To Protect & Serve (24 page)

Stricken. It was the best word to describe the look on Jeff’s face when Lisa looked to him for an excuse out of this. “No. ‘Course, I don’t mind.”

Twice on her way to the floor, with Dante’s arm securely around her waist, she looked back at the table, and the only thing she could think was how incredibly alone Jeff looked, sitting there watching her leave. The middle of her heart twisted at the sight. When they got to the dance floor, Dante took her in his arms, and Lisa pulled herself up straight. Formal.
Don’t give an inch. Don’t let him think that I’m at all interested
.

They moved together for a few minutes without so much as looking at each other. Then something in her said it was rude to not even look at the guy. Hesitantly she glanced up at him and smiled. He caught the gaze and held it.

“You know I have to tell you, Taylor is one lucky guy,” Dante said, and although she fully expected him to be smooth and oily, his voice was anything but. Curiously her head turned as the fear she had felt in his presence prior to this moment slipped away. In his eyes was only softness and sincerity. “I still can’t believe he had the guts to make a move on you. I mean I didn’t even have the nerve to do that—although I wanted to.”

She knew the fear should be creeping up on her. She waited for it, but there wasn’t a shred of it anywhere.

“Jeff’s a pretty good guy though, so if it couldn’t be me, I’m glad it’s him,” Dante said with a soft smile.

Tears sprang to her eyes although she wasn’t exactly sure why.

“We gave him a pretty hard time when he first got there,” Dante continued, wholly taking over the conversation so she didn’t need to so much as nod to keep it going. “But I’ve got to tell you, that guy is one of the gutsiest people I’ve ever known.”

“I think all of you are pretty gutsy,” she said finally corralling her voice.

“Not like Taylor. He’s a fireman’s fireman.” Then Dante smiled. “Well, he will be in a few years when he lives down the whole rookie thing. But I’ve got a lot of respect for him—rookie or not.”

The song ended, and they stood for one more moment. Then Dante’s hold on her broke so that his hand went just to the small of her back. “Better get you back to your boyfriend. He’s probably itching to dance with you himself.”

Lisa smiled as they wound their way through the tables to where Jeff still sat all alone. She slid into the chair next to him as Dante extended his hand. “Thanks man. You’ve got quite a woman there.”

“I know,” Jeff said as his gaze landed on her in lock-time with his arm which draped across the back of her chair. With a small wave Dante disappeared into the crowd. When he was gone, Jeff leaned in to her. “Sorry about that.”

“No,” she said softly, still trying to get used to the idea. “Dante’s cool.”

In confusion Jeff looked at her just as Dustin and Eve stumbled through the tables and collapsed into their chairs.

“They really should have this thing in December when it’s less than 90 degrees outside,” Eve said, fanning herself theatrically. She picked up the fall of wavy black hair and fanned her neck. “It’s not healthy to get this hot.”

“I don’t think outside’s the problem,” Jeff said with a laugh.

“Oh, yeah?” Eve shot back as she let her hair go. “How would you know? I haven’t seen you out there shaking your booty yet.”

“And you won’t either,” Jeff said seriously.

Dustin shook his head in exasperation. “Lisa, how in the world did you get stuck with someone so dead set against having fun?”

With a long look of love at him,
Lisa slid her hand down the length of Jeff’s thigh. “I’m not complaining.”

He looked at her in surprise, and a second later gratefulness slipped into his eyes.

“Ugh,” Eve said still fanning. “You two make me sick.”

“Why? You jealous?” Jeff asked although his gaze never left Lisa’s face.

“Remind me,” Eve said to Dustin dramatically. “Isn’t that what you always said to him?”

“You know, I think you’re right,” Dustin said
with teasing around the edges. “When did he suddenly get all lovey-dovey on us?”

“I don’t know. I think it had something to do with a bachelorette party as I recall,” Eve said. “And the way it looks now, we may be headed for another one real soon.”

