“Well, there’s one, sure-fire way to fix that.” He plucked the glass from her hand.
“What’s that?”
“Immersion therapy,” he said, shoving back from the table. “Come dance with me.”
She hesitated only a moment before taking his hand and following him out onto the tiny, packed dance floor. As guitars wailed and the singer crooned, he slid his arms around her. The pulse hammered in her throat as he nudged her into the rhythm of the music. Gemma was stiff and clumsy, her body seeming to jolt with his every touch.
“Loosen up, Gem. This is supposed to be fun.”
Fun. Right. She breathed out a long sigh and focused on progressively relaxing her muscles. It was a tough job with her inner teenager going OMG, you’re dancing with Aaron Hendricks! But after a couple of songs, she loosened up enough that he got more ambitious than a simple circle and sway. With a burst of momentum, Aaron spun Gemma out, then twirled her back more firmly against his body. In the heels she was almost eye level with him.
“How’re those nerves doing?” he asked.
They were sparking like fireworks, but she’d recovered enough to pull the mantle of calm and maturity back around her. “Better.”
“Good. That makes one of us.”
“One of us?” She arched a brow in question.
“See, I’ve made an important observation over the last couple of hours.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re not fifteen anymore,” Aaron dropped his gaze to her lips, “and I find the woman every bit as appealing as the girl.”
“Do you, now?” Gemma’s tone was playful, though the rumba in her stomach had transitioned into an Irish river dance.
Somehow, when she’d stepped into Red’s, she had crossed into a parallel universe. There was no other explanation for how her greatest teenage fantasy had sprung to life out of the ashes of one of the worst nights of her adult life. How could she possibly have imagined that their awkward conversation would lead to this? She never dreamed that her attraction to him could be mutual. Had been mutual, even back then.
“If you’re not on the same page here, this’d probably be a good time to mention it,” said Aaron, not letting her go as the song ended.
Not on the same page? Was he kidding?
“Do you see me running?” she asked.
From the stage, the singer encouraged everybody to grab their honey. Dimly, Gemma was aware of him beginning the countdown.
“Ten…Nine…”
If I’m dreaming, I don’t wanna wake up, she thought, her pulse starting to thrum slow and thick as his blue eyes went dark.
“Five…Four…”
Aaron tugged her closer. The breath seemed to clog in her chest as the crowd around them picked up the chant.
“Three…Two…One…Happy New Year!”
Anticipation gave way to a stunned delight as he settled his mouth over hers. Heat rolled through her, bubbling up in a purr of pleasure against his lips. Gemma had never in her life been more grateful for the slow, easy pace of the South. Aaron kissed her with the focused patience of a man who knew how to savor, and she gloried in it, changing the angle to deepen the kiss. Her arms slid around his shoulders, banding there even as his arms tightened around her. How could he incite such a storm inside her with only his mouth?
As the singer’s smoky voice launched into a new number and lulled them into a lazy sway, Aaron eased back again, allowing scant inches between them.
“Well, that was certainly worth the wait,” she managed.
“If you were any other woman, I’d be mentioning how my place is twenty minutes from here.”
With her blood still roaring, Gemma wished she was any other woman. But whatever flared between them wouldn’t be simple and the potential fallout would affect more than just the two of them. “More’s the pity,” she said, giving in to the shiver as he stroked a hand down her back. “I really like your mouth.”
Aaron gave a strangled laugh and dropped his temple to hers. “Don’t say stuff like that. It makes me want to use it on every inch of you.”