He swallowed. Was she saying...?
“I want you, McKenzie. I haven’t pushed because I know you still have a lot of mixed emotions about being with me, but when you’re ready I want to make love to you. I’ve made no pretense about that.”
“Sex. You want to have sex with me,” she corrected, resting her forehead against his chin. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”
Lance’s heart beat like a drum against his rib cage. “I’ll be waiting.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“I’d rather hold yours.”
That had her looking up.
“Kiss me, McKenzie.”
“Here? Now? On the dance floor? Around our coworkers? Are you crazy?”
He glanced around the dim room. The dance floor was crowded with couples, some of them stealing kisses. There were some single women who were dancing in a circle off to one side of the dance floor. One of the admin girls currently had the microphone and was belting out a tune. No one was paying them any attention.
McKenzie’s gaze followed his, no doubt drawing the same conclusions, but she shook her head anyway. “No. I’m not one of those girls who is into public displays of affection.”
“You kissed me in front of Bev’s Beauty Boutique.”
“That was different.”
“How was that different? Other than it being in broad daylight and in the middle of the square with half the town in the near vicinity?”
“I can’t explain how that was different, but it was.” Her lower lip disappeared between her teeth. “Don’t push me on this, please.”
He sighed. “It would probably have been a bad idea for you to kiss me here, anyway.”
“Why is that?”
Did she really not know how much she affected him? How much he was having to fight sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her out of the ballroom and straight to the first private place he could find where he could run his fingers beneath her sparkly green dress?
“I think I’ve already mentioned how much I want you and the effect you have on me.”
“But... Oh.” Her eyes widened as she moved against him.
“Yeah. Oh.”
To his surprise, her body relaxed and he’d swear the noise that came out of her mouth was a giggle. Not that McKenzie seemed the giggling type, but that’s what the sound had most resembled.
Regardless, her arms relaxed around his neck and just to prove how ornery she was and to his total surprise her lips met his in a soft kiss that only lasted a few seconds but took his breath and made his knees weak.
“There,” she taunted. “I kissed you in public.”
“Not sure what made you change your mind, but thank you.” He studied her expression and he’d swear there was a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I think. Because if I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to set me up for embarrassment.”
There was the sound again. Definitely a giggle. “Would I do that after our conversation, with you pointing out the obvious differences in the way our bodies react?”
A grin tugged at his lips. “Yeah, you would.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Did it work?”
He pulled her close and let her feel for herself that his body was indeed reacting to her, making him uncomfortable in the process. Then again, he’d left her front porch this way every night the past week.
She tilted her face toward him. “I think it did.”