His hands landed on my hips as we settled on the dance floor. He wasn’t a horrible dancer, and our bodies found a good rhythm together. I guess there were worse ways to spend the time. When the song ended, I turned to ask Candi a question and found her making out with the guy.
“Well, okay then.” The guy I’d been dancing with chuckled, pulling me off the floor. I went, not sure what else to do. He led me to a quieter area and grabbed some water from a passing waiter.
“So, what’s your name, twinkle toes?”
“Darcie. Yours?”
“Rick.”
“Nice to meet you, Rick.”
“You don’t like me, do you?” he asked, smiling.
“No, it’s not that.” Panic rose in me, and I tried to fix the situation.
“Darcie. It’s okay. I kind of like you more because of that, which is bad for me, but you have nothing to worry about. Plus, the tall guy giving me death stares while we danced was a message to keep my paws to myself.”
“Tall guy?” I asked, looking around but couldn’t see anyone. Sometimes it sucked being short.
Rick laughed. “Do you need a ride home or anything? I think our friends are going to hook up, so I didn’t want you to wait on them.”
“Oh. That’s really kind of you. I’m good. Thanks, though. Uh, it was nice meeting you, Rick.” I waved awkwardly and then started to walk off.
“You too, Darcie.” I smiled, respecting him more, and waved bye.
I stepped outside, the night air not much cooler than inside. Summer in the south was like a constant state of stickiness. Humidity—the devil’s favorite punishment.
It wasn’t too late, but I was tired, so I texted the girls that I was heading home so they wouldn’t worry. The streets were still filled, the city full of people looking for someone to spend the night with. My feet were hurting by the time I stomped up to my stairs. I was only on the second floor, thankfully, and the walk hadn’t been too far. The bar we’d been at was only about ten minutes from me.
I pulled out my keys and inserted it into the lock when someone stepped out of the shadows. “Darcie.”
Screaming, I jumped back, dropping everything. I clutched my chest, trying to get my heart to calm. When I realized who it was, I wanted to dive into his arms, but nine months of not seeing someone made me hesitate.
“Maddox. What are you doing here?”
He bent down, grabbed my keys, and put everything into my purse. I noticed the stamp on his hand, and the comment Rick made suddenly made sense.
“You were at Wild Horse Saloon, weren’t you?”
He froze for a moment, but then finished stuffing everything in and stood up, handing it to me. “We need to talk.”
“Fine. I’ve been trying to for months.” I finished unlocking the door and stepped inside, motioning for him to enter. He brushed past, his arm skating across mine, and my whole body came to life. I sucked in a breath, willing my hormones to take a chill pill. Just because he was here didn’t mean he was staying.
Locking the door, I took a moment to collect myself, setting my stuff down by the door and pulling my boots off. My feet instantly felt better once they were free. Maddox wasn’t right in the doorway, so I followed the sound and found him opening cabinets.
“Make yourself at home, why don’t you?” I rolled my eyes, walking to the fridge.
“Thanks, I plan to.”
I pulled out the water pitcher, walked to the cabinet with the glasses, and pulled two down. I filled them both and then put the pitcher back in the fridge.
Handing him one, I watched as he stopped opening drawers. I took a long drink of mine, the cold liquid soothing my dry throat and cooling me off inside.
“So, you’re here. Talk.”
I sat the glass down, crossing my arms. I didn’t want to look at him too closely, but I couldn’t help but notice how much bigger his muscles looked.
“Happy Birthday, Princess.”