Four weeks later…
Jon couldn’t believe it’d been a month since he’d seen Maggie. His heart ached even as it’d soared as he watched Maggie take the dance floor on Seth’s arm. She looked beautiful, regal and confident—exactly the way he’d remembered her.
His stomach roiled with nervousness when the music started. He’d bought a seat close enough to the action to get a good look at her, but not in a conspicuous place she might see him—because this wasn’t about him, or them, but her living her dream.
So it was hard as hell to sit on his hands when the semi-finalists names were called and Maggie and Seth hadn’t made it past the first round.
Jon stayed through the semi-finals, lingering in the empty arena after the spectators and the competitors had left, knowing Maggie would eventually wander out. The cleaning crew was done sweeping up popcorn and the set-up crew was preparing for the next event. It took every ounce of patience to wait for her to come to him, instead of tracking her down.
Much had happened in the last month. He’d made a lot of professional decisions and faced a lot of personal demons. Jon just hoped he wasn’t too late to explain those changes to Maggie.
He heard the click click of her shoes first, echoing to him like a drumbeat. She emerged from the tunnel leading backstage and she looked so damn good his heart nearly stopped. She’d changed out of her sparkly costume and into street clothes. Hair scraped into a ponytail. Her ever-present duffel bag hung over her shoulder. But a sort of sadness surrounded her that he could see from up in the stands.
She strolled around the edges of the arena floor. Tipping her head back to look at the lights, the sound system and the huge TV screens that were now dark.
Was she lamenting it’d just been the luck of the draw that she and Seth had been entered in the same flight as the reigning champions? Probably Maggie would take that as some sort of sign. He’d never known anyone who could be called a romantic pragmatist, but she certainly fit the bill.
No one could say she and Seth hadn’t given their all to their performance. They’d danced well. Better than they had at regionals. But the other couples in the competition had been better.
How did that make her feel? Had the competition stirred up her competitive streak? Would she be determined to work harder? Or would she back off and reevaluate whether she wanted to pursue getting to the next level in the world of competitive dancing?
Stop lurking and go find out.
Jon waited until Maggie sat on the player’s bench before leaving the shadows. She was so lost in thought she didn’t hear his approach until he sat next to her. “Hey.”
Maggie gasped softly. “Jon? Oh my God. What are you doing here?”
“I came to watch you compete.”
She blinked at him as if he were an apparition. “Why?”
“You know why,” he said softly, keeping his gaze locked on hers. “I remembered the night after you won regionals you said you liked walking around a venue after it ended to see if any crowd energy lingered.”
“I’m surprised you remembered that.”
“I remember a lot of things about you, Maggie. Everything in fact.”
She glanced down to where her fingers were twisting the straps of her duffel bag. “So you saw us dance?”
“Yes. You guys were good.”
“But not good enough.”
Typical Maggie response in that no bitterness laced her tone.
“So are you okay?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She sighed heavily. “Honestly? It all seems pretty surreal. The hours spent rehearsing. The anticipation of getting to wear a gorgeous costume and dancing in front of thousands of people. The fear of failing in front of thousands of people. What a rush.”
“It is a serious rush. But it always wears off.”
“You would know.”
Jon drummed his fingers on the bench beside him, at a loss for what to say.
“And now that we’ve exchanged polite small talk…maybe you should tell me why you’re really here.”
“Because even though things were left at a standstill between us, I knew it was temporary and I gave you the space you needed. But I didn’t stop thinking about you. Or caring about you. This competition is a big deal in your life and I wanted to be here to support you.”
Maggie looked at him. “Wasn’t this the weekend you were supposed to play a live show with Push?”
He shrugged. “I told them I had a prior commitment.”
“And they didn’t mind you bailing on them?” she asked skeptically.
Don’t bristle. He kept his tone light. “Hadn’t you heard all musicians are flaky like that?”
“Not you. I’d never lump you in with all musicians, Jon.”
“But you did.”
She was quiet for a moment. “I guess I did. Why is it hard for me to take a leap of faith and so damn easy to jump to conclusions?”
“Human nature. People make mistakes. I did. I should’ve told you what was going on.”
“So what is going on?”
“Push’s management got a little pissy about me changing my mind and I realized I don’t wanna work with people like that.”
“When did you back out of the gig?”
“Last month.”
“But…” Her eyes searched his and she seemed totally bewildered.
He knew the feeling. “Yes, that was before I knew whether we’d work this out. I wasn’t ready to walk away from you then and that hasn’t changed.” Jon forced himself to slow down. “I had no idea the music trade mags were snapping pictures and causing all kinds of trouble.”
Maggie lifted a brow.
“Look, I’m not blaming the paparazzi for how you found out. I could give you a bullshit answer like I’d signed a bunch of nondisclosure agreements—which is true—but the truth is I’m so used to dealing with all this business crap myself, I haven’t learned to open up to anyone. I should’ve trusted you and talked to you about it. I didn’t. I’m sorry. It’ll never happen again, I promise.”
“So are you going back on tour?”
“No. I really am taking time off indefinitely. The offers were tempting, hell they were flattering which was probably why I even considered them. But I’ve honestly never been happier, just working on my own stuff on my own time frame, and learning to have a life. I want a life with you, Maggie.” He tapped his fingers on his knees. “Sorry. Here I am babbling on—”
She put her hand over his. “You’re doing that drumming thing. Why are you nervous?”
