Ballroom Blitz (12 page)

He slowly raised his head. And holy shit, the primal look in his eyes stole her breath. He pushed back to his knees, his hand dropping to his groin. He rolled on a condom and stroked his erection. “Turn over.”

That rough demand sent a fresh onslaught of heat through her. But something in his posture encouraged her to push him a little further, daring him to give in to that animalistic side completely. So she balanced on her hands and scooted backward, away from him.

“Maggie.”

A warning—which she didn’t heed. She tossed her wet hair over her shoulder and moved back. “What?”

“I said: Don’t. Move.”

The wet grass squished between her fingers and toes as she kept moving backward.

Then Jon was on all fours, inching toward her with a lethal sexiness that made her heart race and her sex clench. “You think I won’t chase you?”

“I’m counting on you chasing me,” she tossed back.

He growled and kicked up the pace.

She tried to crab crawl faster, but Jon was already on her. Water and mud splashed as he flipped her onto her hands and knees, caging her body beneath his.

Her body shook. Not from cold. Not from fear. From this explosion of feelings he forced to the surface. He wanted her. All of her. Without questions or limitations.

His hand was in her hair, pulling her head up and holding it in place. His breath was hot on her neck. “You want me to fuck you like this, Maggie? Down and dirty?” He sank his teeth into the curve of her shoulder, directly on the spot that made her unravel.

She whimpered and bucked against him, but he had her locked down tight.

“Yes or no?”

“Yes. Damn you. Yes. Do it. Do it now.”

Jon plundered her mouth with a brutal kiss as he reached between them to drag the wet rim of his cockhead from her clit down to her opening. A brief, breathless pause and then he rammed that hard shaft all the way in.

She gasped at the edgy spike of need. She waited, desperate for another forceful thrust.

But he didn’t move. His voice rumbled in her ear. “Can you hear those rhythms? The driving sound of the rain. The crashing thunder in the sky. The soft ping of tiny water droplets on the roof.”

“Jon. Please.”

“Hear it. Feel it. But focus only on this. My heartbeat. Yours. Our blood pumping fast and hard. Our bodies so connected that’s all there is in this moment.”

Maggie almost came right then.

Jon pulled out and slammed back in.

Each thrust was a tiny orgasm, sending chills up and down her spine. She was attuned to him on a deeper level than she’d ever thought possible. The rapid exhalations of his breath on her neck. The muscles in his biceps bunching against her arms. The upward roll of his hips. The sting of his skin slapping into hers. The ground digging into her palms and her knees as he fucked her into oblivion.

“Come for me, Maggie.” He pounded into her flesh. “Scream for me.”

His hot mouth connected with her rain-cooled skin. He used the rhythm of their bodies to drive her to that soaring crescendo—a peak that Jon held her to until his own cadence synched with hers. Then they rode that long, final pulsing beat together, tumbling end over end into the abyss.

After the white noise stopped roaring in her head, Maggie lifted her face, blinking away the rain to gasp for breath. The swirling mist made her wonder if she was dreaming.

But Jon’s molten body moved off hers and his cock slid out in a rush of moisture.

Her arms gave out and she slid gracelessly to the ground. Into the mud. But she didn’t care.

He rolled her over and kissed her. And kept kissing her with such fierceness and tenderness, she forgot they were naked outside on the lawn in a rainstorm. Until she started to shiver.

“I know, baby. I’ll warm you up.”

He lifted her into his arms and carried her inside.

Chapter Eleven

The next morning, Jon said, “There’s this family thing I have to go to today.”

“I’m sure the bridge is passable after last night’s rainstorm if you need to leave.”

Jon ran his fingertips across the indentations in her lower spine, teasing the fine blond hairs with every pass. “I wasn’t trying to skip out on you. I want you to come with me.”

She lifted her head and looked at him. “Really?”

“Uh-huh.” He kissed her shoulder. “Unless you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that. It’s just…” Her eyes searched his. “You’re taking me to your family thing?”

“Yes, because my family is important to me. And you’re important to me. I would’ve asked you last night, but I didn’t want you to think the afterglow of mind-blowing sex was the reason for the invite.”

Maggie rolled flat on her back and smirked. “Speaking of mind-blowing sex…maybe you should use that sugar-coated mouth of yours to convince me.”

