. And didn’t that just make her think of an entirely different dance? “Never doubt me on a dance floor, darlin’.” He nodded toward her beer bottle. “You want a fresh one?”
More like two if she was ever going to come back down from her surprise thrill ride. “Please.”
That intense, brooding look flashed across his face, and her sex clenched at the promise behind it. He palmed the back of her head and skimmed his lips against hers. “You’re gonna say that a lot later. I suggest you start practicing in your head now, along with yes, sir and no, sir.”
She gasped against his mouth, and he captured it with a long, leisurely kiss. When he lifted his head, it was all she could do to uncurl her hands from around his neck and let him go. No man had ever affected her the way he did. Never left her wet and aching from nothing more than a kiss.
Heck, who was she kidding? Trevor didn’t even need to kiss her. She’d been primed and ready to take him with just a look. She watched him walk away, his sexy, confident stride and the way his T-shirt and jeans clung to his muscular body drawing feminine appreciation along the way. But he was hers. Maybe not long-term, but for now she’d soak up every second.
Vivienne’s teasing voice barely registered over her rioting thoughts. “I do believe our girl is well and truly smitten.”
Trevor disappeared into the crowd.
Natalie sighed and swiveled back to the table. “He’s a really good dancer. I mean, I guess I should have assumed. He does everything else perfect.”
Vivienne rolled her lips inward as though biting back a comment.
Ninette snorted and Sylvie guffawed loud enough to make the guys playing pool drop their conversation and take notice.
Jace’s mouth twitched a second before he looked away.
Natalie studied each of the women. In less than one sentence, she felt like she’d gone from heaven to dancing through a land mine. “What?”
Vivienne raised both eyebrows. “He hasn’t told you?”
“Told me what?”
Viv eyeballed Ninette and Sylvie.
Both shrugged in a Don’t look at me motion.
“Jace?” Vivienne said.
Jace sucked in a slow breath and shifted his gaze to Natalie. “You care about my brother?”
All at once, the noise and music dropped to nothing. The air around her sparked with a potency reserved for thrill rides and life-changing moments. She swallowed as well as her suddenly parched mouth would allow. “More than I think he’s comfortable knowing.”
He studied her with a fierceness she felt all the way to her soul and took his sweet time doing it. He twirled the toothpick at the corner of his mouth. “You accept the parts of his past he’s not proud of, you won’t have to tell him you care. You’ll show him.”
His gaze slid to Viv, and he nodded.
Viv grinned huge. “Is that the royal go-ahead?”
Jace gave his wife a smoldering look that said she’d pay for her jab in the most delightful way possible. “More like a little nudge to get these two going.”
“Oh, fer Pete’s sake,” Sylvie blurted. “What they’re tryin’ ta tell ye is that Trevor spinnin’ ya round the dance floor is tame compared ta the dancin’ he used ta do.”
Ninette covered her mouth and Jace chuckled.
How the heck could dancing have anything to do with Trevor having a past he wasn’t proud of? “You mean, like professional dancing?”
This time it was Vivienne who giggled. “Oh, it was professional all right. As in a male stripper.”