Love Is in the Air (81 page)

“Ya know. I’m not ready to go home. Do you dance?” Regina asked.

“Country? Like last night at the Wagon Wheel?”

“God, no! That music… That’s not my kind. I was thinking more like that,” the woman said as she pointed to a club a few doors down. Music pounded out of the building, driving and relentless.

“There?” Quinton asked, a bit dubious of her choice.

“We’re in central Oregon, remember? Got any better ideas?”

Quinton did not, but neither was he in any hurry to enter that dark, crowded club. “It looks awfully… trendy.”

“I know. That’s what is so perfect. We’re trying out the new us.” Regina suddenly sounded not so confident. “Aren’t we?”

Not wanting Regina to be at all unsure of his intentions toward her, Quinton picked up her hand and strode over toward the club. “Absolutely.”
The line was not too long, but it looked like the bouncer was being pretty strict about dress code. This must have been the sole upscale street in Queen’s Court. Quinton could only hope that his black jeans would not get them bumped from the line. Given enough time, Quinton was sure that he could come up with something agreeable for both of them to do. The bouncer took one look at Quinton and gave them the thumb to leave, but Regina was fast. Suddenly, a hundred dollar bill appeared in the guy’s hand. There was a flash of a smile on the bald man’s face, then he lifted the rope and allowed them into the club.

As they walked in, Quinton could not believe the woman’s audacity. “Regina! That was a lot of money.”

The woman squeezed his hand and leaned next to him so that she could be heard over the throbbing music. “Don’t worry. It was grocery money.” Regina’s lips curled up into a smile. “The kids won’t mind pizza for dinner next week.”

The pounding noise nearly shook Quinton’s fillings. He watched the surging mass of dancers out on the floor. Quinton had not felt quite so old in awhile. The young dancers threw themselves around the room with abandon, swaying suggestively to music. Quinton could not count the number of nose rings and eyebrow piercings.

“Are you sure you really want to—”

Regina gave his arm a tug toward the dance floor. “I’m sure.”

Quinton let her enthusiasm carry him out into the chaos. The music was loud and booming, and it was certainly not his kind of melody. He tried to pick up on the rhythm, but everyone seemed to be dancing to their own beats. Quinton felt completely self-conscious as he tried to look at least passable. Regina, on the other hand, was cutting loose. Her silky dress caressed her hips as the woman danced intensely. She seemed to almost be another person—confident and self-assured.

And was she singing along with the lyrics? Quinton tried to listen intently to the song, but could only make out a few words. Something about witches and burning and going up in smoke. The only musical genre Quinton could put it into was something akin to death rock, only with a semi-danceable beat.

“You know this song?” Quinton shouted over the mayhem.

Regina nodded as she lip-synched the words. When the song went into the screeching instrumental part, the woman came in close beside him and yelled in his ear. “It’s Rob Zombie.”

“Rob Who?”

Playfully, Regina snuggled up against him and got on her tiptoes to speak directly into his ear. Quinton was intensely distracted from her words as her lips brushed past his earlobe. It was almost like a kiss, but not quite.

“Michael has this CD! I put it on when I vacuum! It helps keep my feet moving!” Regina declared but moved away as the vocals started again.

Quinton tried to ignore his own embarrassment and enjoy the dance. It was amazing how many different sides this woman had. Who would have thought her prone to death rock?

* * *

Regina danced like it was the last night of her life. She never let loose like this in public. The only time she had ever danced in her entire constrained life was at home, doing the housework, by herself. No one else had ever seen her dance. Not even the kids. They constantly tried to get her to move to the music in the car, but she stoically refused. But not tonight. Tonight, she was going to enjoy herself. Quinton did not look like he was having quite as good a time, but she let him fend for himself. It was not every night that she was out with a handsome man, enjoying the hell out of the moment.

The music changed, and the beat slowed. Tired and thirsty, Regina went to move off the dance floor, but Quinton caught her hand. In a single motion, he pulled her into his embrace. Already flushed from the exertion, Regina was certain that her cheeks were a flaming red. Quinton tenderly put his arm around her waist and held their bodies close together. Caught in his arms, and not wanting the moment to end, she put her hand upon his shoulder. Quinton brought her other hand up to his chest and held it there. There was no more than an inch between them; they were pressed so tightly against one another.

