“I love this track! Is it the desert remix? It is!” His loud whisper can probably be heard for miles. Good thing my brother sleeps like the dead.
I’m shocked to my toes when he grabs my hand and drops to a squat. As the bass beat climbs and the drum machine accelerates, we raise our bodies to standing. My wings flutter with the electronic melody. We dance in circles with fireflies buzzing around us. Sometimes our hips or knees brush in the confined space, but he treats me with the chivalry befitting a lady.
I’m so disappointed.
I’m no shrinking violet. This may be my life-changing ball, like a fairytale princess in the making. I won’t be hesitant with him. If Horus forgets about me, when will I dance with a man again? I don’t care if his insides boil like a volcano, a heartbeat before its eruption. He’s kissing me tonight. Pretending to steady myself, I wrap my arm around his left shoulder with my hand resting by his neck. If only I wasn’t so short! If I try to kiss him in this position, the best connection point I can hope for is his nipple. That will never do.
He spins me out and collects me in his arms. We alternate two steps and a spin-out, like a primitive version of the hustle from the disco era. His dancing is old-fashioned and geeky, but with each step, I fall in love with the experience. I caress his chest and arms every time he’s within grabbing distance. When he twirls under my arm, guiding my hand to swipe across the back of his neck with his movement. I’m caught off guard.
Oh, my stars! His back brushes my front. My nipples rasp against my shirt.
His hair flies in arcs when he swings his head. Am I the luckiest girl on earth? I bet no one else sees the loose, unbothered, relaxed version of him. We didn’t find him in a suit and tie, but the way he spoke to us at dinner and the haughty expression he wore might as well have been pinstriped with argyle accents. Who would have guessed he’d be bouncing around in a ratty white tee and boxers? To be familiar enough to let his guard down in my presence makes me feel special. Do I thank him for letting me in or is my opinion of no consequence since he has one foot out the door? Moment soured, I drop my hand and snap my fingers to the beat.
Our eyes meet, and he flashes one of his flirtatious smiles.
My cheeks flush. I’m boiling from nose to navel.
“All right, clubbers, that’s the end of my set for tonight. It’s been wild. Remember to join me next week where I’ll be broadcasting from a rooftop pool party in Vegas—” The MC’s ending remarks are cut off by the crowd’s cheers.
The music and its magic fade. Time to take a breather and assess my feelings. Am I dazzled by dancing with a man or the man himself? Do I want to invest my heart in the first non-family member to invade my space?Come on, Mille, you aren’t naïve or stupid, just inexperienced!I know nothing about this man.
My elbow pops. I’ve turned, but Horus hasn’t let go of my hand. He lifts it to his lips, and my heart skips a beat. The chaste brush of his lips across my knuckles ignites a fire in my belly. When he releases my hand, I press it over my heart. I don’t care whether it’s male attention or him specifically, but tonight is everything I want in life. I’m seen for the lady I am—not the monster.
“Will there be another set?” Horus asks while tapping my shoulder to signal my removing an earbud. Silly man doesn’t realize my antennae pick him up just fine. He removes an earbud in anticipation of my answer.
Well, color me shy—the cat’s got my tongue. Outside of my family, no one’s given me one hundred percent of their attention. This man sees me—and not because we are a foot apart. He leans forward, lips relaxed, and blue eyes searching my face. He’s listening. What I say matters to him, even if it’s something as silly as the music streamer’s schedule.
Too long to answer.The silence stretches to an awkward length like a rubber band about to snap. My IQ drops points faster than raindrops in a thunderstorm. If I trip over my tongue for the next fifteen minutes, I bet he’d wait.
“Sorry,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. He verifies his shuffling feet are below him.
“No, no, it’s me. I’m not house-trained,” I quip. “I’m staring. Where’s my manners? Yes, the next set will be in twenty minutes, but the MC will be a different one. I think DJ Redi is up next.”
“Staring, huh? I’d ask if you like what you see, but I don’t want my mouth washed out with soap,” he says with a smirk. It’s on the tip of my tongue to threaten to kiss the smirk from his lips. “Let’s relax until the next music set starts, but be careful not to lose your earbuds. They’re a dickens to find in this nest of branches.”
We drop onto the pillows and nestle all four earbuds in their case. The full moon peeks through the canopy branches. Shadows dance over Horus’s angular features. His chest rises and falls with the exertion of our dance party. He’s silent for a few minutes before turning onto his side. His hand rests underhis head while his hip supports his weight. I squirm like a bug he’s pinned to an observation board under his stare.
“Are you happy? I mean—here—alone in the forest. Nobody can find you, and you have everything to survive, but…I have no right to ask. I’m tempted…I hate people…gosh…that sounds horrible out loud…” His words trail off as he picks at a vine’s curl at the base of the nest. His dejected expression breaks my heart. I wish I had permission to gather him in my arms.
“Being isolated isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” I say. “There’s no one dictating my activities, but I have a list of rules I must follow to stay isolated. Nobody is mean to me…if you are hiding from a bully—”
His eyes widen, but he doesn’t meet my gaze at that remark. He rolls onto his back and throws an arm over his face. A fire ignites in my belly. Who holds the other end of his leash? Carter Mining? Baby Mama Amber? Some other heartache?
“If we met last summer, or in another life, I’d take all you offer.” His arm muffles his voice, but I get the message clear as glass. He’s aware of every stolen touch and ‘accidental’ contact. I’m busted. “Please know that my heart and body want you too, but my integrity won’t let me.”
“Amber?”
“Yes, no, yes, but not in the way you think,” he sputters. He peeks at me from beneath his arm. His closed-off mask hides his authentic self.
“How do I think?” I don’t mean to sass him, but he can’t shut himself off from me. I want nothing more than to help shoulder his burdens, but given his stance on human beings in general, he won’t share.
“Sorry, I’m bungling this something awful, aren’t I? I’ll come right out with it,” he says, rolling over to face me. He takes my hand in his. “I’m engaged to Amber because we are expecting a child, and she wants to raise the little tyke together.”
“Co-parenting is a noble cause—” I start, staring at our joined hands.
“I don’t love her,” he blurts out, blowing my eyebrows sky-high. “I could never love her. We were never in a relationship.”
“A one-night stand,” I say, barely containing my excitement. This conversation just turned onto the avenue I wanted to travel.