“You know I live for a challenge, woman.”

And because he’d risen to the challenge—twice—they were late to the party.

“Are you sure we aren’t supposed to bring something?” Maggie asked as they headed up the driveway.

“Nah. My mom and Cindy have it planned down to coordinating plates and napkins.”

When Maggie fidgeted with the straps on her sundress, he snagged her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Relax. You look gorgeous. They’re gonna love you.”
Like I’m starting to.

Rather than traipsing through the house, Jon led her over the brick walkway to the backyard. Two white canopies had been set up. Food under one, tables under the other. Kids ran everywhere and for once he wasn’t mauled the instant he walked in.

He headed toward where his father and brothers—Jim and Jared—were hanging out on the patio.

“Hey, Pops,” Jon said, clapping him on the back.

“Good to see you, son.” His father focused on Maggie. “You’ve brought a beautiful guest to our family gathering, eh?”

“Yep. Maggie Buchanan, this is my father, Lyle White Feather.”

“Nice to meet you,” Maggie said.

“How do you know our Jon?”

Raven butted in. “She’s the dance instructor for the dance class Uncle Jon and I are taking.” She lightly punched Jon’s arm. “Or were taking. Since
some
of us skipped out and didn’t finish the class.”

“That means I’ll have to take private lessons to catch up. Besides, I heard your new partner Thomas is great at slow dancing,” he teased.

Raven blushed.

Jim said, “Great to see you again, Maggie. I keep hoping you’ll stop into the office and give that brother of yours grief.”

“I would, but Eden claims that’s her job and she scares me with all those crazy pregnancy hormones.”

Jared stepped forward. “Hey, big bro. Ain’t you gonna introduce me to your pretty lady?”

“No.”

Then Jared, that buff bastard, laughed and jerked Maggie into a tight hug. “Welcome to the powwow. I’m Jared. The rock star’s younger, better-looking, more charming brother.”

Jon placed his hands on Maggie’s hips and pulled her back, flashing his teeth at Jared. “Find your own woman, she’s mine.”

Maggie went motionless. She turned her head and looked up at him.

He kissed her surprised mouth. “What?”

“Do you want me to move so you have room to beat on your chest too?”

Both his brothers and his dad laughed.

“What’s so funny, boys?”

Jon faced his mother. “They’re picking on me.”

“Poor baby.” She gave Jon a hug and bussed his cheek, but her focus was on the woman at his side. “You must be Maggie. I’m Jon’s mother, MaryAnn. My son has said good things about you.”

“I’ve said good things too,
Unci
,” Raven inserted. “You should’ve seen her and her partner Seth dance at the competition yesterday. They were spectacular.”

Maggie grinned. “I wouldn’t go that far, Raven, but we were good enough to win.”

“Jon, dear, why don’t you get Maggie a glass of punch?”

Meaning, take off so I can grill this girl without you hovering.

No way would he subject Maggie to the green goo known as his mother’s lime sherbet and pineapple juice punch. He opted to just leave, detouring to the driveway where his nephews were playing basketball.

Among the motley crew of players was Jared’s fellow firefighter and best pal, Gabe. “I see my brother dragged you along again.”

“Jared needs a keeper.”

“No doubt. He suckers you in every time.”

“I don’t mind.” Gabe was always quiet—the opposite of Jared—and Jon wasn’t sure how the guys ended up staying roommates for so long.

“Uncle Jon is on our team,” Garth crowed.

The score was tied when lunch was announced.

Jon tracked down Maggie, who had been cornered by the twins and looked a little frazzled. Heaven knew his large, loud family could overwhelm him sometimes.

After a gigantic meal, the guys were tasked with cleanup duties. When Jon came back from hauling out the trash, that sneaky bastard Jared had taken the seat next to Maggie and they already appeared to be in deep conversation.

Jon pulled up another chair on Maggie’s other side.

“Do you think you would’ve scored sponsors even if you hadn’t won yesterday?” Jared asked Maggie.

She shrugged. “I’m just glad local businesses want to support us.” She went on to talk about fostering community involvement in the arts, the great response to dance classes and the request to teach more.

Jared said, “I don’t know how you’ll be able to teach any new classes if you’ll be gone every weekend training until nationals.”

That was a new development—and it didn’t make Jon happy. “You didn’t tell me that you’d be training out of town.” Then again, they hadn’t done much talking last night. Or this morning.