As the music swayed their bodies, Regina leaned into Quinton’s chest and laid her cheek upon his shirt. The smell of his sweat was almost overwhelming but in a wonderful sort of way. She had stirrings and desires that she had only read about. Regina could almost taste the sexual tension between them. Quinton’s hand wandered up her back and down again, this time resting a little below her waist. No one had touched her there, not even Wayne, for years. Her skin was all tingly under his touch, and the rest of her body cried out in jealousy. Every part of her wanted to feel his gentle caress. The rise and fall of his chest lulled Regina into an almost dreamlike state. She could easily imagine being with this man. Kissing his fingers. Stroking his well-muscled arms—making love to him. In this moment, Regina wished that there were no clothes between them and that the dance floor was vacant except for the two of them.

Unfortunately, the song ended and an upbeat sound throbbed out of the speakers. She was no longer in the mood to bounce around. Regina wanted to stay attached at the hip forever. Quinton backed away first and indicated the door. Flustered and burning hot, Regina was only too happy to leave the club.

Cold air slapped her in the face, reminding her that what they had just experienced was not reality. That was a dream come true. She could not expect the rest to become real. She was a married woman, and he was a man on the go. Silently, they crossed the street and arrived at their vehicles. Regina noticed that he was equally out of breath.

“Would you like to find a quieter spot? Maybe get some coffee?” Quinton asked.

Sadly, Regina shook her head. It was not that she did not want to spend more time with him. Regina just knew that if she did go off to some secluded spot that things would happen that could never be taken back, and she was not ready for that type of turmoil in her life. She still had her sanity to maintain.

“No. I’d best get home. I’m sure Wayne has called sixteen zillion times.” Which was not too much of an exaggeration. Last night alone, he had left nineteen messages while they were out. Regina was certain that an equal number would be on the answering machine. She was learning how to lie, but she did not think she could keep making love to Quinton a secret. Regina would want to shout it from the rooftops, which would not be conducive to staying in Crow’s Landing.

“How about tomorrow?” he asked, not letting her squirm out of it.

Backing away, Regina tried to put some distance between them. She could not think clearly when his body was so near. “No. I’ve got the kids and—”

“Tomorrow night, then?” Quinton rushed on before Regina could politely decline. “I went dancing with you. It’s your turn to do some of my kind of dancing.”

Once again, Regina was lulled into a playful game with Quinton. “And what type would that be?”

“You’ll see. Tomorrow night.”

“Where would we meet?”

“Leave that to me. I’ll call you in the afternoon.”

This all sounded great, but Regina knew they could never pull it off. “Wayne may be home tomorrow, and Meryl’s got a soccer game and—”

“Arrange it. Okay?”

The gravely tone to Quinton’s voice stopped any protest Regina might have thought of. If he kept talking like that, she would do anything that he said. “All right. I’ll wait for your call, then.”

Quinton closed the distance between them. Oh, God, Regina thought, there was that smell again—all musky and sexy. His presence occupied all of her senses. The world was reduced to their own private envelope in time and space.

She needed to say something, anything, to end this moment. It was too painful to feel this way and not act upon it. “It’s good night, then.”

The man took her hand and brought it up to his lips. Instead of kissing the back of her hand, Quinton turned her hand over. Cradling the back of her hand, he leaned down to her palm. His mustache tickled her skin, but Lord knows she did not giggle. There was nothing funny about this moment. Ever so slowly, Quinton touched his lips to her palm. He spread his lips apart, just enough to allow the hint of moisture on her skin. With a final bit of pressure, he ended the kiss, and Regina feared her knees would give out. It was the single most sensual experience of her life.

Quinton pulled her closer and looked like he was going to repeat the process on her lips, but the dogs must have awakened in the back of their cars, for they began barking hysterically, trying to get out and play with one another. The hold Quinton had over Regina’s motor functions was shattered, and she was able to step away.

The man allowed her to break the intimacy, but a sexy smile painted his lips. “We’re leaving the dogs home tomorrow night.”