That remark slammed Jeff’s eyelids down as he laughed. He pulled Lisa’s shoulder under his arm and turned to his friends. “You two sure make it hard to be romantic. You know that?”

“Romantic?” Eve asked in horror. “Oh, my gosh. Did that word just come out of your mouth? Lisa, what have you done to our sweet, little, innocent Jeff?”

Lisa shook her head as her hand caught his under the table. “It wasn’t me. I was just sitting in a booth minding my own business.”

“Now I know that’s a lie,” Dustin said, laughing, “because Jeff wouldn’t know a move if it jumped up and bit him.”

Jeff settled in next to Lisa as he shook his head. “You have such little faith in me.”

“I know you. Remember?” Dustin asked as the next song started. He sat for four beats and then looked across at Lisa. “Well, Lisa, since I know Romeo here’s not going to ask you, I guess it’s up to me. Would you do me the honor?” He stood and held a hand out to her.

Embarrassment heated its way across her face as she laid her hand in his. “Sure.” She stood and then looked back at Jeff. “You don’t mind, do you?”

He looked first at Lisa and then at Dustin as lightheartedness danced across his face. “Would it matter if I did?”

“No,” Dustin said quickly pulling Lisa forward, and she laughed.

“Yeah! That’s what I thought!” Jeff called after them as he sank back into his seat. He couldn’t be mad. He loved them all too much, and it was too obvious that against every probability, they all liked each other. The music floated around him as his heart filled with gratefulness.

“Well, if you’re not going to ask, then I am,” Eve said suddenly standing. “Let’s dance.”

Fear slammed into him as he looked up. “Dance?”

“Sure,” she said quickly grabbing his hand. “I’d love to.”

Dustin was a good six inches taller than Jeff, and Lisa wondered how Eve’s arm didn’t go completely numb by the end of the night from laying it on his shoulder. Dancing with him wasn’t difficult though. He had such a commanding presence about him. It wasn’t demanding. It was simply powerful in a comforting kind of way. The only one she could think that came close to it was Jeff, but Jeff’s version of presence was far less conspicuous than Dustin’s. It was only on display for a precious few.

“I’m sure glad my plans didn’t work out,” Dustin said, leaning closer to her after they had danced halfway around the floor.

“Oh? What plans were those?” she asked, arching her neck so she could look at him.

“All those plans to set Jeff up with someone I thought would be perfect for him.” Dustin raised his eyebrows in quick succession, causing the good-natured side of her to vault forward.

“Oh, yeah? And just how many someones are we talking about here?”

“Countless,” Dustin said with an exasperated sigh. “I’d just about given up on that boy. He was so hopeless.”

“Hopeless? It was that bad?”

Slowly Dustin’s face fell into a pained expression. “My cousin thought he had xenophobia or something.”

“Ah, the illustrious cousin.”

“And she wasn’t even the worst of them. There was the secretary at Eve’s office, and the cute blonde from the fast food place, and Bridget’s friend, and my hairdresser…”

The incredulousness poured over her. “He went out with all of them?”

“Well, that depends on your definition of ‘going out.’ The hairdresser never even got picked up, he chickened out on the way to go get her. Bridget’s friend… Well, let’s just say Catalina Salad Dressing doesn’t exactly go well with black heels and white velvet.” He shook his head. “Trust me, it wasn’t pretty.”

“But they did go out?”

“Once,” Dustin said. “Then it would’ve taken a United Nations conference to get either one to so much as talk about the idea again. I thought we were going to have to call in Cyrano de Bergerac before any girl would have a chance to get close enough to decide he was worth a second date.” In two perfect circles Dustin spun her before catching her again. “But I’m very happy to see that Providence stepped in.”

“Providence, huh?”

Teasingly he looked at her. “What would you call it?”

The best thing that ever happened to me, her mind said happily.

“Oh, no, don’t look now,” Dustin said, turning her so she couldn’t see the rest of the dance floor.

