Dance Like Nobody's Watching (Summer Lake 3) (26 page)

“Afternoon,” he said, deciding that an
attempt at conversation was preferable to a silent staring match.

“Are you the kid that's been seeing Missy?”

That caught him off guard—and riled him. He
wasn't a kid and he wasn't just
seeing
her. They were living
together, hopefully she was going to marry him—when he figured
out how to ask her. He stilled himself and balled his fists, every
instinct telling him he was going to need to fight. “I am.
What's it to you?”

“What if I told you to leave her alone?”

“I'd tell you to go fuck yourself, cos
that's not going to happen!” Dan surprised himself with his
words and his tone, which came out sounding like a threat. He was
even more surprised that the guy started to laugh.

He tipped back his hat and Dan saw light
silvery-blue eyes, crinkling as he laughed. He stepped forward
holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you Dan, I'm Chance.”

Dan pursed his lips, but smiled in spite of
himself as the adrenaline receded. He shook Chance's hand. “Yeah.
Nice to meet you too. Sorry about that. I didn't know who you were,
or what to make of you.”

Chance laughed again, the sound raspy, as though
he were out of practice. “No, I'm sorry, Dan. I didn't know
what to make of you either. I thought you were some little geek-boy,
sniffing round my sister. Wanted to see how easy you might scare
off.”

Dan met his gaze. “I'll admit I was scared
of you, but not you, or anyone, or anything is going to scare me away
from Missy.”

Chance nodded. “I can see that. I'm glad to
be wrong about you, kid.”

Dan frowned. He didn't want to push his luck, but
he didn't want Chance to think of him as, or call him, kid. “I'm
glad you weren't what I thought either, but do me a favor?”

“What's that?”

“Don't call me kid.”

Chance narrowed his eyes and gave him an
appraising look. “Why not, kid?”

Dan wasn't going to back down now. “Because
you don't know me. In your sister's eyes, I'm her man. In Scot's
eyes, I'm becoming a kind of father figure. Can you respect how they
see me, what I am to them?”

Chance pushed his hat back off his head and ran
his hand through unruly black hair. He nodded slowly. “In my
book, respect has to be earned, not just given.”

“I'm with you. I'm asking you not to
disrespect their faith in me. As for you respecting me, I'll earn it
over time, or I won't.” He smiled. “If I don't then you
can call me kid and I won't argue.”

Chance smiled. “Fair enough. So what do I
call you?”

“Dan, nerd, geek.” Dan smiled. “See,
it's not about ego, I'll accept being called what I am.”

Chance grasped his shoulder. “I think we'll
do just fine, you and me, Dan. Now, do you want a ride back into
town?”

“Sure. Missy and Scot have gone to your
dad's. You could drop me on the way if you want to go there?”

Chance's face changed so fast it took Dan by
surprise. His smile was replaced by thinned lips, his eyes narrowed
and hard. He got back into his truck. Dan went around and climbed in
the passenger side and waited, not wanting to question the sudden
change. Chance turned the key in the ignition, then looked across at
him. The anger was gone, but he looked pained. “I'd sooner come
hang with you ’til they get back. You can show me this house
she's been raving about.”

“Sure.”

“Do we need to pick up some beer?”
asked Chance as he put the truck in gear.

“No.” Dan smiled. “We've got
plenty, and they're stinging cold.”

“I'm liking you more by the minute, kid.”
Chance shot him a quick grin. “Dan, I mean Dan!”

***

Missy was thrilled to see Chance's truck parked in
the driveway when they got back to the house. She looked across at
Scot. “Looks like Dan's met Uncle Chance already, huh?”

Scot nodded, his face solemn. “Do you think
they'll be okay?” he asked.

“We'd better go find out. Come on.”
She'd been looking forward to seeing Chance, looking forward to him
meeting Dan, seeing the house, but now he was here, she was a little
afraid of how he might react. What he might do if he took a dislike
to Dan. She hurried up the steps and into the house, Scot following
her closely. From the look on his face, he shared her concerns. “Hey!
We're back,” she called. The house was silent. Scot looked at
her, she shrugged. They checked the media room—no one there.
She went out to the patio and, to her relief, heard the sound of
laughter. She beckoned to Scot to follow and they made their way down
to the workshop down by the dock. She couldn't believe her eyes when
she saw both doors standing wide open and inside they weren't working
on a boat or even a motorcycle as she might have expected. Oh, no.
There was a pool table in there! The two of them were playing pool
and drinking beer!

