My breathing became jagged as I reached back, putting my hands on his hips. I started moving mine to the tempo of the music, slowly at first. He met me move for move, so I deepened the pace until we were both dancing. Really dancing. Cassidy took a moment from her groping session with Rock to look over and mouth dramatically, “Oh, my gah!” when she saw us. I just smiled.
My Leprechaun had rhythm. And it was hot in a way that made me dizzy. I let myself lean back hard against him, raising my arms to the air and moving my hips. I could feel his breath on my hair, against my ear and neck. His hands roamed, but not too far. Just over my waist and hips, down the top of my thighs. Arms still lifted, I bent my elbows and brought my hands behind me to his head, sliding my fingers into his hair. He nuzzled my neck and I was suddenly on fire.
Killer moths attacked my abdomen as I turned, wrapping my arms around his neck and fitting my curves to him, still dancing. His hands found my lower back. I was about to ask him what he thought of the club when the look in his eyes silenced me.
He watched my mouth, slowly leaning in, and I forgot about everything around us.
Oh, my… was he about to…?
The first touch of his lips was measured and timid—the perfect picture of the McKale I’d met on our first day. We breathed against each other’s parted lips until I dared to let my tongue touch the soft fullness I’d admired the night before. That action was like a lit match to a firecracker.
Moving quickly with masculine instinct, one of his hands stayed on my lower back, pressing our hips together, while his other hand found the back of my neck and tugged me to him, hard, in a gesture of possession that had me moaning when his mouth opened mine with his own. Unlike my previous failed kisses, this one was the perfect combination of lips and tongues and hands. There was nothing shy about it. I was meeting this McKale for the first time. This was a McKale I wanted to get to know much better.
I loved the way he smelled and tasted. Hops and barley on the surface from his drinks, but something sweeter underneath: the licorice root he liked to chew. As we kissed, I ran a hand over his cheek, feeling where his smooth skin met the rougher line of hair along his jaw. Every contour amazed me.
I tried to reign in my self-control since I found myself practically climbing him for more, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed just as hungry for more of me.
I knew part of my desperation stemmed from the fact that someone very powerful wanted to keep us apart, but I wouldn’t allow thoughts of her to surface. I let myself breathe him in. We had this moment, right now, and nobody could take it away.
We finally broke the kiss, followed-up with several more slow little smooches until we were ready to look at each other. He was half-grinning as if he couldn’t hold it back. Leaning into my ear, he said, “I fancy yer form of dance.”
I laughed. With my arms still around his neck, I pulled him down and put my lips to his ear.
“I fancy you, Kale.” I don’t know what made me shorten his name but he didn’t seem to mind.
He slid his lips to my ear again. “Do ye, now?”
I bit my bottom lip to hold back a giant smile, and murmured, “Yeah.” We were flirting!
A new song started. Techno again. McKale began moving first, and it was my turn to match him. Cassidy and Rock pushed their way closer beside us, and together the four of us danced. Cass found my hand and squeezed it.
It was a night to trump all others: Cassidy’s best idea ever. The guys made us laugh the entire time. Especially Rock with his exaggerated dancing as he tried to imitate how other men at the club moved.
This night was more than a simple act of rebellion born of boredom. It was even more than getting away from the portal. It was about getting McKale to see me—really see me, and to see the possibility of what we could have together. I wanted us to have something worth fighting for.
Cassidy must have recognized the wheels of thought churning in my expression because she shook her head at me and bumped my hip.
“Not tonight, Robyn,” she shouted in my ear. “Just dance!”
Yes, I thought, finding McKale behind me once again. Tonight we dance.
THE SUN WAS PREPARING to rise when we got back to the village and glided the car into its original spot. I’d woken the others to help me. I guess Cassidy and Rock got tired of being yelled at to quit making lip-smacking noises in the backseat, and they’d fallen asleep halfway home.
Knowing dawn would break at any moment, we made our way to the bungalows. My hand tingled, remembering how McKale held it the whole way home except the few times I needed both hands on the wheel. The memory of how he’d kissed me on the dance floor, then watched me while I drove had me sighing with contentment as my brilliant sister and I slipped into the room and collapsed onto our beds.
Falling asleep would be a bad idea. Even though today was not a workday for the Shoe House, I still needed to get up and care for the animals this morning. I allowed myself a few minutes of remembrance before I trudged out of bed to change.