“What?” she asked, trying to turn despite his efforts to keep her from looking.

“I said, ‘Don’t look.’ This could forever alter your perception of his romantic possibilities.”

Confused, Lisa yanked Dustin around and surveyed the dance floor until her gaze landed on them. Jeff and Eve moving together although it couldn’t really be called together, and it really couldn’t be called dancing either as he was looking only at his feet which were not in any kind of sync with the beat or with Eve’s. Instantly protective compassion for him slid over her.

“My sympathies,” Dustin said, glancing down at her.

A peaceful sigh whispered from her lungs. “I wouldn’t want him any other way.”

Dustin’s gaze snapped to her questioningly, and she looked up at him with perfect peace.

“Otherwise he wouldn’t be Jeff.”

Understanding flowed over his features as he spun her again with the end of the song. Instead of guiding her back to the table, however, he angled their trajectory over to where Jeff and Eve stood. The first thing Lisa noticed was that not a scintilla of Jeff’s stance was at ease. Fidgety and awkward. Out-of-place and embarrassed. Those were all much closer. The next song started.

“Thank you for keeping her warm for me,” Dustin said, nudging Lisa next to Jeff as he took Eve’s hand.

“Yeah, no problem,” Jeff said, but he never really looked up.

“See ya,” Dustin said, and they danced off.

Uneasily Jeff’s gaze followed them even as Lisa’s tried not to. However, even trying not to, she caught the silent conversation that passed between the two men, with Dustin shooing Jeff forward even as Jeff seemed to shrink back.

“We could go sit down if you want,” Lisa said, searching for some way to diffuse the panic permeating Jeff’s expression.

A moment and he nodded, and she turned back for the tables.

“Or we could… dance.”

Her feet stopped, and when she turned back to him, his gaze was on the floor.

“If you want,” he said as his
eyes slipped up to meet hers.

A soft smile accompanied her silent nod. Slowly she stepped over to him, and when her arm slipped up to his shoulder, she couldn’t help but feel how perfectly they fit together. Forever, she could dance with him, and her arm would never go to sleep. The first sideways step wasn’t smooth, but neither of them tripped either. The second one to the other side was better—hesitant but better. By the third, her mind had stopped worrying about her feet and had started tracing the track of the points of his body that were touching hers.

Arm-under-arm, his supported hers like a breath. On her back the web of his hand pressed firmly, holding her, guiding her—solid and safe. The lights winked around them as after several steps, he turned her other hand around to hold it to his chest. Funny how much more natural that felt. As she swayed, the appreciation that she wasn’t dancing to show off to anyone slid over her. This wasn’t about anyone other than the two of them.

When she glanced at him, her heart slammed to a stop when she found him gazing at her. He didn’t have to say a thing, only to smile, and any doubts she had left melted into the strength of him. Slowly her hand slid forward, dropping over the solid muscle of his neck and chest so that when it stopped only her elbow was still on his shoulder.

His chest, strong and true, called her to it, and softly she laid her cheek on the scratchy black material. It gave new meaning to breathing for simultaneously she felt energized and completely lightheaded drifting on the fragrance of his cologne. She hadn’t noticed it before. How it had escaped her, she couldn’t quite tell because the part of her in charge of deciphering little things like how she had even gotten to this point seemed no longer to be in service.

The only thing she could feel, the only thing she ever wanted to feel again, was him holding her, swaying to a beat that she didn’t even hear. In her ears rang only the faint sound of his heartbeat far beneath the layers, blending with hers in a harmony so perfect it should have been reserved for Heaven itself.

How long they had been dancing Jeff wasn’t really sure. It seemed like forever, and yet it seemed like mere seconds. Holding her, moving with her had nothing to do with where his feet were or where his hands were supposed to be. She was here, in his arms, everything else was academic.

“Hey, you two,” Dustin said, his voice breaking through the knot of contentment that had settled over them. Blearily they pulled apart but never really let go of one another. “We’re going to take off.”