Page 17 of Resisting the Handsome Doctor
"Good. So am I. We'll be terrible together."
She takes my hand, and I lead her to the small dance floor where a few brave souls are already swaying awkwardly. The song changes just as we get there, something slower, thank God, and I pull Ivy close.
She's stiff at first, like she doesn't quite know what to do with her hands. I guide one to my shoulder, keep the other in mine, and rest my free hand on her waist. We start to sway, and gradually, so gradually I almost don't notice, she relaxes.
"This isn't so bad," she murmurs.
"See? We're naturals."
"You're stepping on my foot."
"Am I?" I look down. I absolutely am. "Sorry."
"It's okay. I wasn't using it anyway."
I laugh, and she smiles, and we keep swaying to music that's too loud and slightly off-beat. Around us, other couples are doing the same thing. Some graceful, some not, all of them caught up in their own little worlds.
And for the first time in fifteen years, I'm exactly where I want to be.
Chapter 5 - Ivy
I'm dancing.
Actually dancing. At my high school reunion. With Owen Harper.
This has to be a dream. Or a very elaborate hallucination brought on by car-related stress. Because things like this don't happen to me. Men like Owen don't look at women like me and decide we're worth fifteen years of pining.
Except his hand is solid and warm on my waist. His other hand is holding mine, gentle but sure. And he smells like rain and something woodsy, cologne probably, or just him. I can feel his heartbeat through his shirt, steady and real.
"You okay?" he asks, his voice close to my ear.
"I'm trying to figure out if I'm dreaming."
"If you are, I'm having the same dream. Which is either really romantic or really weird."
I laugh, and I feel him smile against my hair.
We sway in silence for a moment. Well, not silence. The music is still too loud and someone near the DJ booth is singing along off-key. But it feels quiet somehow. Like we're in a bubble separate from everything else.
"Can I ask you something?" Owen says.
My stomach clenches. "Okay."
"Earlier, in the bar. You said you've never—" He pauses. "And then you stopped yourself. What were you going to say?"
Oh God. No. We are not having this conversation. Not here. Not now. Not ever.
"Nothing," I say quickly. "It wasn't important."
"Ivy."
"Owen, please. Can we just… Can we not?"
He pulls back slightly, just enough to look at my face. "Hey. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to tell me. I'm not trying to push."
"I know. It's just embarrassing."
"I highly doubt that."
