admit, David Greenly was an enigma. One minute he was serious and the next, teasing. She wasn’t sure what to make of him.
“Sure.” He reached out for her hand, leading her to the dance floor. “But it’s been a long time for me so I can’t promise I won’t break yours.”
He gave her a grin. “I’m sure you can’t do too much damage. You can’t weigh more than the steer who stepped on my foot last week.”
“Hey!” She slapped at his arm playfully as he spun her away from him before twirling her back into his arms and resting one hand at her waist.
“I’m kidding,” he teased, his eyes glimmering from the lights surrounding the dance floor as they moved with the other dancers. “That was for the cologne comment.”
Alicia rested her hand on his shoulder and looked up at him, apologetically. “I didn’t think you heard that.” Her eyes fell to the base of his throat and she watched him swallow. “And that was directed more at Chris than you.”
“Uh huh.”
He didn’t sound convinced and she wondered if she’d injured his male ego. She looked back up at him, mesmerized by his dark eyes and the way there was just enough five o’clock shadow on his jaw to give him a natural sex appeal. She inhaled and the scent of laundry detergent and the muskiness of the outdoors filled her senses. So, he hadn’t been the one wearing cologne after all. She liked the natural scent of him. His lips were close to hers as he spoke and she watched him form words but her brain wasn’t connecting the sound with anything familiar. Finally, he smiled and his voice broke through the haze surrounding her brain.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“What? Oh, sure.” She nodded slightly, bumping his chin with her forehead. “Oh, I’m sorry!” She pulled back from him as he chuckled.
“I guess my toes were the least of my worries.” He rubbed his jaw. “You’ve got a hard head.” He led her to the stacked bales of hay people were using for seating. “I’ll be right back. Beer, water, or soda?”
“Whatever you can get is fine.”
David nodded and headed toward the end of the long line for the beer tent. For someone with such a quiet demeanor, he had a mischievous side to his personality she found surprisingly endearing. Her mother always warned her not to judge a book by its cover. Perhaps David’s subdued personality only seemed more so because of Chris’s boisterous nature, but with his dark good looks, he was every bit as attractive. David wasn’t quite as tall or muscular as Chris, a bit on the lean side, but if the muscles she’d felt under her hand were any indication, David was solid as a brick wall. Her eyes grazed over his form, still waiting in the slow-moving line and she bit her lip, wondering why she was even comparing David to Chris.
“Aw, isn’t that cute, Dallas? Little Miss Second-Rate thinks she has a chance with David Greenly.” Delilah moved toward Alicia, her cat eyes narrowing as she stalked closer. “I heard he was slumming tonight.”
Alicia wasn’t sure what drove Delilah to make her life hell but she wished she’d find a new hobby. Dealing with her was becoming exhausting. “Don’t worry, Delilah, you still win that title. You’re still the first choice when a guy wants to slum.”
The corner of Delilah’s eye twitched and Dallas gasped, covering her mouth in shock but not before Alicia saw the smile she tried to hide. Alicia hadn’t expected her comment to hit its mark, especially after some of the other barbs she and Delilah exchanged in the past. Knowing it did only made her feel immature and uncomfortable. This wasn’t a real date. David hadn’t asked her; Chris had conned them both into coming. Provoking Delilah would only make her go searching for answers and that would surely backfire but Alicia wasn’t sure how to backtrack and diffuse the situation.
Delilah glared at her and pointed a manicured finger in her face. “Look, we both know you’re