“Didn’t make sense to mention it until it was a done deal. Seth is working out the details. Since there aren’t qualified teachers around here, we’ll have to go out of state to train.”

“How long until nationals?”

“Two months. Which isn’t much time to learn a new routine.”

Jon frowned. “You’ll be gone every weekend for two months? Can’t you just use the routine you won with?”

Maggie shook her head. “Whole different playing field, so we have to step up our game. We won’t know if we’ll be training in Salt Lake or Dallas until mid-next week anyway. If we bomb the auditions this weekend, then we’re back to square one finding an instructor on short notice.”

“Wait. You’re flying to Salt Lake
and
Dallas this weekend?”

“Yes. We leave early Friday morning.”

Talk about being left in the dark. “Why didn’t I know any of this?”

She fiddled with the hem on her sundress. “Because you were gone last week.”
And I didn’t hear from you
wasn’t said but it sure as hell was implied. “I also had a job interview with the Billings firm on Wednesday.” Maggie finally looked at him. “And it went well.”

“But I thought you weren’t going to add that stress to your week.”

“I had to prepare for the possibility we might lose. Our rehearsal schedule will get more intensive. Winning a regional championship was the first leg of the race. Now we’re training for a marathon.”

Jared leaned over and patted Jon’s leg. “Sorry, bro. How much does that suck?”

“What?” he practically snarled.

“You decide to settle down at home after years of nonstop touring and the first woman you hook up with will be on the road as much as you used to be. Is that karma? Or irony?”

Silence.

Maggie stood abruptly. “Excuse me.” She took off before Jon could stop her.

“Jesus, Jared, way to be an ass,” Gabe said.

Jon pushed to his feet and glared at his brother. “Hook up? Really Jared? Maggie isn’t just a hook up for me and you damn well know it.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Jared pleaded with Gabe. “You know what I meant, right?”

Gabe shook his head.

Jared tipped his head back and stared at the sky. “I’m sorry. It’s just…you don’t drag every woman you’re seeing home to meet the family, so I know Maggie is different…Christ. I should keep my damn mouth shut.”

“Good plan.”

Jon hadn’t seen which direction Maggie had gone. He ducked around the side of the house and caught his mother sneaking a cigarette behind the garage. “Hey, cheater. I thought you quit.”

“Nope. I’m down to four a day, which is pretty good.” She blew out a stream of smoke. “You like this Maggie.”

That was a major understatement. “Yep.”

“You’ve been dating what? A couple months? And you’re already bringing her to meet us? That’s fast for you.”

“It happened pretty fast. Since the minute I walked into her dance class I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. Have you seen her?”

She pointed to the front of the house.

He tracked her to Raven’s favorite hiding spot in the small rock garden. “You trying to ditch me? Or are you just getting ready to run, now that I’ve subjected you to the White Feather gang?”

“Don’t be like that, Jon. Everyone in your family has been great. But as I’ve been sitting here, trying to put a lid on all the doubts, and focus on these lovely clematis vines, I realized Jared does have a point—several of them in fact.”

“Maggie—”

“Please don’t deny it. There’s stuff going on in your life you haven’t talked about, so you have no right to get pissy with me.”

“I wasn’t pissy. Just surprised, okay?”

“So why are we avoiding a discussion about what happens next?”

Jon straddled the bench and gently grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “We aren’t avoiding it. We’re prioritizing how we spend the time we do have together.”

“Naked and sweaty?” she said with an edge.

“Something wrong with that? ’Cause, doll face, you sure didn’t seem to mind last night. Or this morning.”

Her eyes narrowed. “There’s the
I-gave-it-to-you-good, baby
, rock-star attitude.”

“Don’t do that. That’s not me, Maggie, and you damn well know it.”

“Then tell me why you went out of town last week.”

Fuck. He couldn’t.

Yes, you can. Trust her. Tell her you’re working on a project and that’s all she can know for now.

But that was a lie. He’d rather dodge the question than lie to her. And that sucked because he didn’t have anyone besides his agent to talk to—and Marty wasn’t unbiased when it came to a potential commission. Jon was adrift on so many levels and he just wanted to forget about all the decisions hanging in the balance when he was alone with her. “Can we talk about this later?”