Dan was the first to spot her. He grinned and came
over to her while Chance took his shot. “Hey, Miss! Can you
believe this? I'd never bothered looking in here, thought it was just
a boat shed. We got a pool room instead!”

She smiled and pecked his lips. “Wonderful.
I see you found my brother too.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Dan grinned.

“In fact,” said Chance, once he'd
taken his shot. “I found him.” He came around the table
and Missy threw herself into his arms. Chance lifted her up so her
eyes were level with his own. “Good to see you, Miss.” He
set her down and turned to Scot. “Hey, Shorty!”

“Hey, Uncle Chance.” Scot looked a
little unsure of himself until Chance held an arm out.

“Got a hug for me?”

Scot grinned and gave him a quick hug. When he let
go, he went and wrapped his arms around Dan's waist. “So how
did it go? Did you enjoy Vegas?”

Chance caught Missy's eye and nodded. Seemingly he
approved of Dan. Although it should be none of his business, Missy
was relieved—and pleased.

“It was great, champ. You would have enjoyed
it.”

Scot pulled a face at him.

“Don't look at me like that. You would. You
can't knock it ’til you've tried it. But how did it go at
Ethan's? Did you two have fun?”

“We did. Is it okay if he comes here
tonight, so we can keep working on it?”

“We'd best check with your mom.”

Dan looked at her and Missy smiled. “I said
we'd need to ask you.”

Dan looked puzzled. “Why?”

She could feel Chance's eyes boring into her.
“Because it's your house.”

Dan frowned, hurt brown eyes fixed on her. “It's
our
house, Miss. You don't have to ask who can come over.”

Scot grinned. “See, Mom! That's what I
said.”

Missy stared at them, not knowing what to say,
until Chance laughed. “Take it easy on her, guys. She might
need a little time to get used to this.” He turned to her.
“Don't take too long though, Miss. You've found yourself a good
'un here. Now, are we playing, or not? It's your shot, Dan, and
you're not going to beat me this time.” As Dan went to take his
shot, Chance looked at Missy. “You could have warned me he was
hustler!”

She laughed. She would have if she'd known. It was
just another of his many hidden talents she was learning about.

***

Miss still looked tired. It was starting to really
get to him. They'd had a great weekend, first Vegas, then hanging out
with Chance. He'd stayed the night and Dan had gone to get them all
breakfast and the papers this morning. Missy had wanted to take
Chance to see the gang for breakfast at the restaurant, but he wasn't
keen to be around people. Dan could relate to that. Tonight, Chance
had gone to stay at Missy's. He'd said he didn't want to interrupt
the Sunday night, back to school routine. Dan suspected he just
needed to be alone.

They'd seen Scotty off to bed and now they sat in
their bedroom, by the fire. It was time to see if he could persuade
her not to work so hard all the time. He reached out to touch her
cheek. The dark smudges under her eyes were still visible, even
though she thought she covered them with her makeup. It made Dan feel
sad. Sad that she worked so hard and wouldn't let him help. Sad
because it reminded him of his mom and the black eyes she used to try
to hide in the same way. When Missy smiled at him, like she was doing
now, he felt like he could conquer the world for her. The only
trouble was, she was too stubborn to let him. To be fair though, it
had only been a couple of weeks. Like Chance had said, she needed
time to adjust. He hoped that tonight he'd be able to persuade her to
see things his way.

“You look tired, beautiful.”

“I am.” She smiled and placed her hand
over his. “Can we save the talk for another time, and just go
to bed?”

He frowned, not knowing if she was too tired, or
trying to get out of the conversation they needed to have.

She moved her hand from his cheek to his chest and
slipped it inside his shirt. “I know we need to talk Danny, but
I am tired. I don't think I've got the energy to talk and....”
She slid her hand down to the waist of his jeans and tugged on his
belt.

All his hesitation disappeared when she slid down
to the floor and pulled her top off over her head.

“We don't have the rug yet, but this carpet
is nice and soft.” She wriggled out of her jeans and smiled at
him.