“Because I have so many things I want to say, but I wasn’t sure if you’d tell me to shove off before I’d get to tell you a single one.”
“Ironically enough, I have a lot of things to say to you too.” Then she leaned forward to kiss him. “But I planned on sucking back a few cosmos to get up the courage before I drunk dialed you.”
He laughed softly and the fear inside him settled a little. “Do you have any idea how crazy I am about you?”
“I’ve got a pretty good idea since you’re here and since I feel the same way.”
“God, I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
Jon framed her face in his hands. “I don’t want to fuck this up again, Maggie.”
“Me either, but you don’t get to take all the blame for it, Jon. It was a mutual fuck up. But that means we get to start from scratch.” She turned her head and kissed the inside of his wrist. “You game for that, rock star?”
“Absolutely.”
They didn’t speak for several moments. Then Maggie sighed. “I have a confession to make. I took the job with the security company from Fort Collins.”
That surprised him. “When?”
“A month ago.”
“But that was before…”
“I competed in nationals? Yep. I knew going into this it would be my one shot at a championship. I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but I am excited to start my new job.”
&nbs
p; He was excited too, if it meant what he thought it did. “This is the telecommuting one, right? You’ll be living in Spearfish?”
“Yes. I will have to travel to Fort Collins periodically, but I can deal with that. Can you?”
“Heck yeah, maybe we’ll turn it into a road trip.” Jon’s thumb stroked her cheek. “Because I never want to be away from you for very long.”
Maggie kissed him again. “Same here. I’m happy I reconnected with my love of dancing because it led me to you. But I also finally understand dancing will only ever be a hobby for me. I’m good with that. And Seth understands. In fact, he’s turned over all the upcoming dance classes at the community center to me.”
Jon’s eyes lit up. “So does that mean you’ll be looking for a new permanent dance partner?”
“Uh-huh, but it ain’t gonna be you, because sweetheart, you suck.”
He nudged her shoulder. “I’m blaming you for that.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Why’s that?”
“Because you still owe me a dance lesson.”
“You think one dance lesson will bring you up to snuff, rock star?”
“Hell no.” He kissed her softly. Thoroughly. With such a burst of happiness, he felt like doing a jig. And wouldn’t that make her laugh?
“Your seductive kisses won’t change the fact it’s gonna take me forever to teach you how to dance. You know that, right?”
“Yep. That’s what I’m hoping for. A lifetime of dance lessons.”
About the Author
To learn more about Lorelei James, read her Author Notes on this and other titles, and see a Rough Riders family tree, please visit www.loreleijames.com. Send an email to [email protected] or join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers as well as Lorelei:
https://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoreleiJamesGang
Look for these titles by Lorelei James
Now Available:
Rough Riders
Long Hard Ride
Rode Hard, Put Up Wet
Cowgirl Up and Ride
Tied Up, Tied Down
Rough, Raw, and Ready
Branded As Trouble
Shoulda Been A Cowboy
All Jacked Up
Raising Kane
Slow Ride
Cowgirls Don’t Cry
Chasin’ Eight
Cowboy Casanova
Kissin’ Tell
Wild West Boys
Mistress Christmas
Miss Firecracker
Anthologies
Wild Ride: Strong, Silent Type
Three’s Company: Wicked Garden
Beginnings: Babe in the Woods
Running With the Devil
Dirty Deeds
Coming Soon:
Gone Country
He kissed the girl and he liked it. Now to convince her it could be love…
A Touch of Confidence
© 2012 Jess Dee
A Two to Tango Story
When a coveted retail space opens up in Rose Bay, Claire Jones and her sisters waste no time grabbing the perfect spot to relocate their expanding children’s bookshop. But when Claire arrives to sign on the dotted line, she discovers someone else got there first.
Worse, the new tenant is shaking hands with a man who is definitely not the elderly Jack Wilson with whom she made a verbal agreement three days ago. This Jack Wilson is a tall, hunky giant—and no amount of righteous indignation can mask her body’s bone-deep sexual response.
Jack never planned to take over the family company; he’s a teacher, not a businessman. But with his grandfather in the hospital, he’s taken up the reins—and steered straight into trouble. Now he’s faced with a serious mistake, and a beautiful, Amazon warrior of a woman who’s demanding satisfaction.
He’d love to give it to her, but his idea of satisfaction has nothing to do with business, and everything to do with getting the curvy goddess naked. The sooner the better…
Warning: If you’ve never made love to a man who quotes Shakespeare during sex…be warned. You’re gonna want to after reading this book.
Enjoy the following excerpt for A Touch of Confidence:
He had no idea what it was about Claire that had his balls all tangled up in knots, but spending twenty minutes in a car with her sent his libido sky rocketing.
The second he’d closed the driver’s door, her perfume had overwhelmed him, and he’d known he was going to have to kiss her again. So kiss her he did. With her body trapped between his and her seat, he took ownership of her mouth and refused to release it.
Her laughter died on her lips, and her breath hitched. For a good few seconds she froze, her jaw slackening with surprise.
Good enough for Jack. It offered his tongue free entry into her tempting mouth. He dipped it inside and ran it along her tongue, then withdrew, driven by a consuming need to nibble on her lower lip.
Dragging his teeth over that pouty flesh, he sucked it into his mouth and nibbled to his heart’s content. Only his heart demanded a whole lot more than her lower lip. It demanded full ownership of her mouth and body, and he had to force himself to go slow, to
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