A bunch of the kids groaned or outright complained only to be shushed by a nearby adult. The dogs also seemed less hyped about the choice and wandered to the sidelines to flop into the grass.
But as for Cas and me… Well, we were just staring at each other.
“Do you need to rest?” he asked, and I swore that something changed in his eyes. His gaze grew more intense. Grew hungry.
“I could.” I didn’t know where my bravery came from, but I took a small breath and looked up at him through my lashes. “But I could keep dancing.”
One of the corners of his lips curled up and his gaze grew even darker. “Could you?”
Oh my god, double-gulp in a cup. His voice had dipped lower, and I was not expecting that. It was like it rattled through my bones and vibrated right down into my soul. I didn’t think I’d ever had a physical reaction to someone’s voice before, but that was absolutely what was happening.
And I didn’t think I could blame it on the alcohol.
“I could,” I confirmed softly.
“Then let’s dance.”
Gently, oh so gently, he pulled me closer until we were practically touching, and his other arm slid around my waist. It was like the entire world around us crumbled away, leaving only our heartbeats and the music.
“Just follow my lead. I’ve got you.”
He most certainly did.
Mouth dry, heart thundering, I swayed along with him to the gentle lilt of the string music. We were just doing a two-step with a little spin every once in a while, but it felt like I was floating across clouds.
It was like a moment from those romance novels my mother used to read when she missed my father, and I couldn’t believe it was happening to me. Even though I knew I would likely never see the guy again, I would never regret this one perfect night.
Castiel
Tension Lines
I never could have predicted how my day would go after I returned from my morning run, but as I stared down at the flushed face of the woman in my arms, I couldn’t be happier.
I knew that there wasn’t really anything between us besides some mutual attraction, but with her in my arms, my nose filled with her scent, it was easy to forget that. Easy to pretend I was mated, perhaps with a few pups of our own at home. Easy to imagine an entire life lived together.
It was an escape, and only that, but I reveled in it, nonetheless. Besides, despite the unfortunate consequence of getting an innocent human drunk, it loved that I’d made Felicia’s day so good. She seemed like an incredibly hard worker but also a nice human, and she deserved a little reward.
Life could be so cruel sometimes, and it made me feel a little less powerless to make a bright spot for someone else. Especially someone so lovely.
If I could have stayed in that field dancing with her forever, I might have. But eventually her eyelids began to flutter. I wasn’t surprised. From what I knew about bakers, they got up insanely early to prep doughs, and then she’d spent the entire day baking, and here at our reunion with so many people around. Not to mention the whole accidentally getting drunk thing.
But I would wait for the song to end, even though it was a ten-minute ballad. And I waited for the next to end too, wanting to stay all pressed up against her. But the pace picked up again and I knew it was time.
“Hey, how about I sign that receipt and get you home?” I murmured just loud enough for her to hear.
“I…” She heaved a sigh that settled heavily over my soul. “Yeah, we probably should.” We parted, and she stumbled ever so slightly. Not enough that I needed to catch her, but definitely noticeably. “Shoot.”
I knew what she was worried about, and guilt ricocheted through me again. “How about I drive you home?”
She gaped up at me with slightly bleary eyes. “You would do that?”
“Of course. It’s our fault your entire schedule got thrown off.”
“But how will you get home?”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. I’ve got it handled.”
If Felicia was sober, she’d probably ask how that was possible, but then I wouldn’t have to drive her home in the first place.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
She let out the sweetest little laugh, then looped her arm through mine again. I wasn’t averse to physical touch at all, but I certainly wasn’t used to so much of it from someone who wasn’t in my pack. And I was definitely finding out that I liked it. “You’re a real sweetheart, you know that?”
“Just doing my duty.”
“Well, if that’s the case, why don’t you dutifully walk me to my van, then we’ll go.”
“And sign the receipt,” I reminded.
“And the receipt.”
I said a couple of goodbyes on the way to her van, but when everything was said and done, it only took about ten minutes to get her into the passenger seat, sign the receipt, and have her hand the keys over to me. I fully recognized how unorthodox the situation was, as well as the huge amount of trust Felicia was putting in a strange man, and I didn’t take it for granted. Even if I never saw her again, I had no doubt that the woman dozing in the passenger seat was an incredibly special person.
My pack was friendly, but I’d never seen anyone just slide right in like she belonged. It really was a miracle that she hadn’t been suspicious of anything, especially since I had come to realize my pack was absolutely terrible at disguising our shifter tendencies. But terrible subterfuge skills or not, we’d made it through without her pointing at anyone and screaming werewolf! at the top of her lungs.
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