All thoughts of conversation left him as he
unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off. He knelt on the floor
facing her, caging her against the chair with his arms. She fumbled
with his zipper and got him out of his jeans. Seeing her breasts
overflowing her bra, he ached to be inside her. He freed them and
buried his face in them, teasing her nipples with his lips and
fingers until she moaned. He turned her around to lean on the
armchair and pulled her panties down. Kneeling behind her, he spread
her legs. She leaned into the seat of the chair, her hands grasping
the arms when he reached around to touch her. She moaned and pressed
her ass against him. He had no choice but to hang onto her hips as
her heat yielded to him. He saw her knuckles turn white against the
chair as he settled into her. He'd have to take this slow. He was
already on the very edge, and the sight and sound of her panting
shoulders threatened to take him over at any moment. He leaned
forward and filled his hands with her breasts as he withdrew a
slightly. She moaned as he fingered her nipples and slid back home.
He moaned with her as she closed around him, she was so wet and
tight. He set a slow, steady rhythm, feeling the pressure build each
time he thrust deeper. She clutched the cushions, moaning as she
moved with him. He slipped a hand down between her legs to touch her.
The way she moaned his name and pressed back against him touched the
fuse that had him thrusting deep and hard, the pressure building, and
building until he could no longer contain it. He let go, seeing stars
as he clung to her, throbbing inside her as she writhed beneath him,
gasping her own pleasure. She really was a perfect fit for him.

***

Dan lay on his back, staring out at the water. It
still sparkled in the darkness, even though there was no moon and
only a few stars to reflect. He was getting used to this bed, this
view of the lake. He curled his arm tighter around Missy. He was
getting used to sleeping like this too. He lay on his back, she lay
on her side, head on his shoulder. His arm was around her waist, her
leg wrapped around his. It felt so comfortable, so right. He didn't
know how he'd slept without her ’til now. Didn't think he'd
ever be able to again.

“G'night, Danny,” she murmured.

He dropped a kiss into her hair. “G'night,
beautiful. Tomorrow we talk. Don't think I've forgotten.”

She nodded and snuggled closer, but said nothing.
He wrapped both arms around her and held her tight.

***

Missy pulled the minivan into the driveway. She
was happy to see that Chance's truck was already there. Even happier
at the way he and Dan had hit it off. Dan had seen more of her
brother this week than she had. It seemed the two loners enjoyed each
other's company. She was glad of it, even though it didn't make much
sense to her. She smiled as she got out of the van; being together
with Dan didn't make much sense either, but they were getting closer
every day. He'd insisted that he'd be in charge of dinner tonight,
since she'd worked late.

She let herself in, wishing she could just go take
a shower and lie down. She was still so tired. She was starting to
think there must be a way to do as Dan said, and find a compromise
that would mean she didn't have to work so damned hard all the time.
She found them in the kitchen. Scot sat close to Dan, as he seemed to
whenever he could these days.

“Hey, Mom!”

“Hey, sunbeam. How was your day?”

“It was good.”

“Hey, beautiful,” Dan's face was full
of concern. “You look beat. Come and sit down. Do you want a
drink?”

“I'd love a glass of wine, thanks. I am beat
today.”

Chance turned to her. “So why not give it
up, Miss? You shouldn't be working your ass off when your man here
wants to take care of you. You're being stupid.”

Missy stared at Dan, shocked. Dan, who had gotten
up to get her wine, stopped dead and shifted from one foot to the
other, looking very uncomfortable. She'd managed to avoid having the
conversation with him since Sunday night, but she was shocked, and a
little hurt, that he would have talked to Chance about it. “What
have you said?”

Chance cut in. “He hasn't said a word. He
doesn't need to. Any fool can see what's going on here, Miss. He's
trying to give the two of you a life, and you're clinging to your
independence.”

She looked at Chance. “I am not stupid! We
only just moved in together. We're still figuring out how things are
going to work. And
you
need to butt out, thank you very much!”

Chance continued as if she hadn't spoken. “I'm
not going to watch you work yourself into the ground when you don't
have to. I'm not going to watch you mess things up with Dan here.
He's the best thing that's ever happened to you, and to Scot. You've
never known someone to be there for you, take care of you. I'm partly
to blame for that, but Dan's different. He's here for you. He's not
going anywhere and he wants to take care of you. Let him, Miss. We
all know you can do it all by yourself, but you don't have to
anymore.”