Page 8 of Valor

“He didn’t seem like he was kidding.” My eyes are already skimming the crowd, looking for Livvie. I don’t need an excuse to put my hands on her, but I’ll take it.

Normally I’m not the dancing type, but after our interrupted shower, I’ll take any excuse to get her close to me.

“You haven’t seen my lovely wife anywhere?” Jack asks, and I can tell from the look in his eye, his thoughts aren’t too far from my own.

My gaze skims the crowd, looking for the vibrant flame of her red hair. I spot her in a hallway just off the dance floor with Sofie, naturally. With a bump on Jack’s shoulder, I nod to them, then cross the room to Livvie’s side.

“Ladies,” Jack says, sidling up to Sofie’s side and wrapping an arm around her waist. “Care to dance?”

Sofie, who had been laughing at something Livvie was saying, went quiet at his touch, then nodded. Jack nudged her toward the dance floor, leaving Livvie and me alone.

Just the way I like it.

“Don’t you dare,” she says.

I move closer. “Dare what?”

“You know what. I’m a terrible dancer.” Her breath catches when my hands skim over her shoulders, then down her arms to take her hands in mine. “Ben, I’m serious. I couldn’t even pretend to have rhythm.”

“You don’t need rhythm.”

“Oh, yeah? Why not?”

I lead her to the dance floor as she glances nervously around. “‘Cause you’ve got me.”

“I’m going to step on your feet,” she warns, as I pull her close for a slow song. I couldn’t care less about dancing and hate how many people crowd around us, but when I have her in my arms, nothing else matters.

“Step wherever you’re want, sweetheart. You aren’t going to hurt me.”

Her protests quiet as I pull her close to me, right where I want her. Our bodies brush against each other and if our world were made of magical things, I’d imagine the places where we touch could have sparked like two bolts of lightning crashing against each other.

“Sofie suggested we should take the night to ourselves. She’ll watch the kids.”

I don’t say anything. My throat going dry at her words. We love our kids, they’re the most important thing in our lives, but we also love each other and alone time is something we cherish whenever we can find it.

“What do you think?” I ask when I’ve found my voice again. I have to focus on her response doubly hard because all I can think about is her. Naked. Her body framed by soft, white sheets in a dimly lit room where the only sound is her voice calling my name.

She breaks eye contact, her cheeks going perfectly pink as she glances around the room. Am I imagining things or does her breathing seem faster?

“We haven’t been out, just the two of us, in a long time. What if we’ve forgotten how to be us?”

That catches my attention, the image of her naked beneath me fading, if only momentarily. “I don’t follow.”

“We’ve been together a long time. We kind of jumped into the deep end with Cole and Phoebe and getting married. We never really got to be us. Just us. What if, without all of the distractions, you see how much of a dork I am?”

This makes me smile and I nudge her gaze back to me. “I already know how much of a dork you are. We don’t have to do anything more than we usually do, sweetheart, but I think a night with just the two of us isn’t something we should pass up.”

Livvie smiles wobbly, then wraps her arms more tightly around my shoulders and rests her head on my chest. “I don’t think so either.” She breathes deeply, then adds, “Okay, I’ll tell Sofie after this dance.”

The thought of being alone with her for an entire night has me pulling her closer. I’m not normally one for an audience, but I want nothing more than to kiss my wife. So we come to a stop and I cup her cheeks—despite her surprise—and kiss her deeply, thoroughly. There’s a whistle from the crowd, but it barely registers.

I want her, all of her.

Now.

When we pull apart, Livvie is blushing again. She presses a hand to her cheeks and says, “I guess it’s a plan.”

“Thank you so much for coming,” Faith says and gives me a hug.