“One more dance before you go?” He touched her hand, which rested on the table. “Then I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Deal.” She turned her palm up beneath his as if it were the most natural thing to do.
Tucker lightly squeezed her fingers. “They’re playing our song.”
Ellie smiled at him. “I didn’t know we had one.” She tilted her head to listen to the song that had just begun. It was a slow tune, a popular country ballad. She nodded. “Let’s go.”
He slid off the bench and stood as she got to her feet, then he took her hand and led her to the dancefloor. He liked the feel of her small hand in his.
Once they stepped onto the floor, he held her loosely, one hand resting on her hip as she placed a hand on his shoulder, and he took her other hand in his. They barely moved to the slow song. He wanted to pull her close to him so that he felt the length of her body pressed to his, but it was too soon. She smelled so good, like when he’d met her. Strawberry lip gloss and a sweet scent that was uniquely hers.
“Thank you for inviting me.” She moved her lips close to his ear as they moved so that he could hear her over the music. “I’ve had a fabulous time, and it was great to meet your family and friends.” Her breath tickled his cheek.
He thought about nipping her earlobe as he responded near her ear, but of course, he didn’t. “I’m glad you came. We had such a great time at the Ren fair. You could also say I enjoyed finding you in my office.”
“It was a nice surprise.” She tipped her head back and looked into his eyes. Hers were beautiful, sparkling in the dim light. He wanted to kiss her so bad that he ached with it.
Tucker held her gaze, and she moved closer to him like she couldn’t help herself. He drew her closer until their bodies touched. She let out a breath as if she’d been holding it.
Ellie slid her hands up his shoulders and looped her arms around his neck as she looked up into his eyes. A low rumble of pleasure at having her in his embrace rose in his chest. She belonged right here. He knew it with everything he had. He’d dated plenty of women, but not one before Ellie had made him feel a sense of urgency, almost like he was afraid he wouldn’t get the chance to learn everything about her and make her a part of his life.
The first slow tune blended into another. She placed her cheek against his chest, and he felt her relax in his arms as if she were melting into him.
He was going too fast. Not about having her in his arms right now—that felt natural and perfect. But the other thought—making her a part of his life—well, he needed to slow down. He needed to give things time. He wasn’t even sure how she felt about having a relationship with him. But she sure was sweet and soft in his arms.
The music was softer in this song, and he thought he heard her humming. With her lovely, sensual voice, he’d bet she could sing beautifully.
The song ended too soon, and she stepped back from him, regret now in her gaze. “As much as I’d like to stay, I do need to go home now.”
“Thank you for the dance.” He took her hand and led her through the crowd to the other side.
Piper and Penny joined them as Tucker walked with Ellie toward the gate to the pasture where folks had parked. “It’s nice to have you here.”
She looked up at him. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning if that’s okay, and we can go over what I’d like to post on social media later in the day.”
A sense of disappointment dulled his pleasure at having her here with him. Maybe this was work to her.
But his gut told him she enjoyed herself and liked being with him. Hopefully, it was as much as he felt about her. If not, there was time for more to develop between them.
They reached her Lexus and stood by the driver’s side door. He took both of her hands and smiled at her. “Have you ever been to an Arabian horse show?”
She brightened. “I love Arabians. No, sadly, I’ve never been to one.”
“I have a couple of tickets to the show on Saturday.” He hoped it wouldn’t be too soon for her. “Would you like to go with me?”
She grinned and bounced on her toes. She spoke in a heavy Southern belle voice. “I would be delighted, Mr. Rawlings.”
Relief flowed through him. He didn’t know why he’d been so worried she wouldn’t want to spend more time with him. “I’ll pick you up at nine in the morning.”
“Great.” She beamed. “I’ll text you my address.”
They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment. He wanted to kiss her so badly that he could barely hold himself back. Too soon, Rawlings. Maybe next Saturday.
She paused to say goodbye to the Border Collies, then used her remote to unlock the door. Tucker opened it for her, and she climbed in. She started the vehicle and buzzed down the window as he closed the door.
“Thank you for a lovely time.” She gave him the kind of smile that made him want to open the door, draw her back into his arms, and never let her go. “I enjoyed meeting your family and friends.”
“Good night, Ellie.” He slid his hands into his front pockets so he wouldn’t reach in and stroke her cheek, feeling her soft skin beneath his fingertips. “I’ll talk with you tomorrow morning when you call.”