Oh definitely
, Regina thought.

CHAPTER 10

Quinton caught himself humming that obnoxious tune from last night’s dance excursion as he worked on his report. Ralph did not seem to notice, but then again, the younger man looked whipped. They had not discussed it yet, but Quinton was sure that his assistant had another strenuous night with Natalie. Briefly, Quinton wondered if Ralph knew what was in store for him all weekend long. Did he know that Natalie had canceled her out-of-town plans?

“I’m going to go grab some more coffee. You want some?” Ralph asked.

“No thanks. I got plenty of sleep,” Quinton replied, completely honest. He had not had such a sound night’s rest in years. His whole body felt invigorated, and he was more than ready for another late night tonight.

Ralph scowled. “I would have too, but she woke me up four times. Count ‘em. Four.”

“The price you pay, boy. The price you pay.”

“Shut up.” Ralph tossed a dirty sock at him, which hit Quinton right in the face. His assistant was busy digging under the bed for his shoes. Quinton had finally set up his laptop in Ralph’s disheveled room because it was the only way to get the younger man out of bed.

Putting on one shoe, Ralph began quizzing Quinton. “You never told me what you were doing.”

“Nothing,” Quinton said with a shrug.

“Please. Your truck was gone. Fess up. Where were you?”

“Did a little sightseeing.” Quinton tried to hedge, but in reality he wanted to talk about his night. He wanted Ralph to push for more information. Talking about the evening made him feel closer to Regina. And he loved the rush he got thinking about spending another night with her.

Unfortunately, the younger man was a bit preoccupied with his quest for coffee. “Really?” Ralph said in a distracted voice, as if he really believed that Quinton had found something to see in Central Oregon in the middle of the night. “Where did you go?”

“Queen’s Court.” When Ralph did not respond, Quinton dropped another hint. “A French restaurant called Chateau L’Blanche.”

His assistant jerked his head up from under the bed. “Hey! You said you hated French food! You wouldn’t stop there on the way into town.” Ralph’s eyes squinted as he studied his boss. “Are you stepping out on the town without telling me?”

Hiding a smile, Quinton just shrugged and tried to look like he was concentrating really hard on the report.

The younger man’s eyes dilated. “No way! Regina? You actually went out with Togglehorn’s wife?”

Quinton was reveling a bit in Ralph’s amazement. It was nice to feel like he could shock the younger generation. “Yep. And she met me later in the evening in Queen’s Court for a night of dinner and dance.”

Ralph sat down hard on the bed. “You’re really striking up a clandestine affair with the boss’s wife? You have got balls, man.” His assistant hopped up and began scrounging for his shoe again. “I’m going to sell tickets when Mr. Togglehorn finds out. This is going to be righteous.”

Squirming a bit, Quinton asked his assistant. “You don’t think that he’s going to find out, do you?”

“What do you think?” Ralph asked with an incredulous look on his face. “You said yourself that the man owns this town. Do you think he doesn’t know what his wife does every moment of every day? Come on, dude. Pull your head out. If you continue, you’re going to have to face the music on this.”

Quinton did not tell the younger man, but he was quite happy being in denial. Even though he despised Wayne, Quinton had to admit to himself that he was none too eager to confront the man on his turf. Even though last night he had rehearsed exactly the pummeling he would give Wayne, Quinton knew those sorts of confrontations did not happen in real life. The best that he and Regina could hope for was a nice, quiet, private affair that they could look back upon with fond memories.

“Got it!” Ralph proclaimed as he pulled another shoe out from between the mattresses.

A loud, insistent knock came at the door. Since the younger man was busy putting on his shoe, Quinton answered the door. Before him stood the sheriff and two deputies.

“Mr. Spear, we have a few more questions for you.”

Quinton sighed but opened the door wider. “Come right in, gentlemen.”

Ralph was up and tried to get out the door past the peace officers. “I’ll be right back. I’m going for coffee.” The younger man’s voice was strained, but Quinton was proud of his assistant for being so polite. “Does anyone else want any?”

“No one is going anywhere until I have some answers about where you both were last night.”