“No,” Brendan replies.
She doesn’t take the hint, just keeps swaying as we talk. “Well, how long have you been dating? My hubby and I have been together for thirty-two years.” She nods toward the man nursing a beer at a nearby table, who looks like he’d rather get trampled by bulls than step foot out here.
“Oh, we just started dating this month.” I give Brendan a look that solemnly swears I’m up to no good.
We’re supposed to be a believable couple, dancing the night away, and right now he looks as stiff as a stone statue. “He finally worked up the courage to ask me out after years of watching me date other guys.”
He stares at me, his jaw clenching. “How many?”
He doesn’t need to know that aside from that one date with Jaxon, I really haven’t dated much. “It doesn’t matter now, does it, snuggle muffin?”
At the pet name, Brendan’s brow pulls into a deeply concerned frown.
“Actually,” I continue, ignoring his glare, “don’t we need to be practicing our dance for your sister’s wedding, baby cakes?” I turn to Joanne again. “Since he’s a groomsman, everyone will expect us to put on quite a show.”
“Oh, how romantic!” Joanne claps her hands. “I love weddings.”
“Maybe we can give you a little preview,” I suggest, keeping my eyes on Joanne.
“Wonderful! I’ll leave you two lovebirds to practice.” Joanne dances away to rejoin her husband, leaving me to face Brendan’s unamused gaze.
“You told her we had a wedding dance?” He drops his head and looks at the floor. “Scarlett, we don’t have a dance.”
“We do now, Brendan Marco.” I take his hands, stepping away from him slightly. His face shifts to mildly alarmed. “After all, we can’t let Joanne down.”
“Scarlett.” He shakes his head, and I can tell he’s second-guessing his decision to come tonight. “You’re completely crazy.”
I grin wildly. “Only with you.” Maybe I’m imagining it, but his mouth quirks just the tiniest bit, like I’m slowly chipping away at his walls.
It’s true, though. I’m not crazy when I’m in Sully’s Beach; I can’t afford to be. Circumstances have forced me to be the responsible one. Otherwise, my entire family falls apart.
A new song starts, and I sway back and forth, trying to get him to loosen up even though I’m nowhere near the beat.
His eyes stray over my shoulder to the tables where the team is watching us. “Would you just forget about being a coach for like five minutes?”
I take his other hand and guide it around my back.
His eyes snap back to me, like he’s surprised I could read his thoughts so easily. “I wasn’t…”
“Listen, you owe me one dance. As much as you hate this, we need to prove to Joanne and everyone else that we’re an actual couple, going to an actual wedding.”
“So we’re doing this for them?”
“No, we’re doing it for us. I know you’re a good dancer. You just hide it behind that intimidating coach face.”
His hand slides to my lower back, making my skin prickle. “How do you know?”
“Because this isn’t my first time dancing with you.”
Maybe it’s the trigger of that memory on the beach, but in the surprise of the century, he twirls me in a lazy circle, then pulls me into him close. One hand moves to the small of my back, and the other folds against mine as he rocks me back and forth. For a few breathless moments, we don’t say anything.
His gaze travels over me, making heat soar through my body. It all feels too real, too much like it did that night. The faint scent of his cologne, his hand pressing me against him.
“Now who’s looking a little too serious?” he says, interrupting the memory.
I roll my eyes, trying to ignore the flush on my face. “For Joanne’s benefit,” I insist, even though the heat is climbing my neck, and my reckless heart is trying to escape through my chest.
“Then let’s give Joanne the big finale,” he murmurs in my ear, sending a shiver through my body.