Page 23 of Break the Barrier

“I don’t dance here, I work here.” I don’t reply, not giving into this stubborn woman, and Thea sighs before biting her lip. “Fine.”

I almost laugh at her grumpy voice, but I hold it in, barely, and start moving our feet together. I try to think if I’ve ever seen her dance here, and I can’t recall ever seeing anyone ask her to dance, probably because she’s usually the one serving people drinks, not out on the floor.

I’ve seen Annmarie and Juniper out here a few times, but never Thea.

I can’t explain the feeling I have when I realize I’m the only one who has, and I realize I want to be the only one who ever does.

Despite her lack of dance time, she follows my lead pretty well. I take it as slow as I can with the high-paced song, and I peek down every now and then to see her grinning to herself.

It fills my chest with pride. This was the right move. Thea’s shell is hard to crack. She’s been hurt, she’s had people she grew to love beat her down and prove themselves to be untrustworthy.

I know exactly why she’s nervous to date, to take that step.

Fake dating is a great way to get her to open up to me, to trust me.

She could trust me.

I just had to get her to see that.

I peek over at my boys, and they’ve continued with the game without me, and I wonder how obvious I’ve been about my attraction to Thea if they’re not even bothering me when we’re in the middle of a game.

But I couldn’t care less, I have this woman in my arms, finally, and I am in no hurry to rush us off the dance floor.

The song shifts into another, slower Brad Paisley song, and she looks up at me like she’s wondering if I’m going to let her go.

Instead, I tighten my grip, pull her closer, and move us at a different pace.

The tension she held in her shoulders during the faster pace dissipates, and she melts into me, letting me lead and hold her close.

My heart is pounding harder again, and I bend my nose down to graze the top of her head, loving that this woman is small enough to tuck into my arms, loving that she fit so fucking perfectly, and wishing that there was a way I could keep her there forever.

The song comes to a close, and she pulls back, giving me another shy grin I’m not used to. “I gotta get back.”

I nod and grip her hands in mine, holding on for another second. “When are we going out?”

She pulls in a breath and seems to be thinking it through. “Thursday.”

“Thursday it is.” I squeeze her hand. “No cancellations.”

Her eyes hold mine, something behind them warring over her answer before she finally nods and says, “No cancellations.”

9

thea

The small-town groceryhas everything you need for a home-cooked meal, and that is absolutely what I need. Something that can be both comforting and delicious, something that would remind me of my childhood and bring me some comfort on my one and only day off this week.

And something that would distract me from the fact that tomorrow night I have a date with Logan Cash.

I knew the date was fake, but at the same time, he was so insistent on it that it felt so far from fake that I was wondering if there is more to this than just showing Luella he had a life.

I admire that he wants her to spread her wings and fly, to let her get some ground under her feet before she grows up too fast and ease her into her independence instead of holding her back.

But I wasn’t thrilled that I was the scapegoat.

I guess I had kind of been hoping for something more than that, that maybe he possibly would just ask me out instead of coming up with an excuse.

I roll my eyes at myself and pick up a can of premade dough. I could make homemade biscuits, but I was all about ease and not having to work too hard on my day off.